2008 Prometheus Award Winners Announced

The Libertarian Futurist Society presented awards to the winners of the Annual Prometheus Award in Denver, Colorado at Denvention 3, the 66th World Science Fiction Convention, on August 6th, 2008.

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 each received 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 award for Best Classic Fiction (the Hall of Fame Award) goes to A Clockwork Orange, a 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.

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 Le Guin. A complete listing of all nominees and winners can be found on the LFS web site at www.lfs.org.