I just found the list for the Philip K. Dick Award in my inbox (thanks Van Gelder) where it’s been sitting since last night, and I’m moderately mortified to find I haven’t read a single one. Maybe I’ve got that backwards. They look like a pretty good lot, once you get beyond the non-descriptive titles, and are all available in Kindle format for pretty reasonable money. So maybe the purpose of awards has been met, introducing me to books worth considering amidst the crowded shelves.
From the Press Release (links added)
The judges of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia SF Society, along with the Philip K. Dick Trust, are pleased to announce seven nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award:
- YARN by Jon Armstrong (Night Shade Books)
- CHILL by Elizabeth Bear (Ballantine Books/Spectra)
- THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell (Henry Holt & Co.)
- SONG OF SCARABAEUS by Sara Creasy (Eos)
- THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING HEELED JACK by Mark Hodder (Pyr)
- HARMONY by Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith (Haikasoru)
- STATE OF DECAY by James Knapp (Roc)
First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 22, 2010 at Norwescon 34 at the Doubletree Seattle Airport Hotel, SeaTac, Washington.
The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society. Last year’s winner was BITTER ANGELS by C. L. Anderson (Ballantine Books/Spectra) with a special citation to CYBERABAD DAYS by Ian McDonald (Pyr). The 2010 judges are William Barton, Andy Duncan (chair), Bruce McAllister, Melinda Snodgrass, and David Walton.