SPFBO 9: And the semi-finalists are…

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, my book Angel from the Rust was entered into the 9th Self Published Fantasy Blog Off (or SPFBO 9 for short).

Becky M, the judge my book was assigned to, did a full review of Angel from the Rust a while back. She only had good things to say about it. So I had high hopes when she recently announced her semi-finalists.

Unfortunately, my book didn’t make the cut. 🙁

But the results aren’t horrible. Even as she cut my book, she only had good things to say about it. (And it was fun to be a part of the competition while I was a part of it.)

The Verdict

As she explains in her review,

I debated [this one] for a while, but I’ve decided unfortunatly it is a cut…This had such a great built world, and it really felt expansive and lived in. Corvala was such a wonderful character to follow, and I loved the relationship with her father.

I felt this was a book with a basis in fantasy with a touch of fantasy rather than a fantasy with science fiction mixed in. As this is a fantasy competition, I’ve decided to cut it at this point.”

So Angel from the Rust wasn’t cut as a result of any weakness in the story or characters. Rather, it was cut on a technicality. Which I understand.

As I’ve explained before, Angel from the Rust is a sci-fi dressed as a fantasy. But I’ve had a good number of readers say, “This story was more fantasy than sci-fi in my opinion,” which is why I felt it was a safe entry for this competition.

For those of you who have read Angel from the Rust, what do you think? Is it more fantasy or more sci-fi? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.