Today marks a full year since I started this blog. While there have been times it felt more like a chore than a hobby, overall it’s been fun. It’s brought me into conversation with both creators and fans from across the SF community, and I know at least one person has picked up a book because I recommended it. To my mind, that’s a success. Spreading the joy of science fiction is what At Boundary’s Edge is all about. For everyone who has been a part of it so far, or will be in the future, you have my most sincere thanks.

To celebrate this first anniversary, I thought it would be a good idea to have a little award ceremony. The most inconsequential award ceremony ever. And so with no further ado, I present to you: The inaugural Boundy Awards

Boundy Awards for Literature

Best Standalone – Cage of Souls, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Bleak without ever being nihilistic, this Dying Earth tale shows just why he is one of the UK’s best SF authors.

Best Opener – A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine. One of the most accomplished debuts in years, this space epic is a clever rumination on the nature of civilisation. Smart without hitting you over the head with the fact, the Teixcalaan series is definitely one to watch going into 2020.

Best Continuation – Children of Ruin, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The long-awaited sequel to Children of Time continues Tchaikovsky’s run of genuinely alien creations. The perfect fusion of Space Opera and Hard SF.

Best Conclusion – Triumphant, by Jack Campbell. The conclusion to the Lost Fleet prequel brings everything to a satisfying close. With all the action and battles you’d expect, and an epilogue which teases at more to come.

Boundy Awards for Audio

Best Drama – Torchwood: The Green Life, by David Llewellyn. If you thought the quaint charm of the Pertwee era would never work alongside the swearing and violence-fuelled Torchwood, then Jo Grant and Jack Harkness would like a word with you.

Best Music – The Lost Fairy, by Paul Shapera. The conclusion to the third Shaperaverse trilogy brings in everything listeners have come to expect. High emotions, original worldbuilding and a bombastic soundtrack. It may even make you shed a tear or two.

Boundy Awards for Visual Media

Best Film – Not Awarded. Shockingly, I have gone an entire year without watching any new releases. While I have high hopes for Rise of Skywalker, its release date falls just outside the awards window.

Best Episode – New Eden (Star Trek Discovery, Season 2, Episode 2) In a season that essentially saved the series, New Eden was the opening salvo of the new management. With a mysterious colony in deep space and moral debates, this was the first episode of Discovery to feel like classic Star Trek.

Best Season – Krypton, Season 2. Another SyFy show cut short in its prime, Krypton‘s second season showed just what you can do with a superhero licence. Jumping wildly between grim dystopian SF and the pulp sensibilities of Flash Gordon, season 2 gave us larger roles for General Zod and Doomsday, while also introducing the madness that is Lobo. With its unrelenting enthusiasm for life, Krypton was perhaps too good to last. But for what it’s worth, season 2 was a stunning farewell.

Boundy Awards for Interactive Media

Best Computer Game – Not Awarded. As with films, I haven’t found the time for much gaming this year. At least not on the SF side. That said, both The Outer Worlds and Jedi: Fallen Order are games I intend to pick up in the new year.

So there you have it. The first (and hopefully not last) Boundy Awards. Thank you for attending, congratulations to all the winners, and see you all next time.