And just like that, we are at the end of Round One.
It has been quite a journey through our thirty books, and we have loved (almost) every minute of it. Four books earned their place as semi-finalists, each one getting their own post and their moment in the spotlight. If you missed those, go read them. Seriously.
But if you are here for the announcement, we understand. Before we get to it, let’s revisit our four semi-finalists one last time. Ready?
The Artificer’s Knot by Eric Lewis won us over with sharp prose, a cast that felt alive, and a world blending gaslamp fantasy, crime, and political intrigue in ways we did not entirely see coming. Some of us were completely swept up. Others found the momentum uneven. But nobody argued about the quality of the writing or the quiet brilliance of Nebb.
City of Stone by K. T. Holder gave us found family warmth, a cast of young survivors we genuinely cared about, and a kindness in its storytelling that stuck with us. Opinions varied on the pacing, but the heart of this book was never in question. These are characters we would happily follow into a sequel.
Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll had us smiling while we read it, talking about it after, and reaching for it when we wanted something that just worked. A romp. A genuine, breezy, warm-hearted gaslamp romp with banter sharp enough to make you grin, two leads who are an absolute delight together, and a world with enough charm and invention to keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.
Physical Magic by William C. Tracy stood out from the very first pages for its distinctive setting and a protagonist whose journey felt honest and earned. A world built from different inspirations than the usual fantasy fare, with themes of worth, belonging, and what it means to have a place in the world. Quietly special.
Let’s do this.
Four excellent books. Four well-deserved semi-finalist spots. And only one can go forward.
We watched the numbers. Ratings trickled in, the order shifted, books jostled for position on the spreadsheet as more of our team weighed in. And slowly, one title pulled ahead and stayed there.
The Fantasy-Faction SPFBO 11 finalist is…
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Of Mages and Makers!
Congratulations to Rel Carroll!
We are absolutely delighted to send this one into Round Two, and we cannot wait to see how it fares against the best of the other blogs! Watch this space!
You can keep up with round two of the contest on the official SPFBO website. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more here.
And for the scoreboard, here are the scores of our four semi-finalist:
- Of Mages and Makers by Rel Carroll: 7.9
- The Artificer’s Knot by Eric Lewis: 7.6
- Physical Magic by William C. Tracy: 7.5
- City of Stone by K. T. Holder: 7.3
A sincere thank you again to every author who entered! Putting your work forward for a competition takes real courage, and we appreciate each and every one of you for it.
Our judges this year Adawia Asad, Eva Geraghty, Evelyn Grimald “E.G.” Stone, Julia Kitvaria Sarene, Karen Lucia, Kerry Smith, Kit Caelsto, Maureen Neuman, Robert Max Freeman, Sara Rosevear, Sherry Cammer, Stacey Markle, Tianna Twyman, and Yaniv Rosenfeld Cohen. If you’d like to learn more about us, including our likes and dislikes, you can read about them here. And again, you can learn more about the contest here.
Any queries should be directed to the editor, Jennie Ivins, via DM (Bluesky/Threads).
Featured image by Mohamed Marey.
