The highly prestigious Arthur C. Clarke award has just announced the shortlist for the 2017 award.
Founded in 1987, for the quality of previous winners there is no need to look further than the inaugural winner. Back in 1987, Margaret Attwood scooped the very first award with subsequent winners including China Miéville (three times), Pat Cadigan, and Geoff Ryman (twice). Zealot Script favourite, Stephen Baxter has been nominated no fewer than seven times and holds the unwanted record of the most nominations without a win!
Last year’s winner was Adrian Tchaikovsky with his much lauded Children of Time.
The Chair of the Judges, Dr Andrew M. Butler, spoke on this years nominations:
“Every year our industrious judges sift through scores of novels to pick six to represent the state of the SF field. They’ve chosen a first timer and a previous winner, as well as writers in the process of building great reputations. Any of these could win — at this point I cannot begin to guess.”
The shortlist for 2017 consists of the following six novels:
- A Closed and Common Orbit – Becky Chambers
- Ninefox Gambit – Yoon Ha Lee
- After Atlas – Emma Newman
- Occupy Me – Tricia Sullivan
- Central Station – Lavie Tidhar
- The Underground Railroad – Colson Whitehead
Without a shadow of a doubt, that’s an impressive shortlist that really highlights the quality of the Science Fiction being released right now.
If pressed to make a prediction, which I assume I am, I think Colson Whitehad is potentially the front runner at this point. But we’ll have to wait for the announcement on the 27th of July to find out!
You can read the full announcement at the website for the Arthur C Clarke Awards here.
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