First Gemmell Award finalists, and awards event announcement

In September, we announced the creation of the David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy, which "will be given to a work written in the 'spirit' of the late, great David Gemmell, a true Master of Heroic Fantasy."

The first list of finalists has been announced, and voting is now open to the public from this page. The finalists are:

Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie (published by Gollancz/Pyr)
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier (Tor UK)
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Tor US)
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski (Gollancz)
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Orbit)

The award ceremony will be held on 19 June at The Magic Circle Headquarters in London, England. The formal event (black tie & evening dress) will also feature a reception, a charity auction in support of Médecins sans Frontières, and a display by Raven Armoury (the company which is creating the award's trophy). Tickets to the event are £20, and full information is available on this page.

Edited 22 June: the winner of the first Gemmell Award is Andrzej Sapkowski for his novel Blood of Elves.