The shortlist for the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA)’s 2008 awards has been circulating, and appear to be accurate. But the BSFA’s own web site is currently inaccessible. (We’ll update that last as we learn more.) The winners are expected to be announced at Eastercon LX, the 2009 British national science fiction convention, the weekend of 10-13 April.
[Edited 23 January 2009: BSFA Awards Administrator Donna Scott told SFScope: “The web site was having difficulties yesterday, so the webmaster has been working on it. The site is back up now.” And it is, at www.bsfa.co.uk. Scott also confirmed the shortlist as printed below, even though it isn’t yet available on the BSFA web site.]
The nominees are:
Best Novel:
Flood by Stephen Baxter
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Best Short Fiction:
“Exhalation” by Ted Chiang (published in Eclipse 2)
“Crystal Nights” by Greg Egan (Interzone 215)
“Little Lost Robot” by Paul McAuley (Interzone 217)
“Evidence of Love in a Case of Abandonment” by M. Rickert (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October/November 2008)
Best Non-Fiction:
“Physics for Amnesia: Horror Motifs in SF” by John Clute (a lecture given 8 May 2008 at the Gresham College Symposium “Science Fiction as a Literary Genre”)
Superheroes!: Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films by Roz Kaveney (I.B. Tauris)
What Is It We Do When We Read Science Fiction? by Paul Kincaid (Beccon)
Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan)
Best Artwork:
Andy Bigwood for the cover of Subterfuge, edited by Ian Whates
Blacksheep for the cover of Flood by Stephen Baxter
Blacksheep for the cover of Swiftly by Adam Roberts
Vincent Chong for “St Darwin’s Spiritual”, which appeared as the cover of Murky Depths 4
Warwick Fraser Coombe for the cover of Interzone 218
Unlike last year, there were enough nominations to once again have a Best Non-Fiction category. And there are four nominees in several categories because of multi-way ties for fifth place in those categories.
The usual procedure is that attending members of the con and members of the BSFA are eligible to vote for the awards. Paper ballot forms are expected soon.
[Edited 23 January 2009: Scott writes “I am now able to accept votes for the above from BSFA members and those who have signed up to the Eastercon convention at Bradford this year. Votes will be finalised on Saturday 11th April and the winner announced at a special celebration at the convention.”]