The finalists for the 33rd Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction literature were released on May 7.
Tom Hunter, Award Director, commented:
Our 6 shortlisted titles were selected from a record-breaking 124 eligible submissions, and as the imaginative breadth of SF publishing in the UK has grown so too has the challenge for our judges. With this shortlist they have successfully melded multiple definitions of the genre into a celebratory whole that both upholds the best traditions of science fiction literature and beckons us towards exhilarating new futures.
The finalists are:
- Semiosis – Sue Burke (HarperVoyager)
- Revenant Gun – Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
- Frankenstein in Baghdad – Ahmed Saadawi (Oneworld)
- The Electric State – Simon Stålenhag (Simon and Schuster)
- Rosewater – Tade Thompson (Orbit)
- The Loosening Skin – Aliya Whiteley (Unsung Stories)
Andrew M. Butler, Chair of Judges, thanked the panel:
As always, the jury have given us a snapshot of the best sf: cyberpunk, military space opera, first contact, dystopian America, fantastical Britain and war-torn Iraq. The judges have really done us proud, but I can see it’s going to be a tough final decision.
The members of the judging panel were:
- Kris Black, British Science Fiction Association
- Andrew Wallace, British Science Fiction Association
- Dr Kari Maund, Science Fiction Foundation
- Chris Pak, Science Fiction Foundation
- Rhian Drinkwater, SCI-FI-LONDON film festival
The winner will be announced at a public award ceremony, held in partnership with Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, on Wednesday, July 17. Tickets on sale soon.
[Thanks to Mark Hepworth for the story.]