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BSFA Award Nominees Include Bioengineered Circus Freaks And Living Similes

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

We were disappointed, but not surprised, earlier this week when the Academy Award nominations were predictably stingy at recognizing science fiction. That’s nothing new, but even Andy Serkis’ stunning and lauded performance in Rise of the Planet of the Apes got the shaft, despite much buzz that this might finally be the year his talents were recognized. Still, there are organizations out there dedicated to recognizing excellence in the field of science fiction. Unfortunately, most of them have “science fiction” in the name of their organization and aren’t quite as high-profile as the Oscars. Still, if you’re looking for some new reading material, you could do a lot worse than skimming the list of nominees for the 2012 British Science Fiction Association awards.

Set to be held at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in London this April, the BSFA awards highlight some of the best science fiction literature, art, and SF-related non-fiction of the past year. Unlike the Hugos or Nebulas, this one doesn’t encompass TV or film, so don’t get irritated that you don’t see the words “Doctor Who” anywhere on the list. Here are the nominees, divided into their respective categories, with links where available.

Best Novel

  • Cyber Circus by Kim Lakin-Smith (Newcon Press)
  • Embassytown by China Mieville (Macmillan)
  • The Islanders by Christopher Priest (Gollancz)
  • By Light Alone by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
  • Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)

Best Short Fiction

  • “The Silver Wind” by Nina Allan (Interzone 233, TTA Press)
  • “The Copenhagen Interpretation” by Paul Cornell (Asimov’s, July)
  • “Afterbirth” by Kameron Hurley (Kameron Hurley’s own website)
  • “Covehithe” by China Mieville (The Guardian)
  • “Of Dawn” by Al Robertson (Interzone 235, TTA Press)

Best Non-Fiction

  • Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As We Know It by Mike Ashley (British Library)
  • The SF Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition ed. John Clute, Peter Nicholls and David Langford (website)
  • Review of Arslanby M J Engh, Abigail Nussbaum (Asking the Wrong Questions blog)
  • SF Mistressworks, ed. Ian Sales (website)
  • Pornokitsch, ed. Jared Shurin and Anne Perry (website)
  • The Unsilent Library: Essays on the Russell T. Davies Era of the New Doctor Who (Foundation Studies in Science Fiction), ed. Graham Sleight, Tony Keen and Simon Bradshaw (Science Fiction Foundation)

Best Art

  • Cover of Ian Whates’s The Noise Revealed by Dominic Harman (Solaris)
  • Cover and illustrations of Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls by Jim Kay (Walker)
  • Cover of Lavie Tidhar’s Osama by Pedro Marques (PS Publishing)
  • Cover of Liz Williams’s A Glass of Shadow by Anne Sudworth (Newcon Press)