Here are the finalists for the 2025 Compton Crook Awards

The Baltimore Science Fiction Society has announced this year's finalists for the 2025 Compton Crook Award.

The award has been handed out since 1983 by members of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society at Balticon. Named for author Compton Crook (the pen-name for author Stephen Tall), it award honors the "best of each year's English language first novel by an author in the field of science fiction, fantasy, or horror." This year's convention Balticon 59, will be held between May 23rd and 26th, 2025 in Baltimore. (via Locus Magazine.)

Here's this year's finalists:

• The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton
• Sun of Blood and Ruin by Mariely Lares
• The Book of Love by Kelly Link
• The Wings Upon Her Back by Samantha Mills
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

The winning author will be invited to Balticon for two years, and will be presented with the cash award of $1,000 and an award plaque. Last year's winner was Kemi Ashing-Giwa for her book Splinter in the Sky.

This seems like a solid list: The Wings Upon Her Back is one that I was looking forward to reading last year (and it's still on my TBR), while I've heard nothing but good things about The Book of Love.