Last week saw the announcement of the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for the Science Fiction Book of the Year for 2018 – and the winner was Dreams Before the End of Time by Anne Charnock. (And please ignore the dopey Guardian headline that it's a novel about pregnancy - it is so, so much more).

So well done Anne – and congratulations and commiserations to the five other authors shortlisted for the award, namely Jeff VanderMeer with Borne; Omar El Akkad with American War; Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfar; Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill; and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed.

On a personal note, this year's Award marked the end of my two-year stint as a judge for the Clarkes – all judges can only serve a maximum of two years on the jury, which neatly ensures the Awards remain open and avoid any inbuilt bias. And, I have to say it was an eye-opening experience for me.

I'm an old guy and my taste in science fiction is relatively conservative – I like rockets, robots, and aliens. (Although post apocalyptic dystopias always bring a smile to my face – and I have a fondness for the late Iain M. Banks' Culture novels.) However the Clarkes are a revelation in terms of the scope, scale and range of novels now being produced that push the boundaries of the traditional definition of "science fiction".

As the author Nina Allan commented "I have always been of the opinion that this is the kind of science fiction that the Clarke Award should be seeking out and promoting, and I was delighted to see Dreams Before the Start of Time turn up on the shortlist for this reason."

If you don't do anything else this summer, treat yourself not just to Anne Charnock's Dreams but also all the other books on the shortlist. Sea of Rust is a must for fans of robots – and also for anyone concerned about the risks of unfettered AI (artificial intelligence).

This was another intriguing aspect of many of the books nominated this year (and last) including those in the shortlist, in that they are not mere escapist fantasies set among the stars but instead deal with contemporary issues and concerns, including climate change, the patriarchy, bioengineering etc.

In other words they are books that both entertain and also make you think. Relax, they all manage to deliver their "message" in a non-preachy, not-ramming-it-down-your throat tone.

My work here is done and I don't envy the task of next year's judges because being on the Clarkes jury is no easy task. This year (and last) we had approximately 100 books to read – and some of these books are huge wrist-breakers. (Fall asleep reading one of these in bed and it could break your nose.) These we then whittled down to an informal long-list – and with five judges each long-listing 12 books each, that could mean anything from 35 to 50 titles.

These were then reduced to the final shortlist of six – kill you darlings indeed! – before the final winner was chosen. And, as they used to say in the old Highlander movies "There can be only one" – the Clarkes go for one outright winner with no second or third places.

It's been great fun, thank you for opening my eyes, and thank you for having me on board as a judge for the last couple of years. 

This evening on Park Radio's Waveney Valley... when it was show (6pm-to-8pm) I'll be talking to local history enthusiast and curator of the popular Diss & District Memories Facebook group Nick Woods about aliens, spies, fearsome fires, murder, mayhem, Steampunk and the Plague. No really!

We'll also be playing some of the tracks from over the past 50 years that were Number #1 in the charts (or "Hit Parade" as we used to call it) this weekend.

You can find Park Radio at 107.6 & 105.2 FM as well as listen online at www.parkradio.co.uk

For any requests, shout-outs, or dedications text me at 07786 738172 or via Twitter to @ChristianUncut.

This year is my second (and final) year as a judge for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for science fiction literature and I'm pleased to report we now have a shortlist of six excellent, but also widely different, books:

Sea of Rust - C. Robert Cargill (Gollancz)

Dreams Before the Start of Time - Anne Charnock (47North)

American War - Omar El Akkad (Picador)

Spaceman of Bohemia - Jaroslav Kalfar (Sceptre)

Gather the Daughters - Jennie Melamed (Tinder Press)

Borne - Jeff VanderMeer (Fourth Estate)
 
Here's the official announcement:

“If you are new to reading the genre, each of these tremendous novels can demonstrate what sf is capable of. It’s unusual that none of the writers have been on the Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist before, although a number of them have been contenders in previous years. We also have authors who have written in other fields or genres and it’s especially exciting to be able to draw attention to debut novelists. At the moment, any of the six could emerge as the winner."
...Chair of Judges, Dr Andrew M. Butler

“In this year’s shortlist we see themes of climate change, human hubris and gender politics writ large, alongside alien encounters, apocalyptic robot armies and genetically engineered flying bears (often in the same book). With over 100 novels in contention again this year, and strong submissions from across the full range of UK publishing, our judging panel accepted an epic challenge in selecting these six works from the many excellent and often hotly tipped titles they received.

“The result is a shortlist forged from passionate debate and compelling contrasts but with little by way of compromise and shaped always by the purposeful intent and vision of our judges. I strongly suspect in future years that this will be a shortlist long remembered as a vintage year for the ArthuC. Clarke Award and for science fiction literature.”
...Award Director, Tom Hunter

A huge thank you to our judging panel and their supporting organisations!        
* Dave Hutchinson, British Science Fiction Association
* Gaie Sebold, British Science Fiction Association
* Paul March-Russell, Science Fiction Foundation
* Dr Kari Maund, Science Fiction Foundation
* Charles Christian, SCI-FI-LONDON film festival    

The winner will be announced at a public award ceremony held in partnership with Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, London on Wednesday 18th July 2018. In the meantime I'm re-reading all six.

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Weird Tales Radio Show. This is our our Friday the Thirteenth, All you ever wanted to know about Aleister Crowley but were afraid to ask, Get out your Hagstones to fight the Evil Eye, is it a Bird, is it a Plane, no it’s the Monster Owl Witch Show.

The Big Interview is with Ashley Cowie and we talk about the myth surrounding Aleister Crowley: pioneer psychologist? Misunderstood trickster? The godfather of modern witchcraft and wicca?  The music is by Ozzy Osbourne.

The podcast is now available on iTunes, Stitcher, Tune In Radio, Overcast FM, and Podcast App – more to follow. The link takes you to Omny Studio which includes bookmarks.