The Shiloh Awards: 2025
- shilohskyewriter
- 7 minutes ago
- 7 min read
I read 41 furry books in 2025. Since the year is coming to an end, I'm going to give out some accolades for them! Please enjoy my little book awards ceremony.
Click here to see a list of all the books I've read. All of the ones from 2025 are in the running.
Favorite Overall Novel
Drone by Bill Siracusa
Drone was the most fun I've had with a book this year. It was the whole package: sexy, funny, thrilling, and heartfelt. One might expect Drone to just be indulgent hypno smut, and while there's certainly a lot of that in there, it's sandwiched between challenging layers of thematic depth I never could have expected. It left me with an ache in my heart and a whole lot to talk about.
Favorite Adult Novel
Of Late Belonging by Rob MacWolf
There's so much to say about Of Late Belonging. It achieves a level of relatability to furry audiences that I think should make it an instant fandom classic. The meanings it explores in areas of sexual healing and self actualization are beautiful, and the writing style is naturally engaging. One of my favorite books of the year.
Favorite Fantasy Novel
The Tower and the Fox by Tim Susman
One of my biggest surprises of the year was picking up this book and finding out it was an alternate timeline historical fantasy about colonial America. That concept alone makes the book intriguing, but its characters, friendships, and magic system--not to mention its rising stakes throughout each entry--elevate it to its place as my favorite fantasy book of the year.
Favorite Sci-Fi Novel
Dog Country by Malcolm Cross
The hook of Dog Country is that it's about a crowdfunded war. Imagine citizens going on Kickstarter to hire a mercenary army to overthrow their own government. The dark humor of that concept quickly gives way to a violent and shocking conflict that at times made my stomach turn. It's a brutal depiction of war, made even more destructive by genetic engineering and powerful future-tech.
Favorite Romance Novel
Gravitational Pull by Ty Fox
Gravitational Pull isn't your typical romance novel. It depicts romance that's realistic and nuanced in a way that I rarely see in furry fiction. The way Skyler's family trauma influences his relationships was especially impressive to me. I often describe the book as "crushingly relatable". I think that's one of its greatest qualities.
Favorite Action Novel
Dissolution by Runa Fjord
Dissolution is the Korps novel that never stops moving. Cover to cover it's filled with great action scenes and funny and/or shocking moments. That combined with use of a lot of setup and payoff makes it perfect for fans of action novels.
Favorite Thematic Novel
The Eternal Party by H. "Dark End" Townsend
The Eternal Party is a story about a magic sex house, yes, but it's mainly a story about grief. The two main characters have experienced terrible loss, and the way the house is used to explore that trauma was incredibly inventive. A lot of erotic fiction explores sex and kink as a healing force, but The Eternal Party does so to great effect by staying focused on the thesis at the heart of its eroticism.
Favorite Emotional Novel
A Portrait for Tomorrow by Raynarde
A Portrait for Tomorrow made my boyfriend concerned for me because I was emotionally wrecked for a week or so after reading it. I've heard plenty of similar reports from others. This book is a beautiful and heart wrenching tale that's perfect for people who love stories that bring them to tears.
Favorite Writing Style
Of Late Belonging by Rob MacWolf
It's difficult to beat Rob MacWolf in the writing style category. I find his narrations naturally engaging, with a third person voice that will suddenly take on a character's personality, making it feel almost like the 4th wall has broken to great effect. That also serves to develop Roy's character, making the writing style very functional.
Favorite Protagonist
Verse - Elancia Chronicles by Leilani Wilson and Emma Carruthers
There is one word I'd use to describe what makes Verse a great character to me: Frustration. As a trans woman who only gets to be who she really is in her lucid dreams, it makes a lot of sense, and I'm sure will be relatable to queer readers, that Verse is so intensely frustrated in her waking life. I personally find that aspect of queerness interesting. The way in which we react to not being able to be ourselves even in our most vulnerable moments. I think Verse exemplifies that beautifully, and so she really registered with me as a character.
Favorite Antagonist
Dietrich Ziegler - Indigo Nights by Leonardo Urso
Dietrich Ziegler is everything you're looking for in both a villain an an antagonist. He's evil to a sometimes absurd degree, even keeping his own son in a monstrous form for years on end with seemingly no remorse. Yet there are suggestions that he used to be something more, and I find myself so often wondering how in the world this guy turned into what he is. That question keeps Ziegler interesting and makes him one of my favorite villains and antagonists of the year.
Favorite Character
Aarden Kuiper - Indigo Nights by Leonardo Urso
Aarden is like that gif of Troy from Community walking into a room with a pizza only to find everything on fire. He's brought into the Zenith family only for the whole thing to instantly fall apart, and then proceeds to become the strongest force in trying to pull it all back together. He does this all while maintaining an optimistic attitude (for the most part) and dealing with his own insecurities and lack of understanding of his (lack of) powers. Plus he only gets more interesting as the series goes on. This is a character who just doesn't quit and is absolutely committed to finding his purpose and place in the world.
Favorite Friendship
Verse and Xan - Elancia Chronicles by Leilani Wilson and Emma Carruthers
Right from the start of the story you can tell Verse and Xan have been through a lot together as former pirates. As the story goes on, we learn how close they really are. Xan especially does a lot to show that he cares, such as dying his fur green so Verse won't feel so out of place with her unnatural fur colors. Their friendship also did a lot to make the big disagreements between them more effective.
Favorite Moment
The End of Everything - Indigo Nights by Leonardo Urso
Many of the chapters in Indigo Nights start with a line that declares how much time is left before "the end of everything." You spend the whole story wondering what event such a phrase could be referring to, and how literal it's going to end up being. The moment is well worth the journey, as the end of everything is so tragic, emotional, and spectacular all at once. It's a payoff that both delivers and sets up so much for the series going forward.
Honorable Mention: Tactical Blowjob - Drone by Bill Siracusa
*Spoilers for Drone*
Drone has a scene that I refer to lovingly as the "tactical blowjob". The last bad guy in a group of bad guys is resisting his hypnotic conditioning, and the only way to stop him is for 04 to give him a blowjob because sex helps Master's hypnotic conditioning set in. It was a resolution to what up to that point had been a very tense and thrilling scene,so the tone twist had me laughing out loud.
Favorite Cover Art
Elancia Chronicles by Leilani Wilson and Emma Carruthers
Artist: Renz
I always appreciate when a book puts its large cast of characters on the cover, because it helps me remember who everyone is. But the arrangement of the characters here is also quite striking. Their expressions and designs do a lot to suggest their personalities and the nature of Elancia too, making it a pretty functional cover. There's a lot going on, and it drew me to the book immediately. Plus having Verse's male and female selves grasping the Man Ender together is a beautiful little bit of symbolism.
Honorable Mention: The Blood of Life by NightEyes DaySpring
Artist: Hibbary
This cover is absolutely gorgeous and striking. The lighting. The composition. The sexiness and moodiness. I love the dark beauty of it, so I couldn't do this category without giving it an honorable mention.
Favorite Illustrations
Whiterock by Hal Aetus
Whiterock includes art from multiple artists, which in some books can make for an inconsistent visual language, but all of the art pairs well and does a lot to bring this strange avian world and its characters to life. The art isn't just restricted to scenes either. There are also diagrams to help teach avian anatomy, and I loved that the author went that extra mile.
Favorite Short Story
Heaven will Weigh the Heart of Stone by Pascal Farful
I love Pascal's work. His characters are all so expressive and relatable, and you can't help but root for them. It's the same story here. A young man seeks to prove his masculinity by dueling the master swordsman he's become enamored with. He's literally trying to fight his gayness by defeating his gay crush, and I loved the psychology of that. This story also contains one of my favorite quotes of the year: "I was just given the blade and told to manifest manhood."
Favorite "Furry Fiction for Beginners"
Fairy Tales by Robin
This award is for the book I think would be a great start for people who are just getting into furry fiction. Fairy Tales is a fun, delightful story with just enough anthro stuff to help ease someone in. While I wouldn't recommend it for readers who want something with higher stakes, I think it's a great intro for those who are looking to get a lay of the land. The magical realism aspect helps show how anthros can exist in both realistic and magical contexts as well.