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Elizabeth Hand
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Elizabeth Hand
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Elizabeth Hand (born March 29, 1957) is an American writer.

Key Information

Life and career

[edit]

Hand grew up in Yonkers and Pound Ridge, New York. She studied drama and anthropology at the Catholic University of America. Since 1988, Hand has lived in coastal Maine, the setting for many of her stories, and as of 2000 lives in Lincolnville.[1] She also lives part-time in Camden Town, London which has been the setting for Mortal Love and the short story "Cleopatra Brimstone".

Hand's first published story, "Prince of Flowers", appeared in 1988 in The Twilight Zone Magazine,[2][3] and her first novel, Winterlong, was published in 1990. With Paul Witcover, she created and wrote DC Comics' 1990s cult series Anima.[4] Hand's other works include Aestival Tide (1992); Icarus Descending (1993); Waking the Moon (1994), which won the Tiptree Award and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award; the post-apocalyptic novel Glimmering (1997); contemporary fantasy Black Light (1999), a New York Times Notable Book; the historical fantasy Mortal Love (2004), a Washington Post Notable Book; the psychological thriller Generation Loss (2007), and the World Fantasy Award-winning "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon". Her story collections are Last Summer at Mars Hill (1998) (which includes the Nebula and World Fantasy award-winning title novella); Bibliomancy (2002), winner of the World Fantasy Award;[5] and Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories, which includes the Nebula Award-winning "Echo" (2006). Mortal Love was also shortlisted for the 2005 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.

Among Hand's other recent short fiction, "Pavane for a Prince of the Air" (2002) and "Cleopatra Brimstone" (2001) won International Horror Guild Awards.[6] Most recently, she won the Shirley Jackson Award for Generation Loss and the World Fantasy Award in 2008 for Illyria,[5] and the Inkpot Award in 2018.[7]

She also writes movie and television spin-offs, including Star Wars tie-in novels and novelizations of such films as The X-Files and 12 Monkeys. She contributed a Bride of Frankenstein novel to the recent series of classic movie monster novels published by Dark Horse Comics.

One of Hand's themes from the Winterlong saga is the remorseless exploitation of animal and plant species to create what she calls "geneslaves." Examples include a three-hundred-year-old genetically reconstructed and cerebrally augmented Basilosaurus by the name of Zalophus; the aardmen, hybrids of dog and man; hydrapithecenes, human-fish or human-cuttlefish hybrids somewhat resembling Davy Jones and his crew from the Pirates of the Caribbean film series; and sagittals, whelks genetically engineered to be worn as a bracelet and, when its host feels threatened or agitated, extrude a spine laced with a deadly neurotoxin.

Hand is a longtime reviewer and critic for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Review, Salon, and Village Voice, among others. She also writes a regular review column for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Bibliography

[edit]

Awards

[edit]
Awards for Elizabeth Hand
Work Year & Award Category Result Ref.
2018 Inkpot Award Won
Winterlong 1990 Philip K. Dick Award Nominated
1991 Locus Award First Novel Nominated [9]
Snow on Sugar Mountain 1992 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
Æstival Tide 1992 Philip K. Dick Award Nominated
1993 Locus Award SF Novel Nominated
In the Month of Athyr 1993 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
Icarus Descending 1993 Philip K. Dick Award Nominated
The Erl-King 1994 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Waking the Moon 1995 World Fantasy Award Novel Nominated
1995 Otherwise Award Won
1996 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
1996 Mythopoeic Awards Adult Literature Won
Glimmering 1998 Locus Award SF Novel Nominated
1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award Finalist
Last Summer at Mars Hill 1995 Locus Award Novella Nominated
1995 HOMer Award Novella Nominated [10]
1995 World Fantasy Award Novella Won
1996 Nebula Award Novella Won
Last Summer at Mars Hill (Collection) 1999 World Fantasy Award Collection Nominated
1999 Locus Award Collection Nominated
Black Light 2000 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
Chip Crockett's Christmas Carol 2001 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
2001 Locus Award Novella Nominated
Cleopatra Brimstone 2001 International Horror Guild Award Long Fiction Won [11]
2002 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
2002 Locus Award Novella Nominated
Pavane for a Prince of the Air 2002 International Horror Guild Award Intermediate Form Won
2003 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
The Least Trumps 2003 Locus Award Novella Nominated
2003 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Bibliomancy 2003 International Horror Guild Award Collection Nominated
2003 Bram Stoker Award Fiction Collection Nominated
2004 World Fantasy Award Collection Won
2004 Locus Award Collection Nominated
Mortal Love 2004 International Horror Guild Award Novel Nominated
2005 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
2005 Mythopoeic Awards Adult Literature Nominated
Wonderwall 2005 Locus Award Short Story Nominated
Calypso in Berlin 2006 Locus Award Short Story Nominated
Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories 2007 Locus Award Collection Nominated
The Saffron Gatherers 2007 Locus Award Short Story Nominated
Generation Lost 2007 International Horror Guild Award Novel Nominated [12]
2007 Believer Book Award Nominated
2008 Shirley Jackson Award Novel Won
Echo 2007 Nebula Award Short Story Won
Illyria 2008 Shirley Jackson Award Novella Nominated [13]
2008 Locus Award Novella Nominated
2008 World Fantasy Award Novella Won
Winter's Wife 2008 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon 2011 Locus Award Novella Nominated
2011 World Fantasy Award Novella Won
2011 Hugo Award Novella Nominated
2011 Theodore Sturgeon Award Short Science Fiction 2nd Place [14]
Near Zennor 2012 Shirley Jackson Award Novella Won
2012 Locus Award Novella Nominated
2012 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
2012 British Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
Available Dark 2012 Romantic Times Book Reviews The Reviewers' Choice Award - Contemporary Mystery Won [15]
Erranty: Strange Stories 2012 Bram Stoker Award Fiction Collection Nominated
2013 Shirley Jackson Award Collection Nominated
2013 Locus Award Collection Nominated
Radiant Days 2013 Locus Award Young Adult Book Nominated
Wylding Hall 2016 Shirley Jackson Award Novella Won
2016 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated
Hard Light 2016 Bram Stoker Award Novel Nominated
Fire 2018 Locus Award Short Story Nominated
Curious Toys 2020 Shirley Jackson Award Novel Nominated [16]
2020 Locus Award Horror Novel Nominated
The Book of Lamps and Banners 2021 Locus Award Fantasy Novel Nominated [17]
For Sale by Owner 2022 World Fantasy Award Novella Nominated
2022 Locus Award Novelette Nominated
The Best of Elizabeth Hand 2022 Locus Award Collection Nominated
A Haunting on the Hill 2023 The Dracula Society Children of the Night Award Nominated [18]
2024 Locus Award Horror Novel Nominated
2024 Shirley Jackson Award Special Award Won [19]

Book reviews

[edit]
Year Review article Work(s) reviewed
2000 Hand, Elizabeth (May 2000). "Books". F&SF. 98 (5): 29–34. Archived from the original on December 27, 2004.
  • Bailey, Dale (1999). American nightmares : the haunted house formula in American popular fiction. Bowling Green State University Popular Press.
2011 Hand, Elizabeth (July–August 2011). "Books". F&SF. 121 (1&2): 42–48. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011.
  • Pacitti, Tony (2010). My best friend is a Wookie. Adams Media.
  • Yu, Charles (2010). How to live in a science fictional universe. Pantheon.
  • Kimmel, Daniel M. (2011). Jar Jar Binks must die ... and other observations about science fiction movies. Fantastic Books.

Footnotes

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Elizabeth Hand

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Elizabeth Hand (born March 29, 1957) is an American author renowned for her , encompassing novels and short stories in the genres of fantasy, horror, and , often exploring themes of , damaged psyches, outsiders, and climate change. Born in , , Hand grew up in Pound Ridge and , and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1975 to study drama and at the , from which she earned a B.A. in 1984 after an extended period that included involvement in the punk scenes of D.C. and . From 1979 to 1986, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution's , an experience that influenced her interest in and cultural artifacts. Her writing career began in earnest in 1988 with the "Prince of Flowers," published in The Twilight Zone Magazine, followed by her debut novel Winterlong in 1990, marking the start of a prolific output that includes over twenty novels and five collections of short fiction and essays. Hand's work has garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, including World Fantasy Awards for "Last Summer at Mars Hill" (1995), the collection Bibliomancy (2004), and "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's Bellerophon" (2009); Nebula Awards for "Last Summer at Mars Hill" (1995) and the novella "Echo" (2005); the Shirley Jackson Award for the story "Near Zennor" (2010) and the novel Generation Loss (2007); and the James Tiptree Jr. Award for Waking the Moon (1995). Notable series include the post-apocalyptic Winterlong trilogy (Winterlong, Aestival Tide , Icarus Descending ) and the hardboiled thriller Cass Neary series (Generation Loss, Available Dark , Hard Light , The Book of Lamps and Banners ), the latter of which has been optioned for television adaptation. Beyond fiction, Hand is a respected critic, having served as a longtime reviewer for The Washington Post Book World and contributed to outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, Salon, The Boston Review, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction; she also teaches in the Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Southern Maine and has led workshops at institutions like Clarion West and the Yale Writers' Conference. Currently, she divides her time between the coast of Maine—where she owns a writing studio called Tooley Cottage—and North London.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Family Background

Elizabeth Hand was born on March 29, 1957, in , . She spent her formative years in the suburban communities of Yonkers and , where she was raised in a middle-class family. Her father, Edward Hand, worked as an attorney, while her mother, Alice Ann Hand (née Silverthorn), was a social worker. Hand's childhood was marked by a Catholic upbringing that exposed her to vivid apocalyptic from the Book of Revelations, fostering an early interest in themes of otherworldliness. As a in the kid-filled neighborhoods of Yonkers, she often engaged in rough play, fighting with boys despite frequently losing, and maintained a fluid sense of until around age six. These suburban experiences in close-knit but ordinary New York communities provided a backdrop of everyday normalcy contrasted with personal explorations of identity. From a young age, Hand displayed a fascination with speculative genres, reading George Orwell's at eight years old and J.R.R. Tolkien's works during her childhood. She was drawn to for its potential to explore and societal boundaries, an interest that deepened through encounters with authors like and in her high school years. By age nine, she avidly followed the New York Times , reflecting a burgeoning literary curiosity nurtured within her family's supportive environment.

Higher Education and Early Influences

Hand moved to Washington, D.C., in 1975 to attend the Catholic University of America, where she initially studied drama before adding anthropology to her coursework. She initially struggled academically and flunked out but was readmitted, eventually earning a B.A. in cultural anthropology in 1984 after nearly a decade of part-time studies and full-time work commitments. During the late 1970s and through the 1980s, Hand became deeply involved in the emerging scenes of , and , immersing herself in the from 1979 to 1986. A transformative experience was witnessing perform live, which propelled her into the punk world; she frequently attended shows, connected with musicians and artists, and embraced the raw energy of the movement as a countercultural outlet. This period shaped her affinity for outsider aesthetics and subcultural narratives that would later inform her writing. Concurrently, from 1979 to 1986, Hand worked as an archival researcher at the Smithsonian Institution's , where she co-founded the archival program. This employment bridged her academic background and interests in cultural artifacts, fostering a keen eye for historical materials. Hand's early encounters with during this era came through avid reading and tentative writing experiments, influenced by her broader artistic explorations in D.C. and New York. She participated in culture and conventions, honing her interest in genre storytelling amid the punk milieu. In 1988, she relocated to coastal .

Professional Career

Entry into Publishing

Elizabeth Hand's entry into professional publishing began with her first short story, "Prince of Flowers," which appeared in Twilight Zone Magazine in February 1988. This debut marked her emergence in , drawing on gothic and supernatural elements that would characterize her early work. Her first novel, Winterlong, was published in 1990 by , establishing her in the and fantasy markets. Winterlong initiated the Winterlong trilogy, followed by Aestival Tide in 1992 and Icarus Descending in 1993, all under the same publisher, which provided a platform for her expansive world-building in post-apocalyptic settings. These early works explored themes of dystopian societies fractured by environmental collapse and rigid hierarchies, alongside questions of personal and cultural identity amid decay and ritual. Hand transitioned to full-time writing in , just prior to her first sale, allowing her to focus on the trilogy's completion and build a foothold in the genre by the mid-1990s.

Key Publications and Collaborations

Elizabeth Hand's breakthrough novel, Waking the Moon (1995), solidified her reputation in the fantasy genre by weaving ancient mythology with contemporary urban life, exploring themes of hidden powers and female agency in a richly atmospheric narrative set in . The book marked a pivotal shift from her earlier trilogy, establishing Hand as a voice in with its blend of horror elements and cultural critique. Hand's mid-career output expanded into with the Cass Neary series, featuring the hard-edged photographer protagonist navigating punk subcultures and moral ambiguity. The series began with Generation Loss (2007), followed by Available Dark (2011), Hard Light (2016), and The Book of Lamps and Banners (2020), each delving deeper into Neary's haunted psyche and encounters with the occult-tinged underbelly of art worlds from Reykjavik to . These novels exemplify Hand's evolution toward noir-infused horror, incorporating undertones and critiques of Americana through decaying coastal towns and exploitative industries. Among her standalone works, Black Light (1999) examines artistic obsession and supernatural intrusion in a summer house, while Mortal Love (2004) traces a faerie-inspired madness across centuries of English literature and history. Later novels like Curious Toys (2019), inspired by outsider artist and set in early 20th-century Chicago's carnival scene, and Hokuloa Road (2022), a Hawaiian mystery uncovering colonial ghosts, further showcase her interest in marginalized voices and haunted landscapes. A Haunting on the Hill (2023), an authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson's , reimagines psychological terror in a modern group dynamic at the infamous estate. In 2021, Subterranean Press released The Best of Elizabeth Hand, a compiling sixteen key stories and novellas that highlight her recurring motifs of loss, queerness, and the eerie intersections of myth and everyday American life. Hand's collaborative venture into comics came with the Anima series (1994-1995), co-created and written with Paul Witcover for DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, featuring a punk-inspired heroine confronting ancient evils amid and social issues like and AIDS. This project bridged her prose and visual storytelling, influencing her later explorations of rebellious outsiders. Over decades, Hand's oeuvre has evolved from surreal fantasy to a sophisticated fusion of horror and , consistently threading queerness—through fluid identities and subversive relationships—and Americana, via motifs of rust-belt decline, artistic fringes, and indigenous echoes, as seen across her shifting genres.

Reviewing and Non-Fiction Work

Elizabeth Hand has maintained a long-standing role as a book reviewer for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), contributing since the 1990s with her "Books" column that analyzes speculative fiction, fantasy, and horror titles. Her reviews in this outlet, including those in the January 2000 issue and the July-August 2011 issue, offer detailed critiques of emerging and established authors, emphasizing narrative innovation and thematic depth in the genre. She continued this work into recent years, with columns appearing in the July-August 2023 and November-December 2023 issues, reflecting her ongoing engagement with contemporary speculative literature. Beyond F&SF, Hand has contributed reviews to prominent publications such as and , where she examines works in speculative and literary fiction. For instance, in a 2019 piece, she explored Scandinavian crime fiction's darker elements in a review tailored for fans of . Similarly, her 2019 reviews covered horror anthologies like Paul Tremblay's Growing Things and the biography The Lady from the Black Lagoon, highlighting supernatural storytelling and the contributions of women in genre history. Hand's non-fiction extends to essays that blend personal with , often appearing in collections that interweave reflective narratives with analytical insights. In Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories (2007), several pieces draw on autobiographical elements to critique cultural and artistic influences, while Errantry: Strange Stories (2012) similarly merges memoir-like vignettes with examinations of identity and the in . She has also contributed essays to magazines and anthologies on topics including horror tropes and punk culture's impact on ; notable examples include her Boston Review piece "Femininjas: Women in Fiction Fight Back," which dissects dynamics in narratives, and a review of Debbie Harry's in Please Kill Me that connects punk to broader literary .

Bibliography

Novels

Elizabeth Hand's novels encompass science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery, often blending elements of the gothic and the literary. Her early works are rooted in , while later novels explore crime noir and psychological suspense, reflecting shifts in her thematic interests from dystopian worlds to contemporary unease. Published primarily by imprints like , , and Mulholland Books, her novels demonstrate a progression from epic trilogies to intimate, character-driven narratives.

Winterlong Trilogy

Hand's debut series, the Winterlong trilogy, is a saga set in a decaying future society, published by . It begins with Winterlong (1990), followed by Aestival Tide (1992), and concludes with Icarus Descending (1993). These novels mark her entry into with intricate world-building and mythological undertones.

Standalone Novels

Hand has produced numerous standalone novels, evolving from fantasy to horror-mystery hybrids. Waking the Moon (1995, ) is a exploring ancient myths in a modern setting. Glimmering (1997, HarperPrism) delves into apocalyptic amid cultural collapse. Black Light (1999, HarperPrism) shifts toward literary horror with literary allusions. Mortal Love (2004, William Morrow) weaves faerie lore into historical and contemporary threads. For audiences, (2007, Viking Juvenile) reimagines Shakespeare's world in a drama, and Radiant Days (2012, Viking Juvenile) connects poets across time. Wylding Hall (2015, Open Road Media), styled as , evokes in the music scene. Curious Toys (, Mulholland Books) is a set in 1910s . More recent works include Hokuloa Road (2022, Mulholland Books), a contemporary in , and A Haunting on the Hill (2023, Mulholland Books), an authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson's . These standalones highlight Hand's genre versatility, moving from speculative epics to grounded supernatural tales.

Cass Neary Series

Hand's crime series features the antiheroine photographer Cass Neary, blending punk noir with thriller elements, published by and others. It opens with (2007), continues in Available Dark (2012), Hard Light (2016), and The Book of Lamps and Banners (2020). The series examines art, decay, and moral ambiguity in seedy underbellies.

Short Fiction Collections

Elizabeth Hand's short fiction collections showcase her ability to blend elements of , horror, and in compact, evocative narratives. Her stories often explore themes of transformation, the in everyday life, and the interplay between human desires and otherworldly forces, drawing on influences from myth, music, and personal experience. These volumes compile works originally published in magazines such as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and , highlighting her contributions to genre short form since the early 1990s. Hand's debut collection, Last Summer at Mars Hill (1998, HarperPrism), gathers twelve stories written between 1988 and 1994, including the titular Nebula and World Fantasy Award-winning novella originally published in 1994. The title story centers on a young woman encountering a fading countercultural commune haunted by ethereal entities known as the Golden Ones, blending rural with themes of lost youth and spiritual awakening. Other notable inclusions are "Snow on Sugar Mountain," a tale of isolation and memory in a wintry , and "The Weight of Wisteria," which delves into grief and ghostly presences. This volume established Hand's reputation for atmospheric, character-driven horror with subtle elements. In Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories (2006, M Press), Hand collects eight pieces, including three novellas from her limited-edition Bibliomancy (2003, PS Publishing). Key stories feature "Cleopatra Brimstone," a winner about a young woman's metamorphosis inspired by and , and "The Maiden Fair," which reimagines lore through a lens of modern obsession and violence. The collection weaves biblical allusions with contemporary settings, examining desire, redemption, and the grotesque in tales ranging from mythological retellings to post-9/11 reflections. Errantry: Strange Stories (2012, Small Beer Press) compiles ten stories from 2006 to 2011, emphasizing the eerie undercurrents of ordinary existence. Standouts include "The Far Shore," a nominee exploring grief and spectral visitors in a coastal town, and "Hunger," which portrays a family's unraveling amid rural decay and unspoken secrets. Hand's prose here captures innocence corrupted by subtle horrors, with settings often evoking isolated communities where the mundane borders the impossible. The volume received a nomination for best collection. Fire (2017, PM Press), part of the Outspoken Authors series, functions as a hybrid collection and original work, featuring the title alongside essays and interviews. The central story, inspired by Hand's participation in a , follows survivors in a world ravaged by wildfires, intertwining speculative apocalypse with personal reckonings among artists and scientists. This slim volume underscores her engagement with environmental themes through intimate, post-catastrophe narratives. The Best of Elizabeth Hand (2021, Subterranean Press; edited by Bill Sheehan), a career-spanning , selects sixteen stories and novellas from across three decades, including "Last Summer at Mars Hill" and " Brimstone." Accompanied by author notes, it highlights her evolution from early myth-infused tales to later works blending crime and cosmic unease, such as "Near Zennor" (2001), a piece set in rural involving ancient rites and a missing child. Nominated for a , the collection illustrates Hand's enduring motifs of rural horror—isolated landscapes harboring ancient, malevolent forces—and the redemptive or destructive power of art. Beyond these volumes, Hand has several uncollected short stories, including "Farrow Street" (2018, published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction), a Christmas-themed horror tale of urban unease and hidden histories, and "" (2021, in the anthology When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by , Titan Books), a nominee depicting a group's ill-fated squat in a seemingly idyllic abandoned house. These pieces continue her exploration of liminal spaces and psychological dread without resolution in full collections.

Tie-Ins and Other Contributions

Elizabeth Hand has contributed several works to established media franchises, including novelizations and tie-in series. In the Star Wars , she authored books 3–6 in the Boba Fett series published by Scholastic: Maze of Deception (2003), Hunted (2003), A New Threat (2004), and Pursuit (2004). These stories explore 's development as he navigates criminal underworlds and fulfills his father's legacy, blending action with character-driven narratives targeted at younger readers. Hand also adapted screenplays into novels for science fiction and horror franchises. She wrote the novelization of The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998, HarperPrism), expanding on the 's conspiracy-laden plot involving FBI agents Mulder and Scully confronting an alien virus threat. Similarly, for the related Chris Carter series , she novelized the pilot episode as The Frenchman (1997, HarperPrism), centering on profiler Frank Black's battle against a amid apocalyptic signs. Her other film tie-ins include the novelization of 12 Monkeys (1995, HarperPrism), which follows time traveler James Cole's mission to avert a global plague, incorporating psychological depth from the Terry Gilliam screenplay. In 2007, Hand contributed to ' Universal Monsters series with The Bride of Frankenstein: Pandora's Bride, a reimagining of the 1935 's characters that traces the Bride's origins through hidden histories and monstrous pursuits. In comics, Hand co-created and co-wrote the DC/Vertigo series Anima (1994–1995) with Paul Witcover, spanning issues #0–12 and featuring artist Malcolm Davis. The series introduces protagonist Courtney Mason, a young woman bonded to the ancient entity Animus, as she confronts supernatural threats in a gritty, urban fantasy setting that marked one of DC's early explorations of queer teenage characters.) Hand's adaptations of her original works remain limited, with no major film or television productions realized as of 2025. However, her 2023 novel A Haunting on the Hill (Mulholland Books), an authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, has drawn attention for its ties to the classic's legacy, including thematic echoes in the Netflix series adaptation of Jackson's work. In non-franchise contexts, Hand has provided miscellaneous contributions such as author notes and interior sketches for reprints of her works, including a 2024 edition of A Haunting on the Hill featuring her sketch of Hill House. She has also appeared in 2025 documentary projects like First Word on Horror, offering insights into her horror influences, though these are primarily interview-based rather than written.

Awards and Honors

Major Genre Awards

Elizabeth Hand has received numerous accolades in the genre, with multiple wins from prestigious awards recognizing her contributions to fantasy, horror, and dark fiction. Her "Last Summer at Mars Hill," published in The Magazine of Fantasy & in 1994 and later included in her 1998 collection of the same name, earned her the 1995 for Best , administered by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to honor outstanding and fantasy works. The story, set in a fading commune blending pagan rituals and 1960s , explores themes of loss, community, and the supernatural, marking Hand's breakthrough in short fiction and her only win to date. Hand's debut novel Waking the Moon (1994), a involving ancient goddesses, academic intrigue, and feminist mythology at a fictional , university, secured the 1995 (formerly the ), which recognizes speculative works exploring gender roles. The novel shared the honor that year with Theodore Roszak's The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein. It also won the 1996 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, presented by the Mythopoeic Society to works in the tradition of and , praising its mythic depth and narrative innovation. In the horror and category, Hand claimed four , named for the author of and celebrating psychological suspense and the dark fantastic. Her 2007 novel , a gritty thriller following a punk photographer confronting her past in a artists' colony, won the inaugural for Best Novel. That same year, her collection Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories (2007), featuring tales of transformation and the uncanny like "Cleopatra Brimstone," took the award for Best Volume of Short Fiction. In 2011, her novella "Near Zennor," published in A Book of Horrors and exploring isolation and folklore in , won the for Best Novella. In 2015, Wylding Hall, a fictional of a 1970s folk-rock band's haunted retreat, earned the for Best Novella. Hand's World Fantasy Awards, voted by convention attendees and judges for excellence in fantasy, highlight her versatility across forms. She won for Best Novella with "Last Summer at Mars Hill" (1995), the first of four such honors in that category. Additional wins include the 2004 Best Collection for Bibliomancy; the 2008 Best Novella for Illyria, a ghostly Shakespearean ; and the 2011 Best Novella for "The Maiden Flight of McCauley's ," evoking and loss, later included in Errantry: Strange Stories (2012).

Nominations and Special Recognitions

Elizabeth Hand has received numerous nominations for prestigious genre awards throughout her career, reflecting the critical acclaim for her . Her novel Curious Toys (2019) was nominated for the in 2020. Similarly, her "Cleopatra Brimstone" (2001) earned a nomination in 2002. For the Locus Awards, Hand has garnered over 30 nominations across categories such as fantasy novel, collection, and , with notable placements including second place for Waking the Moon (1995) in the fantasy novel category in 1996 and second place for Winterlong (1990) in the first novel category in 1990; more recent examples include nominations for A Haunting on the Hill (2023) in the horror novel category in 2024 and for The Best of Elizabeth Hand (2020) in the collection category in 2021. In addition to genre-specific honors, Hand's works have been recognized by broader literary outlets. Waking the Moon (1995), (2007), and Curious Toys (2019) were selected as New York Times Notable Books of their respective years. Her contributions have also been cited in Washington Post Book World reviews, highlighting her innovative blending of horror, fantasy, and literary elements in novels like Available Dark (2012). Hand received a special recognition from the in 2024 for A Haunting on the Hill (2023), honoring it as an authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson's and acknowledging its exceptional contribution to . The novel was also nominated for the Dracula Society's Children of the Night Award in 2023, which celebrates outstanding Gothic and . In 2018, Hand was awarded the at International for her lifetime contributions to comics, , fantasy, and horror literature, recognizing her multifaceted career as an author and critic. These nominations and special honors underscore Hand's enduring impact on speculative genres without overlapping with her major award victories.

References

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  15. https://www.amazon.com/Winterlong-Elizabeth-Hand/dp/0553287729
  16. https://www.elizabethhand.com/books-list/the-winterlong-trilogy
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  35. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Summer-at-Mars-Hill/dp/0061053481
  36. https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?38966
  37. https://www.mpressbooks.com/profile.php?prodid=13-683
  38. https://www.amazon.com/Saffron-Brimstone-Strange-Elizabeth-Hand/dp/1595820965
  39. https://www.amazon.com/Errantry-Strange-Stories-Elizabeth-Hand/dp/1618730304
  40. https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=822
  41. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29501280-fire
  42. https://www.amazon.com/Best-Elizabeth-Hand/dp/1645240053
  43. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Elizabeth_Hand
  44. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/809293/star-wars-boba-fett-hunted-by-elizabeth-hand/
  45. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2023264
  46. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/351968.The_Frenchman
  47. https://www.amazon.com/12-Monkeys-Elizabeth-Hand/dp/0061056588
  48. https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/10-769/The-Bride-of-Frankenstein-Pandoras-Bride-Novel
  49. https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=98121
  50. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/23/a-haunting-on-the-hill-elizabeth-hand-book-review
  51. https://www.cinema-crazed.com/blog/2025/03/28/first-word-on-horrors-elizabeth-hand-interview-women-in-horror-month-2025/
  52. https://www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/
  53. https://www.sfadb.com/Elizabeth_Hand
  54. https://www.mythsoc.org/awards/awards-1996.htm
  55. https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/award-winners/2007-shirley-jackson-awards-winners/
  56. https://worldfantasy.org/awards/winners/
  57. https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/2024/06/23/elizabeth-hand-to-receive-special-award-at-2023-shirley-jackson-awards-ceremony-amal-el-mohtar-rebecca-roanhorse-host/
  58. https://www.thedraculasociety.org.uk/the-children-of-the-night-award.html
  59. https://www.sfadb.com/Shirley_Jackson_Awards_2024
  60. https://locusmag.com/2018/09/hand-receives-inkpot-award/
  61. https://www.comic-con.org/awards/inkpot/
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