2015 Prometheus Award Novel Finalists

libertycoinThe Libertarian Futurist Society has announced the finalists in the Best Novel category of the Prometheus Awards, representing the best pro-freedom novel of 2014:

  • The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin (TOR Books, Nov. 2014) is a first contact novel by one of China’s best loved science fiction authors. Ye Wenjie, a young astrophysicist whose life is molded by experiences during China’s brutal Cultural Revolution, makes crucial decisions about the future of humanity. The struggle to make rational sense of the universe, using methods of logic and science, is essential to nearly all of the human and alien characters.
  • Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett (March 18, 2014, Knopf Doubleday) is the 40th Discworld novel and the last published in Pratchett’s lifetime.  further explores the theme of technological advances in communication and transportation and their liberating impact. Moist von Lipwig, the protagonist of Going Postal and Making Money, reappears as the key figure in the creation of the Discworld’s first railroad, and in the legal negotiations that make it possible.
  • A Better World, by Marcus Sakey (Amazon, Thomas & Mercer, June 2014) is a sequel to Brilliance, which explored a world populated by people with fantastic talents. In this story, some Brilliants are using terrorism to work toward separation, while others work to make a more civil, cooperative society.
  • Influx, the fourth techno-thriller by Daniel Suarez (Dutton Adult, Feb. 20, 2014), depicts a government so concerned about politically destabilizing and potentially dangerous innovations that it creates the Bureau of Technology Control to manage the introduction of new technologies. Inventors who don’t follow their edicts are sentenced to a high-tech prison. To end the impending new dark age, the prisoners must fight ruthless individuals already living in our future and armed with mind-blowing genetic technology.

The Prometheus Award was established in 1979 and is presented annually at the World Science Fiction Convention. Winners received a gold coin and a plaque. For a full list of past Prometheus Award winners in all categories, visit www.lfs.org.

The full press release follows the jump.

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 25, 2015

PROMETHEUS AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Libertarian Futurist Society has announced its Best Novel finalists for its annual Prometheus Awards. The awards will be presented during Sasquan, the 73rd annual World Science Fiction Convention August 19-23, 2015 in Spokane. The Best Novel finalists (in alphabetical order by author) for this year’s Prometheus Award for best pro-freedom novel of 2014:

  • The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin (TOR Books, Nov. 2014) is a first contact novel by one of China’s best loved science fiction authors. Ye Wenjie, a young astrophysicist whose life is molded by experiences during China’s brutal Cultural Revolution, makes crucial decisions about the future of humanity. The struggle to make rational sense of the universe, using methods of logic and science, is essential to nearly all of the human and alien characters.
  • Raising Steam, by Terry Pratchett (March 18, 2014, Knopf Doubleday) is the 40th Discworld novel and the last published in Pratchett’s lifetime.  further explores the theme of technological advances in communication and transportation and their liberating impact. Moist von Lipwig, the protagonist of Going Postal and Making Money, reappears as the key figure in the creation of the Discworld’s first railroad, and in the legal negotiations that make it possible.
  • A Better World, by Marcus Sakey (Amazon, Thomas & Mercer, June 2014) is a sequel to Brilliance , which explored a world populated by people with fantastic talents. In this story, some Brilliants are using terrorism to work toward separation, while others work to make a more civil, cooperative society.
  • Influx, the fourth techno-thriller by Daniel Suarez (Dutton Adult, Feb. 20, 2014), depicts a government so concerned about politically destabilizing and potentially dangerous innovations that it creates the Bureau of Technology Control to manage the introduction of new technologies. Inventors who don’t follow their edicts are sentenced to a high-tech prison. To end the impending new dark age, the prisoners must fight ruthless individuals already living in our future and armed with mind-blowing genetic technology.

Ten novels were nominated for this year’s Best Novel award. The other 2014 novels nominated for this award: The Break, by Sean Gabb (The Hampden Press); The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma, by Brian Herbert (TOR Books); Counteract, by Tracy Lawson (Buddapuss Ink); The Stars Came Back, by Rolf Nelson (Castalia House); The Collection: A Registry Novel, by Shannon Stoker (William Morrow/Harper Collins); and Archetype, by M.D. Waters (Plume/Dutton).

The Prometheus Award, sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS), was established in 1979, making it one of the most enduring awards after the Nebula and Hugo awards, and one of the oldest fan-based  awards currently in sf. Presented annually since 1982 at the World Science Fiction Convention, the Prometheus Awards include a gold coin and plaque for the winners. For more than three decades, the Prometheus Awards have recognized outstanding works of science fiction and fantasy that stress the importance of liberty as the foundation for civilization, peace, prosperity, progress and justice.

For a full list of past Prometheus Award winners in all categories, visit www.lfs.org. Membership in the Libertarian Futurist Society is open to any science fiction fan interested in how fiction can promote an  appreciation of the value of liberty.

For more information, contact LFS Publicity Chair Chris Hibbert ( [email protected]). To submit 2015 novels for consideration and possible nomination by LFS members, contact Best Novel awards coordinator Michael Grossberg ( [email protected] or 614-236-5040). To propose works published more than five years ago for the Hall of Fame, contact William H. Stoddard, Hall of Fame finalist judging committee chair ( [email protected]).

Our website is http://lfs.org.

 

 

9 thoughts on “2015 Prometheus Award Novel Finalists

  1. Yay for Marcus Sakey! I really enjoy the Brilliance series so far and considering it flies pretty low on the radar for most I’m glad to see his name in the mix with the rest. Influx sounds interesting, I’ll have to pick that up!

  2. Raising Steam was awful. It was unfair to Pratchett’s legacy to let it fall into publication. I completely understand the desire to recognize his greatness, but nominating the least of his works is no way to do it.

    Night Watch, Thief of Time, Making Money, Going Postal…obviously. Even the lesser books like Thud! or Monstrous Regiment I could see getting a slightly bumped courtesy nod (had either of those been his last work)…but…no. Not Raising Steam.

    It does bring up, however, an interesting question: would all of the Discworld novels have been eligible this year, since Pratchett was never nominated – save for his decline of Going Postal?

    Or did that nomination and decline count against the entire series as having a nominated work?

  3. “It does bring up, however, an interesting question: would all of the Discworld novels have been eligible this year, since Pratchett was never nominated”

    To start with, no, because Shepherd’s Crown is still coming out in September. So it would be eligible next year (assuming there’s no announcement of it being continued).

    Discworld isn’t, outside of a couple of books, highly serialized (unlike Wheel of Time), but I could see a case being made for it. I would imagine the estate would refuse the nomination anyways, though.

  4. Oh dear. There’s one more? I didn’t even know that, and I used to anticipate the next Pratchett like it was Christmas.

    According to the never trustworthy Wikipedia, it indicates that he turned down the nom for Going Postal so he didn’t ruin his fun at Worldcon. For what reason would the estate turn down a series nomination?

    He certainly earned one, despite the drop off in the last two books or so (clearly due to his physical decline.) I would have no hesitation to vote for all of Discworld in the hilariously unfair (yet hilariously appropriate for Pratchett) Best Novel/Novels category (a quirk I knew nothing about until Wheel of Time popped up last year.)

  5. He turned down a Hugo nomination for Going Postal. that has absolutely nothing to do with a nomination or potential nomination for the Prometheus Awards, which are given out by a completely different organization (The Libertarian Science Fiction Society, as opposed to the Hugo Award which is given out by the World Science Fiction Society). The Libertarians just happen to usually present their awards at Worldcon (although this year they are presenting the Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Award at Marcon).

  6. Steven, I’m not talking about the Prometheus Awards. I was merely asking if his series would be eligible for the Hugo. I realize that award is the context for bringing up Pratchett. I addressed that, saying the Prometheus Awards had made a mistake in nominating Raising Steam.

    Then I moved on to the question about Hugo eligibility for 2015. Nat Lovin pointed out that the series finishes this year, so I moved it to a question for next year.

    Make sense?

  7. Discworld isn’t eligible under the same rules WoT was for the simple reason that Discworld doesn’t comprise a single novel. WoT is really just a single work, a single massive story, published in smaller chunks. It’s basically the same rule that gave the Hugo to Connie Willis’ Blackout/All Clear which was a single novel split in two volumes.

    For example Lord of the Rings which is a single novel published in three volumes in two years, would have been eligible under those rules, but the entire body of The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Silmarillion, which is more comparable to what Discworld is, wouldn’t be.

    Another example: The whole of A Song of Ice and Fire would’ve been eligible under the “WoT rules” once it finally finished, if individual books hadn’t already been nominated. Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga however wouldn’t be because that series, like Discworld, isn’t a single story or novel.

  8. Thanks Kevin! Too bad, in my opinion, but then again, you wouldn’t want it to get in the way of single novels, either.

    So Stephen King’s Dark Tower would have been eligible, but not Guardians of the Flame? I see the distinction, but it is close.

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