Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
OK, I don’t expect you to fight. But we need to determine who’s making it into this year’s battle to be the ultimate alpha. Last year, Jericho Z. Barrons won. Rightfully. However, JBZ can’t be in the running this year. Leaving things open for other kickass characters to claim top honors.
This is where you come in, dear readers. We’re doing open nominations this year. (And bribing your participation with a giveaway.)
What is this Alpha Showdown?
If you weren’t a reader of VBC last May (welcome!), you missed out on two weeks of insane fun in our 2011 Alpha Showdown. We bust out a March Madness-style bracket of 16 alpha characters (both male and female). Book bloggers champion for their alpha — trying to convince you he or she should win it all — and each day we have a new poll. Readers vote. One alpha advances. Last year there were plenty of author bribes (excerpts and the like) and many chances to tell the world why you love a certain character.
Basically, it was a ton of fun. And we’re doing it again.
What are the rules?
To be in the 2012 Alpha Showdown the character must be from a book published between June 2011 and May 2012. This is why Barrons can’t win. Shadowfever came out in January 2011.
The character can be male or female. Darian from Shaedes of Grey, for example, is definitely a female alpha badass. In that same count, I highly suspect we’ll see Terrible and Lothaire make it to the bracket.
…but that’s up to you.
Nominations and a Giveaway
You can nominate up to three alpha characters for the Showdown. Simply fill out the form below — which will also enter you to win any book from our Recommendations section — and list your nominees. Feel free to bait your friends to nominate the same characters. Use the comments here to pitch. It’s all fair game.
The 16 characters with the most nominations will be put in the bracket for the 2012 Alpha Showdown, which will happen this May.
Want to help?
If you are a blogger and would like to champion for one of the alphas, reach out to me via email. Once we have the alphas selected, I’ll contact all those interested.
Also, we’re welcoming author involvement. If you want to know how to you can participate on the author end, just ask me.
Thanks so much for doing this again this year! The publish date parameters are a nice twist…it narrows down things nicely. Since I see that my favs are already nominated so many times they are assured a bracket (Bones and Charles Cornick), I’m glad I dropped in Rhiannon Murphy and Sabina Kane. And of course, Terrible!
If an exception is made for Magic Slays which was May 31st, Curran and Kate get my vote all the way. My third is a bit trickier…I suppose I’ll go with Rhiannon.
If Kate and Curran don’t count:
1. Bones
2. Rhiannon
3. Cat
Wait…Ilona Andrews had Magic Gifts free on her website around Christmas. Does that qualify Kate and Curran? It fits the time frame, even if it is a novella.
I’m nominating Ethan from ‘Chicagoland Vampires’ and Hank from ‘Charlie Madigan’ series.
Bones, Cat and Acheron from Dark Hunter Series (he appears in Retribution, so I hope he can be qualified).
Whohoooo I LOVE this event!!
Bones + Cat(One Grave at a Time) and Dmitri (Archangel’s Blade)
It’s gotta be Charles Cornick, Bran Cornick or Bones 😀 Can’t wait to see how it pans out this year
atticus (hounded, hammered…) so gets my vote. korvel from nightborn, alexa tarraboti is definitely a female alpha. well her hubby conall counts too but she gets my female alpha vote.
Curran from Magic Slays
Secret from Sierra Deans’ Secret McQueen Series and
Reyes from the Charley Davidson series by Darynda jones
Atticus O’Sullivan from Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles
Curran from Ilona Andrews’ Magic Graves
Tiago Black Eagle from Thea Harrison’s Storm’s Heart
*If Curran doesn’t count I’m going for Bones from Jeaniene Frost’s One Grave at a Time.
I chose Gin from Elemental Assassin series, I don’t think she was on the last Alpha showdown but she can definitely hold her own. Dimitri from Archangel’s Blade because I was really surprised I liked his book so much and Chess from Downside series.
This is such an awesome event!
I nominated:
Demetrius from Tempted by Elisabeth Naughton
Nicolai from Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
Marissa Holloway from Green Eyed Envy by Kasey MacKenzie!
Gin from Elemental Assassins Series or Ethan from Chicagoland Vampires
I think I want to change my vote but I don’t know if the books goes into the time frame, I am only on the third book now too. But, anyways I think John Pritkin in the Cassandra Palmer series is a good contestant. but I don’t think I can change my vote…
OK Seriously this is awesome. Top picks are: Mick from Allyson James from the Stormwalker Series. OK so he has not been nominated so I guess i need to state his case. He is wonderful, yummy, dragon shifter, did i mention yummy, and protective then Sabina Kane and Acheron.
Let’s see…
Definitely Myfanwy Thomas from Dan O’Malley’s “The Rook” and Havelock Vetinari from the Discworld series. (He was in “Snuff.”) Vetinari is a skilled assassin and an even better political tactician. Best of all, he’s a benevolent despot. Myfanwy, on the other hand, has some serious ass-kicking skills with her mind control ability and is a wiz when it comes to solving mysteries via research.
Yep, both Vetinari and Myfanwy will kick some serious alpha ass.
I loved the showdown last year. I can’t wait for this one to get kicked off. I am glad they made it so JZB couldnt win again cause lets face it no one is more Alphan than him and he would Win Every time!
Oh, so looking forward to this!! Who to choose..
Well obviously Bones, and to stick with the theme Vlad…
And to add an angel to the mix; Jim Heron!
Cam (Blood Bound/Rachel Vincent) & Atticus (Hammered/Kevin Hearne) & Rhyzkahl (Sins of the Demon/Diana Rowland)
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
Cat and Bones from One Grave at a Time
Mmm….so hard to choose!!!
I´ll go with Bones 🙂
Can I come back tomorrow and vote for 3 different alpha’s? I voted for:
Reyes Farrow (Charley Davidson series)
Zayvion Jones (Allie Beckston series)
Sterling Chase (Midnight Breed series)
But I would also like to vote for:
Trent Kalamack (The Hollows series)
Eli Dupre (Dark Ink series)
Dorian (Dark Swan series)
I think Ethan Sullivan, Bones, Curran, Vlad and several others are guaranteed spots.
I’m going with Ethan, Bones, and Lothaire
Of course i could vote for Sterling Chase too!
I hope Kate and Curran can make it in but if not Chess and Terrible would be my next pick. I think it would be fun to have Rachel form Kim Harrison in there too.
1) Crispin ” Bones” Russell from the Jeaniene Frost Series!!He is very arrogant, dangerous, and sexy
2) John Pritkin from the Cassandra Palmer series! He is struck, fierce and did I mention a demon prince?
Last but not least
3) Gavin Montegue form Connie Suttles “Blood Destiny Series.” Gavin does everything by the books, there is no messing around with him! He’s strong, very attractive and he’s also an elite Assasin for the vampire council! Total package!
I’m going with Terrible from the Downside Ghosts series and Reyes Farrow from the Charley Davidson series
I feel totally out-voiced by all these other readers! I only read YA, so I could only choose a few people. *shrug* But I had to choose girls. It’s in my nature. Go, Saba (Blood Red Road), Karou (Daughter of Smoke and Bone), and Anna (Anna Dressed in Blood)!
I nominated Sabina Kane and Charlie Madigan.
b(dot)cardone(at)hotmail(dot)com
Bones, Cat and Acheron of course!
nastahsia (at) gmail (dot) com
Terrible!!!!!!! The Greyfriar/Prince Gareth from Vampire Empire.
I agree with Terrible!
Raphael from Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh,
Hawke from Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh &
Daemon from Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout!!!
VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!
Myrnin- Rachel Caine
Rachel Morgan- Kim Harrison
Trent- Kim Harrison (I’m not sure if he really knows what he’s doing when it comes to wild magic yet and that makes it scarier than if he did)
I’m sure I’ll find some more when I catch up on my TBR pile but these are the first that come to mind.
It was a hard choice.
I have nominated Bones, Gin and Mira.
Also honorable mentions to Cat,Dorian, Dimitri (Archangel’s Blade), Raphael (Guild Hunter series) and Danaus and all other have not mentioned because either a) the publishing time makes them ineligible or b) they just could not get in it.
But gods I can’t wait for the start. 🙂
I’ve nominated Anita Blake, Tohr and Zadist!
Vishous, mmmm. Terrible, omg <3!
…and let's throw in IVY freakin' TAMWOOD!
This is fun!
Zadist
Cat
Bones
Valiant (New Species series)
Just remembered that Sookie’s book is out in May this year… SO we can nominate ERIC@!!! Yes!
I’m thrilled there will be another alpha showdown, it was so much fun the first time!
I would nominate Dragos from Thea Harrison’s The Elder Series. I realize his book doesn’t make the cut off for dates but maybe he can still be included since he was in the following books as well??? I think he could really give Lothaire and Bones and Terrible a true fight.
Also I would love to see the Harpy, Kaia from LOTU #8 series in the battle. She’s quite terrifying.
Ack, it’s so hard to choose. I’m definitely going to throw in our kick-butt girls, Chess and Merit. For my third, it’s gotta be Terrible! Can’t wait to see the brackets!
I have to nominate Lady Corsair from Meljean Brooks’ Iron Seas series. She’s fierce, she captains an airship, she fights zombies, and she gets the guy! I *adore* her!
I also think that Jennifer Estep’s Gin Blanco would kick butt in this showdown, and Faith Hunter’s Jane Yellowrock. Jane fights vampires and shifts into a big cat!
And by “Lady Corsair” I mean Yasmeen, the captain of the Lady Corsair. Brain not working at full power today. *blushes*
I only have one nomination. Anita Blake <3 I'd nominate my other favorite, Stephanie Plum but I don't think she's badass, just sort of lovable.
The only two that came to mind for me (which is saying something today) were Atticus O’Sullivan from Kevin Hearne’s IDC and Sabina Kane from Jaye Wells’ series.
Eric Northman & Lothaire (Immortal After Dark series)
Eric Northman
Eric Northman. Eric Northman. And, Eric Northman. Come on girls, VOTE!
Eric, Vishous, Lothaire, Zadist, Acheron
Eric Northman
Eric Northman x 10.
Eric Northman, Eric Northman, and Eric Northman
ERIC NORTHMAN! Vishous and NIX!!!
Eric Northman