Editorial

The Prometheus Awards have gained more recognition, and more respect, in the science fictional community than might have been anticipated when they were first established. Publishers supply copies of nominees to a mailing list of LFS Sponsors, and authors attend Prometheus Award ceremonies, even if they aren't part of the libertarian community. At least some of the reason for this has to be that winning the Prometheus Award helps to increase a book's audience. And since that's what the awards were instituted for, we can count them as having a measure of success.

But this recognition is an asset whose value has to be maintained. If we give awards to books that don't merit them, readers will put less value on the Prometheus Award—and in the long run, so will authors and publish- ers.

Choosing award recipients is a delicate balancing act. Recipients should have libertarian content, envisioning a free future, or a movement to attain freedom, or showing the dangers of arbitrary power; and it's even better if the author has something new to say about libertarianism. But recipients should appeal to general readers, not just to people who already agree with libertarian ideas; the fictional content has to carry its own weight. On the other hand, the ideas must be there; claiming popular or well written books as “libertarian” on any vague pretext will do nothing to expose more readers to libertarian themes.

In a few months, LFS members will be voting on this year's award nominees. Read carefully; your choices matter.