The Drink Tank Issue 248 The Arthur C. Clarke Award Issue [email protected] The Drink Tank Issue 249 - Chris Garcia & James Bacon: Editors <- Chris’ Editorial James’ Editorial -> There are a couple of Clarke Awards, one for The Clarkes. promotion of space interests or some such, but this is the Clarke that is given to the best science fiction Chris and myself decided to do an issue about novel published for the first time in Britain over the the Clarkes. The awards without doubt are a very previous year. Despite being just twenty-three years good thing, they definitely exercise many minds within old, less than half the age of the Hugos, it has risen to fandom, and if nothing else, it gives many fans something a powerful place among all the awards in the science to discuss, argue and get damnably angry about. They are UK centric, restricted to works fiction universe. published in the UK, but they make up another of the It’s interesting to think about the Clarkes. It’s an key discussion points in any one UK science fictional award for a single novel. One work. Only one category, year, along with the BSFA awards and the Hugo’s. in one genre, science fiction. Well, that’s arguable, as it This year’s shortlist is very good. I have now has been over the years that many of the novels that read four of the novels and so far have failed to be have won haven’t really been SF (I heard a couple of disappointed, they are all good, whether they are folks make that point about this year’s winner, The City excellent remains to be seen, but as I type now, just after the awards, I have to say I am incredibly happy and & The City) but that’s besides the point. It is a targeted pleased that China Mieville has been recognised for award, specific and fully aware of it. writing, what is a superb book. When I think about the Clarke, I think of Niall We are really very grateful to all the people Harrison. Yes, I was fully aware of the Clarkes before who, at very short notice gave us permission to use I ever heard of Niall, but it would seem to me that their work, or wrote for us. Many thanks to Roz the Clarke awards that were designed for the serious Keveany, Cheryl Morgan, Claire Brialey, Tommy Wallach reader of science fiction, and when I picture a serious for allowing us to use their words, also especial thanks reader of science fiction, I picture Niall. Also, he was to Niall Harrison and Paul Kincaid for their insightful responses to our questions, and all those E-mail once a judge, so there’s that, too. I’m also so pleased correspondents who wondered what the hell they that he answered a few questions for us! were saying yes and no too, also many thanks. Coming from a family of librarians, I have to say We hope, if nothing else, you read the winning that Awards have a certain power. It’s not always a posi- book, and we also hope some of you readers, let us tive power, but they do something. They attract. They know your thoughts, which we welcome, and, if all goes are a showing. They bring us to judgement, in a way. to plan, we hope to do something similar about the A Scenario- you go to a bookstore, see a book Hugo awards Novels, close to the time. with a sticker saying ‘Winner: The Drink Tank’s Book of the Year’ and you think ‘well, it must be good...maybe.’ So you buy the book. You then form an opinion, as you always do, but you weigh it against what you think of the award. You come to make a decision as to whether or not it deserved an award, and that leads you to make a call on the value of that award. Now, you pick up a bunch of books with the ‘Winner: The Drink Tank’s Book of the Year’ sticker, you put them into a matrix in your head that assigns that sticker and the award it represents weight with the other stickers representing awards. You come up with what that award means to you- either positive or nega- tive. As I went over the books which had won the Clarke, the matrix I went into in my head set them at a peak position. And so, the issue! The Arthur C. Clarke Award From the Beginning: By a The Handmaid’s Tale is Science Fiction. Without Complete Outsider named Chris Garcia question. No matter what Atwood says (and let’s face it, you make a lot more money and get a lot more I’ve always liked the Clarkes. They seem to be respect if you say you’re not an SF writer *coughMic more along the lines of my tastes in novels, at times, haelChaboncough* than if you do fess up to it. I don’t and they make some interesting choices that are often really think it matters. What does matter is that the arguable, but seldom flat-out wrong. first panel chose THT and that set the table for the So, as a part of this special issue, I’ve taken a future of the award. look at the entire list of winners and nominees and Of the other nominees, the only one I know here are my thoughts on them. I’ve read is Stars in my Pockets like Grains of Sand, which is a great novel. I’ve tried Eon a couple of times, and 1987- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood never made it through. Other Nominees- The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw (Runner-up) 1988- The Sea and Summer by George Turner Eon by Greg Bear Other Nominees- Stars in my Pocket like Grains of Sand by Samuel Delany Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem Escape Plans by Gwyneth Jones Ancient of Days by Michael Bishop The Memory of Whiteness by Kim Stanley Robinson Aegypt by John Crowley Queen of the States by Josephine Saxton Replay by Ken Grimwood Green Eyes by Lucius Shepard Grainne by Keith Roberts I will say this, The Handmaid’s Tale is a ballsy Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H.F. Saint choice for the first year of an award dedicated to I read most of The Sea and Summer in 1995, as science fiction. Ballsy, and oddly prescient. There are a part of my SF Literature class. I didn’t finish it. It felt few SF novels of the 1980s that are as important like reading War & Peace at 1⁄2 the page count. Still, this and influential. Neuromancer comes to mind, but The is one of the best pieces of economic SF ever written. Handmaid’s Tale has so much influence across every The story of how financial ruination can propagate boundary that it has to be considered probably the and what it means is central to the story, and how the most important SF novel of Greenhouse Effect has basically the 1980s. Hell, Unwoman, one started flooding the world. of my favorite musicians, took Much of Melbourne, where the her name, and much of the story takes place, is underwater. inspiration for her songs, from The world here is awesome. The Handmaid’s Tale. The story? Meh. Is it a great book? I read Like I said, it was a it back in high school, probably novel that felt like it dragged, 1991 or 92, and I remember and I stopped, partly because I struggling through it, though thought I had read enough of it I’ve struggled through many to write a decent paper, which I amazing books. I do remember then did. The thing is I didn’t feel that I loved the social structures like I had to go on. There were Atwood created, the darkness all these tacked-on elements of the world. I remember not that I remember thinking ‘Man, at all caring for Offred, but these are just weighing the loving Moira. The ideas were whole thing down’ but at the the king in the book, less so same time, without them, it’s the actual plot or characters. just this description of a bad It was also a very obvious time in the past (and that plays allegory, which bugged me to into the concept for the book, a point. There was this sense too) of ‘CONCEPT’ over story, Of the other nominees, which always bugs me. It’s one I loved Fiasco and worked of the reasons I can’t get into with Aegypt a bit. This was someone like Liz Williams and the first time I can specifically some of the works of Charlie remember being interested in a Stross. On the other hand, I am book because it was a Clarke all over China Mieville, so take winner. from that what you will. one of the few Shepard novels I’ve really enjoyed. Empire of Fear is a great one too. I’m not sure when I read it (probably that period between my college graduation and my return to Boston in late 1998) but I remember referencing it a lot when I first started doing panels at BayCon. Would I say this was a bad year? No, the shortlist was far-stronger than any other they’d had up to that point, but it was also the first winner where it felt like they were off.