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Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019) and AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021).

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Jane Rogers wins Arthur C. Clarke Award for ...

... her novel, The Testament of Jessie Lamb. Story here. This announcement follows soon (i.e. about five weeks) after a much-publicised rant by Christopher Priest when the shortlist for the award was announced.

Rogers' novel sounds interesting enough, though as one commenter on the site points out there is always reason to be a bit wary of mainstream writers' efforts at science fiction. Or in any event, it's often claimed that mainstream writers tend to re-invent the wheel when they turn to sf tropes. I'm not sure about that, though it's true that mainstream writers often present very bleak, dystopian visions of the future. Moreso, on average (or so it appears to me ... I can't prove it scientifically) than professional sf writers. The Testament of Jessie Lamb doesn't sound like an exception.

But anyway, Rogers is certainly a writer with runs on the board before this. Congratulations to her!

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