The Locus Recommended Reading List for 2009 is now available online. This is one of the best sources available for what is good to read, and what is likely to be a contender for awards, from the past year. Of course I am a little biased, because I have some input into the compilation of the List. However, that input is largely in areas such as novels and non-fiction, which I know a lot about (though I’m also delighted to see Boilerplate on the Art Book list). I tend to leave the short fiction sections to folks like Jonathan Strahan, Rich Horton and Gardner Dozois who are experts. Consequently I am delighted that a number of stories from Clarkesworld have made it into the list. As ever, you can read them free online. Here they are:

• “White Charles”, Sarah Monette
• “In the Lot and in the Air”, Lisa Hannett
• “Spar”, Kij Johnson
• “Of Melei, of Ulthar”, Gord Sellar
• “The Dying World”, Lavie Tidhar
• “The Radiant Car Thy Sparrows Drew”, Catherynne M. Valente

Congratulations to all of the writers. We’d have no magazine without you.

Update: Overlord Clarke has reminded me that two Wyrm Publishing books, Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias S. Buckell and Unplugged: The Web’s Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 2008 Download, Rich Horton (ed.) are also listed. Sales of these books help keep Clarkesworld free, so please keep buying them.