2020-06-21 - Clarke Award Shortlist
-----------------------------------

Every year, round about this time,  the shortlist for the Arthur C.
Clarke  best novel  is announced.  This is  an award  for the  best
science fiction  novel published  in the  U.K. during  the previous
year, it is usually notably more "literary" than the Hugo or Nebula
award, and the final decision is in the hands of a panel of judges.

Suffice to  say, I  really like the  Clarke shortlist,  it normally
informs my  summer reading. I  still think that the  2018 shortlist
was one  of the  best years  in recent memory,  even if  the judges
picked the  wrong winner.  That was  one of the  few years  I found
myself disagreeing  with the  judges, the  prior five  being Colson
Whitehead's 'Underground Railroad',  Adrian Tchaikovsky's 'Children
of  Time', Emily  S.John  Mandel's 'Station  Eleven', Ann  Leckie's
'Ancillary Justice' and Chris Beckett's under-rated 'Dark Eden'.

This year's list features a few  I've already read, so I'll offer a
view on them...

- "The Light Brigade" by Kameron Hurley

The books  I haven't read  will need to be  actually stellar-levels
incredible  to dethrone  this  brilliant book  from my  affections.
Kameron Hurley has  been at the top  of my fave authors  list for a
good few  years now, but  she went above  and beyond her  own skill
levels  with this  book. A  twisty thrilling  time travel  gone-mad
chest burster  of a  book, this  is simply  the most  enjoyable and
thought-provoking sf novel I read last year. Hugely recommended.

- "A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine

My  second favourite  book of  last  year! Okay,  maybe third,  but
still, a book  which is both byzantine and  futurist, political and
personal,  grand sweep  of  vision and  understandable  on a  human
level. This  book is  simply brilliant, and  it should  be required
reading for all modern sf fans.

- "Cage of Souls" by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I'm  a  tad disappointed  to  see  this  on  the list,  instead  of
"Children  of Ruin",  which was  astonishingly good.  Maybe because
that  book is  a sequel,  whereas this  is apparently  a standalone
environmentalist thingy.  Or it  could just be  that this  isn't as
mind-bendingly twisty. Either way, I shall have to read it.

- "The Last Astronoaut" by David Wellington
- "The Old  Drift" by Namwali Serpell

Neither of these came  up on my radar this year,  and I'll be happy
to read  them. So many books  which I'd otherwise never  have read,
like  Jaroslav Kalfar's  "Spaceman of  Bohemia", or  Ian McDonald's
"River of Gods" have come from this shortlist over the years.

- "The City in the Middle of the Night" by Charlie Jane Anders

I don't like Anders' writing. This is nothing to do with her gender
or her background, I just don't like  her writing. I saw her on two
panels  at WorldCon  last  year, and  she  was fabulous;  engaging,
literate, enthusiastic.  None of  that comes  across in  her books.
I'll try  this, and  I'll try to  be objective, but  this is  one I
expect to end up on the DNF pile.

So,  some things  to look  forward to,  some things  less so,  some
things I've already read. As always, please keep on keeping on, and
be excellent to one another.