(Via Niall)
The 2007 Shortlist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award has been announced...
- End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
- Nova Swing by M. John Harrison
- Oh Pure and Radiant Heart by Lydia Millet
- Hav by Jan Morris
- Gradisil by Adam Roberts
- Streaking by Brian Stableford
Well, it's certainly an interesting list, but then anything less would have been a disappointment.
I'm not going to go into a detailed discussion of the list at this point as I've only read the Grimwood but, interestingly, I've read rather mixed reviews of the Roberts and the Harrison. I'm inclined to trust those reviews as I struggled terribly with Harrison's Light and think that Roberts is a far better critic than he is a writer.
The Morris and the Millet are the mainstream novels that the Clarke award so often includes (even if it's comparatively rare that they actually win) but the Morris is one of those works that could be called genre as it deals with a fictional european state. The Millet, on the other hand, appears to be a work of "science fiction" in the sense that it deals with real science in a fictional setting. Needless to say, both have been largely overlooked by the usual genre websites.
Brian Stableford's Streaking is undeniably genre. However, going by the PS Publishing website, it only got a tiny print run of 500 (hence the huge price tag), so in choosing it the Clarke board have given it a good dose of publicity. Having said that, the great Clute seems to have had mixed feelings about it.
Once I get out from under the pile of books and DVDs I've promised to review (not to mention my review of Watts' Blindsight which has been formenting all weekend) I might try and do a long piece about the different books and what their chances are. Especially if someone commissions me to do it *cough*.
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