The 2025 Lodestar Winner has been announced!

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger 

Lodestar Award

“Familiar both with tracking to survive in the wilderness and counting change to survive under capitalism, Shane possesses the resourcefulness of an irresistible protagonist. Her practicality also provides the perfect foil for her extraordinary ability—inherited from her four-great-grandmother—to summon dead creatures, adding texture to her supernatural world. What starts out as Lorenza’s quest to locate two missing children becomes Shane’s journey through Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, and the ghostly land Below to find her mother after she disappears. While faeries and vampires inhabit Shane’s surroundings, the heart of her story is her family’s endurance despite various tragedies, including climate devastation and rich settlers’ betrayal and theft…A classic fantasy adventure and a balm for any soul weary of oppression.( Speculative fiction. 12-18)” (Source: Kirkus Reviews)

Find at a Library Near You on WorldCat

In addition, Moniquill Blackgoose, who’s book To Shape a Dragon’s Breath I featured yesterday, has won the Lodestar award for Astounding Award for Best New Writer. To Ride a Rising Storm, the sequel, is due out on January 27, 2026.

Darcie Littlebadger has three award-winning novels, as well as several comics and shorter works to her name. Pro-tip: check out Littlebadger’s shorter work, and if you enjoy it, follow that publication to discover new authors.