Jo Walton (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} papersky) wrote,@ 2008-07-23 00:44:00 |
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Prometheus Award, Yay!
I'm delighted, amused and honoured to announce that Ha'Penny has won the Prometheus Award -- actually, it's better than that, because it's co-won with Harry Turtledove's The Gladiator and you can't imagine how lovely it is to co-win something with a splendid book by an author you've loved for years.
I'm amused because of all my online arguments with Libertarians. I am so not a Libertarian. Askzsero. But I am anti-authoritarian and I suppose I have written a book about the moral corruption of an authoritarian society, and if they think that's good enough to give me an ounce of gold (an ounce of gold, how cool is that?) then good for them. As they've given it to Ken MacLeod and Charlie Stross before, they're obviously looking at the book, not the author. Oh, and another cool thing -- this is the first time the actual award has been won by a woman. The Hall of Fame award has been given to Le Guin and Ayn Rand, but the annual award has been won by a man since 1981.
I'll be at the award ceremony, which I believe is Wednesday afternoon at Denvention.
(zorinth is torn between the idea of me keeping the ounce of gold to be a coin on my eventual dead eye in my eventual archaeologically interesting tomb, or melting it down to buy him a new laptop.)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 22, 2008
* The Libertarian Futurist Society will present awards to the winners
of the annual Prometheus Award in Denver, Colorado at Denvention 3, the
66th World Science Fiction Convention.
* For the first time since the award was established in 1979 there was a
tie in voting for the Best Novel award, so Jo Walton and Harry
Turtledove will each receive a plaque and a one-ounce gold coin. The
Co-winners are "Ha'penny",
by Jo Walton (Tor Books), and "The Gladiator", by Harry Turtledove (Tor
Books).
* The Hall of Fame Award goes to "A Clockwork Orange", by Anthony Burgess.
At its award ceremony to be held at the WorldCon in Denver, the
Libertarian Futurist Society will present its annual Prometheus Award
for Best Novel to Jo Walton and Harry Turtledove and the award for Best
Classic Fiction (the "Hall of Fame" award) to "A Clockwork Orange", a
1963 novel by Anthony Burgess.
Harry Turtledove received a previous Best Novel nomination in 1999 for
"Between the Rivers" from TOR Books, but this is his first time to win
the award. "The Gladiator" is part of Turtledove's Crosstime Traffic
series, which is aimed at young adults. The story follows some
teenagers in an alternate Italy with a communist government and a mostly
compliant society. The youngsters discover a store selling role-playing
games that promote entrepreneurial behavior and independent thinking and
learn a lot about their society as they explore the games.
This was Jo Walton's first nomination for a Prometheus. "Ha'penny" is a
follow-up to "Farthing", published in 2006. The novels are alternate
histories that take place in a Britain that made peace with Hitler in
1941 and has slowly been turning more fascist itself. In "Ha'penny",
Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Carmichael is assigned to investigate an
explosion in a London Suburb that leads to evidence of a conspiracy.
The story portrays the fall of a society into totalitarianism,
emphasizing subtle moral corruption rather than overt brutality.
"A Clockwork Orange" has been nominated several times in the past.
Burgess's novel is a graphic depiction of a dystopian and authoritarian
society. Alex is an unapologetic ultraviolent criminal who is
eventually captured and sent to prison. The ultimate horror occurs when
he is subjected to an experimental form of aversion therapy, and his
love of music is taken away along with his taste for violence.
The other finalists for Best Novel were "Ragamuffin", by Tobias S.
Buckell; "The Execution Channel", by Ken MacLeod; and "Fleet of Worlds",
by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. Seven novels published in 2007
were nominated for the 2008 award.
The other finalists for the Hall of Fame award were "As Easy as
A.B.C.", a short story (1912) by Rudyard Kipling; "That Hideous
Strength", a novel (1945) that completes C.S. Lewis's space trilogy; the
"Lord of the Rings" trilogy, a three-volume novel (1954) by J.R. R.
Tolkien; and "The Once and Future King" and "The Book of Merlyn", a
five-part novel (1938-1958) by T. H. White.
In the past, the LFS has followed conventional practice and attempted
to keep our winners a surprise for attendees at the awards ceremony,
while notifying the press earlier so they could publish announcements in
their earliest issue after the event. Before the rise of the Internet
this generally worked well; however news travels much faster these days.
This year, the LFS decided to take advantage of the trend to give fans
of the winners the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony and hear
the authors' remarks. Both Walton and Turtledove are expected to
attend the ceremony to accept their awards.
The Prometheus awards for Best Novel, Best Classic Fiction (Hall of
Fame) and (occasional) Special awards honor outstanding science
fiction/fantasy that explores the possibilities of a free future,
champions human rights (including personal and economic liberty),
dramatizes the perennial conflict between individuals and coercive
governments, or critiques the tragic consequences of abuse of
power--especially by the State.
The Prometheus Award, sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society
(lfs.org), 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 each of the winners.
The Hall of Fame, established in 1983, focuses on older classic
fiction, including novels, novellas, short stories, poems and plays.
Past Hall of Fame award winners range from Robert Heinlein and Ayn Rand
to Ray Bradbury and Ursula LeGuin.
Publishers who wish to submit novels published in 2008 for the 2009
Best Novel award should contact Michael Grossberg (mikegrossb@aol.com,
3164 Plymouth Place, Columbus OH 43213), Chair of the LFS Prometheus
Awards Best Novel Finalist judging committee.
Founded in 1982, the Libertarian Futurist Society sponsors the annual
Prometheus Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame; publishes reviews, news
and columns in the quarterly "Prometheus"; arranges annual awards
ceremonies at the WorldCon; debates libertarian futurist issues (such as
private space exploration); and provides fun and fellowship for
libertarian SF fans.
A list of past winners of LFS awards can be found on the LFS web
site at www.lfs.org.
I'm delighted, amused and honoured to announce that Ha'Penny has won the Prometheus Award -- actually, it's better than that, because it's co-won with Harry Turtledove's The Gladiator and you can't imagine how lovely it is to co-win something with a splendid book by an author you've loved for years.
I'm amused because of all my online arguments with Libertarians. I am so not a Libertarian. Ask
zsero. But I am anti-authoritarian and I suppose I have written a book about the moral corruption of an authoritarian society, and if they think that's good enough to give me an ounce of gold (an ounce of gold, how cool is that?) then good for them. As they've given it to Ken MacLeod and Charlie Stross before, they're obviously looking at the book, not the author. Oh, and another cool thing -- this is the first time the actual award has been won by a woman. The Hall of Fame award has been given to Le Guin and Ayn Rand, but the annual award has been won by a man since 1981.I'll be at the award ceremony, which I believe is Wednesday afternoon at Denvention.
(
zorinth is torn between the idea of me keeping the ounce of gold to be a coin on my eventual dead eye in my eventual archaeologically interesting tomb, or melting it down to buy him a new laptop.)FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, July 22, 2008
* The Libertarian Futurist Society will present awards to the winners
of the annual Prometheus Award in Denver, Colorado at Denvention 3, the
66th World Science Fiction Convention.
* For the first time since the award was established in 1979 there was a
tie in voting for the Best Novel award, so Jo Walton and Harry
Turtledove will each receive a plaque and a one-ounce gold coin. The
Co-winners are "Ha'penny",
by Jo Walton (Tor Books), and "The Gladiator", by Harry Turtledove (Tor
Books).
* The Hall of Fame Award goes to "A Clockwork Orange", by Anthony Burgess.
At its award ceremony to be held at the WorldCon in Denver, the
Libertarian Futurist Society will present its annual Prometheus Award
for Best Novel to Jo Walton and Harry Turtledove and the award for Best
Classic Fiction (the "Hall of Fame" award) to "A Clockwork Orange", a
1963 novel by Anthony Burgess.
Harry Turtledove received a previous Best Novel nomination in 1999 for
"Between the Rivers" from TOR Books, but this is his first time to win
the award. "The Gladiator" is part of Turtledove's Crosstime Traffic
series, which is aimed at young adults. The story follows some
teenagers in an alternate Italy with a communist government and a mostly
compliant society. The youngsters discover a store selling role-playing
games that promote entrepreneurial behavior and independent thinking and
learn a lot about their society as they explore the games.
This was Jo Walton's first nomination for a Prometheus. "Ha'penny" is a
follow-up to "Farthing", published in 2006. The novels are alternate
histories that take place in a Britain that made peace with Hitler in
1941 and has slowly been turning more fascist itself. In "Ha'penny",
Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Carmichael is assigned to investigate an
explosion in a London Suburb that leads to evidence of a conspiracy.
The story portrays the fall of a society into totalitarianism,
emphasizing subtle moral corruption rather than overt brutality.
"A Clockwork Orange" has been nominated several times in the past.
Burgess's novel is a graphic depiction of a dystopian and authoritarian
society. Alex is an unapologetic ultraviolent criminal who is
eventually captured and sent to prison. The ultimate horror occurs when
he is subjected to an experimental form of aversion therapy, and his
love of music is taken away along with his taste for violence.
The other finalists for Best Novel were "Ragamuffin", by Tobias S.
Buckell; "The Execution Channel", by Ken MacLeod; and "Fleet of Worlds",
by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. Seven novels published in 2007
were nominated for the 2008 award.
The other finalists for the Hall of Fame award were "As Easy as
A.B.C.", a short story (1912) by Rudyard Kipling; "That Hideous
Strength", a novel (1945) that completes C.S. Lewis's space trilogy; the
"Lord of the Rings" trilogy, a three-volume novel (1954) by J.R. R.
Tolkien; and "The Once and Future King" and "The Book of Merlyn", a
five-part novel (1938-1958) by T. H. White.
In the past, the LFS has followed conventional practice and attempted
to keep our winners a surprise for attendees at the awards ceremony,
while notifying the press earlier so they could publish announcements in
their earliest issue after the event. Before the rise of the Internet
this generally worked well; however news travels much faster these days.
This year, the LFS decided to take advantage of the trend to give fans
of the winners the opportunity to attend the awards ceremony and hear
the authors' remarks. Both Walton and Turtledove are expected to
attend the ceremony to accept their awards.
The Prometheus awards for Best Novel, Best Classic Fiction (Hall of
Fame) and (occasional) Special awards honor outstanding science
fiction/fantasy that explores the possibilities of a free future,
champions human rights (including personal and economic liberty),
dramatizes the perennial conflict between individuals and coercive
governments, or critiques the tragic consequences of abuse of
power--especially by the State.
The Prometheus Award, sponsored by the Libertarian Futurist Society
(lfs.org), 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 each of the winners.
The Hall of Fame, established in 1983, focuses on older classic
fiction, including novels, novellas, short stories, poems and plays.
Past Hall of Fame award winners range from Robert Heinlein and Ayn Rand
to Ray Bradbury and Ursula LeGuin.
Publishers who wish to submit novels published in 2008 for the 2009
Best Novel award should contact Michael Grossberg (mikegrossb@aol.com,
3164 Plymouth Place, Columbus OH 43213), Chair of the LFS Prometheus
Awards Best Novel Finalist judging committee.
Founded in 1982, the Libertarian Futurist Society sponsors the annual
Prometheus Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame; publishes reviews, news
and columns in the quarterly "Prometheus"; arranges annual awards
ceremonies at the WorldCon; debates libertarian futurist issues (such as
private space exploration); and provides fun and fellowship for
libertarian SF fans.
A list of past winners of LFS awards can be found on the LFS web
site at www.lfs.org.
