The Best Novel Nominees React and An Appreciation of Cussler
Reviewers from some of the nation’s top newspapers and magazines—including the NPR, TIME magazine, Boston Globe and the Washington Post—chose this year’s lineup of nominees for The Strand Critics Awards. Congratulations to all the nominees and to Clive Cussler for receiving The Strand Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Throughout the years, not only has he produced scores of interesting, adventure-packed novels, but his works have inspired countless authors.
Best Novel
“Strand Magazine has a great history and tradition of supporting writers known and unknown in the genre of crime fiction. That makes it a major thrill to receive this nomination. I appreciate it very much, especially knowing what other books and authors have been nominated as well.” —Michael Connelly, The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Little, Brown and Company)
“I’m beyond thrilled to have been nominated for such a prestigious award—and to be in such amazing company. I am a big fan of all the writers nominated, and Megan Abbott also happens to be a really close friend. (We collaborated on the comic, Normandy Gold, the first installment of which comes out from Titan/Hard Case Crime in June!) So it’s just wonderful news on all counts.” —Alison Gaylin, What Remains of Me (William Morrow)
“I’m over the moon at the nomination, honored to share a list with all those amazing writers—and hugely annoyed that I can’t be there for the cocktail party. One of the things I’ve always loved about mystery writing is its long, complicated tradition, and The Strand Magazine is right there at the heart of that tradition, bringing together all its strands (no pun intended)—past and present, all the different subgenres, the whole lot. These awards are a reminder that we’re part of that tradition, rooted in it, and that’s a great feeling.”
—Tana French, The Trespasser (Viking Press)
“What a surprise and an honor to receive this nomination, especially alongside five of my favorite writers (and, in the case of Alison Gaylin, one of my closest friends). It’s especially gratifying to see so many women writers in this and other categories. It’s been a very exciting year for female crime writers, and the nominations seem to capture that energy. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to tie, for Best Novel, my writing idol and friend Laura Lippman, and I’ll always remember that night, so the Strand Critics Awards hold a special place in my heart.” —Megan Abbott, You Will Know Me (Little, Brown and Company)
“To be short-listed by such an eminent group of critics is an amazing validation of my work. Out of Bounds is my thirtieth novel and I’m delighted at the reaction it’s received. I’m flattered, thrilled, and immensely satisfied to find that readers and critics alike have enjoyed reading it. It’s also an honor to be on a short list of such quality. Just being on it makes me a winner already.” —Val McDermid, Out of Bounds (Atlantic Monthly Press)
“I’m so thrilled to have been nominated for this award—and it’s a particular honor to be in the company of so many writers I hugely admire.”
—Ruth Ware, The Woman in Cabin 10 (Gallery/Scout Press)
An Appreciation of Cussler
I have had the great good fortune to work with Clive Cussler for more than fifty books
over the last eighteen years, and I’ve treasured every moment of it. He long ago earned the title of “The Grand Master of Adventure,” and for most people, that would seem hyperbolic. But not for Clive. At least part of the reason, I think, lies in something he himself once said:
“I have always considered myself an entertainer rather than a
‘writer.’ Many writers try to cram their stories down their readers’
throats. Others try to get their stories across on philosophy, on
the environment or anarchy in the streets of Copenhagen. I feel
my job is to entertain the readers in such a manner that when they
reach ‘The End,’ they feel they got their money’s worth. No message,
no inspirational passages, no political ideology, just old-fashioned
enjoyment.”
It is a promise he has kept in spectacular fashion. Thank you, Clive, for
so many years of pure old-fashioned enjoyment, and congratulations on such
a well-deserved award. Here’s to the next fifty books!
—Neil Nyren
When I was a kid I read adventure books by, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, just to name a few. I also grew up living near and loving the ocean. I would dream of deep sea explorations, discovering its secrets, and ancient treasures. That’s what I wanted to do when I grew up. I never went into that field when I went to college, but with no regrets, because I did discover the Dirk Pitt adventures, by Clive Cussler. Clive Cussler is the author of countless other books, but Dirk Pitt was one of his first, and a character I was drawn to. And after all these years, Dirk is still living the adventure, and so am I, through him. Thanks for keeping me young, Clive!
—David Swinson