Announcing the Season 10, Round 4 Lunar Award Winner for Fantasy

Celebrating the best Fantasy stories from Round 4

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Aug 27, 2025

Fantasy is the genre that sparked my interest in reading as a kid (anyone remember Deltora Quest?) and holds a special place in my fiction-loving heart. There’s something about dragons, magical creatures, powerful spells, warring guilds, and action-packed fights that sets off my imagination. The genre is so versatile and accessible that it has captured readers and writers alike for generations, and likely will for many more.

Our judges for Round 4, The Brothers Krynn, are known for their articles and serials deeply rooted in the Fantasy genre. They manage the Bros Krynn’s Newsletter, and have published books such as The Crown of Blood and Caladbohlg, available on Amazon. They deliberated over our 32 submissions, but ultimately decided on one winner and one runner-up, passing along several honorable mentions that nearly made the cut.

As I prepared the reading list, the quality of your submissions signaled that this round was particularly competitive. If you did not place in a winning spot, do not be discouraged. Your first win was finishing the story; your second win was publishing it. Thank you for taking the time to participate in the Lunar Awards. We hope to read your work again!

Congratulations to the winner and runner-up! I’ll let The Brothers Krynn introduce them and list the several honorable mentions below. ~ WM

Lunar Award Winner - The Tale of Sir Knight by Harold Ember

The Tale of Sir Knight is very much a ‘Fairy-Tale Fantasy.’ The themes are of growth, heroism, and good winning out over evil.

The plot is simple but effective, taking place in a fairy-tale Medieval Kingdom. The character development was quite good; the majority of which involves the Ogre, who is a coward learning some measure of humility. The story emphasizes having faith and facing your fears, contrasting the hero with the villain in that the former is valiant and the latter is cowardly. As to the narrative pace and plot, they are sharp and to the point. The writer kept a firm handle on the story and never once lost control, demonstrating an understanding of how to tighten the narrative while properly giving his characters room to breathe.

Honestly, I’ve never read a ‘Fairy-Tale Fantasy’ that borrows so heavily from stories like King’s Quest and from French fairy tales. It was unique in that no one ever does this, no one in recent years has emphasized virtue over vice quite like this. Modern writers typically do not bother with Knights riding to the rescue; instead, they portray them as deceptive in some way. Virtuous Knights are mostly found in older tales; with this being a spin, it seems to me, on 'Petit Jean,' a French classic. It is the single most innovative story I read among the submissions. What is more, most of the stories this round tried to be edgy, while this one avoided all of that and focused singularly on telling a funny and compelling story.

It shines in incredibly bleak times, restoring a great deal of joy and moving one in a way that only a fairy tale could. A fairy tale that is as beautiful as any that has come out of the 19^th century or from the esteemed Lord Dunsany.

Therefore, The Tale of Sir Knight is my pick for the victor of this round’s Lunar Awards. It is a tale of boldness, coming of age, and frankly, the most straightforward. A reminder that a story need not be too long or complicated to be good.

Runner-Up - The Singing Head of Orpheus by E. H. Lau

This story relates back to mythology, the oft-forgotten story of Orpheus. It’s about a greedy merchant who claims the head of Orpheus, damning him and torturing his spirit to sing to his leisure, and the merchant receives a guest who reveals herself to be Orpheus’ wife, Eurydice, who has come to cast vengeance upon him.

It has all the hallmarks of an old Greek story, with the hubris of mortals, and the fall of their arrogance, thinking they can abuse the gods and their offspring for their own selfish needs.

It’s about love and pain, and how far Eurydice would go for Orpheus. She also loves in a very feminine way, and the tragic romance seeps through.

Honorable Mentions

The Fall of Agárion by Mercedes de Santiago

Morrigan by The Man Behind the Screen

The Encircling Cells by Eric Falden

Sir Aebard and the Knight of the Black Rose by Redd Oscar

The Jaguar God and the Golden Idol by ATEN_DNAR

This round’s stories were of extremely noteworthy quality, such as the stories of Aebard, Orpheus, and the Jaguar God. Sir Aebard and the King of the Black Rose excelled in originality. I’ve spoken about the merits of Orpheus. As for The Jaguar God and the Golden Idol, it was engaging despite its length. Picking a winner was thus fairly difficult, so the selection came down to the wire.

Winston’s Closing Remarks

Our second and final round of Fantasy for 2025 has concluded. Our next Fantasy round will return for Season 11 (2026), and if you’re a Fantasy author with stories that blend Horror or Sci-Fi, be sure to check out the next two upcoming rounds.

Congratulations to the winners and the participants. It’s not easy putting yourself out there. But I’m proud of those who did. Keep working hard!

Special thanks to our Round 4 judge,

The Brothers Krynn

, for hosting. With my bookshop opening this month, I wouldn’t have been able to give your stories the attention they deserved. This round was only possible because of our volunteer judge(s), so I’m very thankful for their time.

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