It's official – after today, the books award season is officially upon us. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist announcement comes today’s finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards.

Without further ado, here are the fiction contenders – the winner will be announced on November 13, 2012. Congrats to all the nominees; as we say all the time and it’s true – The World Needs More Canada.

Siege 13 by Tamas Dobozy. These linked short stories concern the conflict as the Red Army enters Budapest in December 1944. This collection examines both the time itself, and how the effects of this event linger for survivors. Besides the GG award, Siege 13 is also shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

Dr. Brinkley's Tower by Robert Hough. Robert blogged for us back in March, and he called his work “… both a love story and my satiric take on the hazards of imperialism.” Robert’s blog post can be found here.

The Juliet Stories by Carrie Snyder. Snyder’s second book is a novel in stories, revolving around ten-year-old Juliet Friesen. The book’s first half finds Juliet and her activist, protestor family in 1984 revolutionary Nicaragua, and the second half is set after their return to Canada, and explores Juliet’s transition from a child to a young woman.

The Purchase by Linda Spalding. Partially based on the author’s own family history and set in the years leading up to the War of 1812, this novel is about Virginia abolitionists who purchase a young slave boy, setting in motion a chain of unfortunate events. This novel is also a dual nominee – like Siege 13, this work is also a nominee for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam.  This debut novel is a semi-autobiographical historical work, set in ‘60’s Saigon, and a follow-up to the Giller-winning debut collection Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures.  No sophomore slump here.