Reader Views Gold Award
Reader Views · 2025
Reviewers' Choice Gold — highest honor for independent fiction
Awards & Recognition
Honored by the Literary Community
J.M. Erickson's award-winning science fiction and psychological thriller novels have earned recognition from the Manhattan Book Awards, Reader Views, Literary Titan, the Independent Press Award, Foreword Reviews, and more.
Kirkus Star for Excellence
Modern Prometheus: Emergence · Kirkus Reviews, 2013
Kirkus Reviews' highest designation — awarded to fewer than 10% of reviewed titles
Literary Titan Gold Book Award
Literary Titan · 2025
Gold distinction for outstanding literary achievement — Endless Fall of Night and Heavy Weight of Darkness
PenCraft Award — Literary Excellence, Seasonal Book Award Fall
PenCraft Awards · 2025
Literary Excellence — Seasonal Book Award, Fall 2025
Feathered Quill Book Award — Silver
Feathered Quill · 2025
Silver Medal — Second Place
Manhattan Book Award — Bronze
Manhattan Book Awards · 2026
Bronze Medal — Bold Dark Worlds
International Impact Book Awards — Distinguished Author
International Impact Book Awards · 2027
Distinguished Author — Bold Dark Worlds
Independent Press Award — Distinguished Favorite
Independent Press Award · 2026
Distinguished Favorite — Bold Dark Worlds
Shelf Unbound — Best Indie Book
Shelf Unbound · 2024
Best Indie Book — Notable
Best Indie Book Award — Runner-Up
Best Indie Book Award · 2024
Runner-Up — Best Indie Book Award
CIPA EVVY Award — Finalist
Colorado Independent Publishers Association · 2014
EVVY Award Finalist — Science Fiction
Foreword INDIES — Winner
Foreword Reviews · 2017
Winner — Science Fiction
Foreword INDIES — Winner
Foreword Reviews · 2018
Winner — Science Fiction
Readers' Favorite Gold Medal — Fiction Anthology
Readers' Favorite · 2017
Gold Medal — Time Is for Dragonflies and Angels, Fiction Anthology
Readers' Favorite — Bronze Medal
Readers' Favorite · 2014
Bronze Medal — Future Prometheus: Emergence & Evolution, Fiction & Adventure
Readers' Favorite Book Award
Readers' Favorite · 2016
Readers' Favorite Book Award — Intelligent Design: Revelations, Science Fiction
Readers' Favorite — Finalist
Readers' Favorite · 2019
Finalist — Eagle: Birds of Flight, Thriller
Readers' Favorite Book Award
Readers' Favorite · 2018
Readers' Favorite Book Award — Falcon: Birds of Flight, Thriller
International Book Awards — Bronze Medal
International Book Awards · 2014
Bronze Medal — Future Prometheus: Emergence & Evolution, Science Fiction
Readers' Favorite International Book Award — Honorable Mention
Readers' Favorite · 2013
Honorable Mention — Raven: Birds of Flight, Fiction & Action
Readers' Favorite — Finalist
Readers' Favorite · 2024
Finalist — Endless Fall of Night, Science Fiction
Foreword INDIES — Finalist
Foreword Reviews · 2015
Finalist — Intelligent Design II: Apocalypse, Science Fiction
Foreword INDIES — Finalist
Foreword Reviews · 2016
Finalist — Time Is for Dragonflies and Angels, Science Fiction
Los Angeles Book Festival — Winner
Los Angeles Book Festival · 2025
Winner — Science Fiction category
The BookFest — Third Place
The BookFest · October 2026
Third Place — Bold Dark Worlds, Book Series: Sci-Fi, Dystopian Fiction, Society, War
The BookFest — Second Place
The BookFest · 2025
Second Place — Endless Fall of Night
Next Generation Indie Book Awards — Finalist
Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group · 2017
Finalist, Action/Adventure category
Awesome Indies Approved
Awesome Indies · 2015
Approved — Future Prometheus: Emergence & Evolution. Awarded to independently published books that meet the quality standards of traditional publishing.
Earlier Honors
Earlier Recognition
Gold Medal2014
Future Prometheus II
Science Fiction (Adult Fiction) — Foreword Reviews INDIES
View Award →
Silver Medal2014
Intelligent Design
Science Fiction (Adult Fiction) — Foreword Reviews INDIES
View Award →
Bronze Medal2014
Future Prometheus
Fiction — Adventure — Readers' Favorite International Book Awards
Honorable Mention2013
Raven: Birds of Flight
Fiction — Action — Readers' Favorite International Book Awards
Critical Reception
What Reviewers Are Saying
"Erickson's Bold Dark Worlds is a masterfully crafted science fiction epic that seamlessly blends action, philosophy, and human drama. The author's ability to construct a believable dystopian future while keeping the focus firmly on character development is nothing short of remarkable."
"A gripping, thought-provoking read that will appeal to fans of classic science fiction as well as readers new to the genre. Erickson writes with authority and vision."
"Recommended. Erickson demonstrates a rare gift for world-building that feels both expansive and intimately human. The prose is assured, the pacing relentless."
Certificate of Recognition
International Impact Book Awards
Outstanding Literary Achievement · Distinguished Author · 2027 · Bold Dark Worlds
Judge Evaluation
Assessed across ten published pillars of excellence · Verdict: Strong Standard of Excellence
Structure & Architecture
"The book is deliberately built, with Parts One through Three, numbered chapters, distinct section breaks, and thematically chosen epigraphs from sources such as Tocqueville and Sun Tzu. Pacing moves sensibly between introspective, dialogue-driven, and action-driven scenes."
— IIBA Judge Panel · Pillar 3: Structure and Organization
Depth of Content & Insight
"Bennett's transformation is shown through his own log entries, and David's deliberation over the surviving officers weighs vengeance against the principles the resistance claims. The book engages seriously with complicity, redemption, and the tension between deserved consequence and changed behavior."
— IIBA Judge Panel · Pillar 5: Depth of Content and Insight
Emotional & Psychological Impact
"Emotion is anchored in bodily detail — Cassandra's memory of a 'sweaty, salty smell and taste' — and in evidence, as when Kurtz reads Bennett's own log entries back to him. The front-matter statement of purpose is clear, and the narrative delivers on both halves of it: the 'dark depravity' and the 'flickers of light.'"
— IIBA Judge Panel · Pillars 6 & 7: Audience Impact and Emotional Impact