Prometheus Awards

[Felix]

Hi!

I just came across the site of the 'Libertarian Futurist Society', who is dedicated to libertarian sci-fi.They also give an award every year to the best book and they also have a quarterly magazine. I know there are some fantasy and sci-fi buffs active here, so:

Has anyone of you heard of them before?

And:

Since I have not very much experience in the field of fiction, are the awarded books good?

Which one(s) would you recommend?

Here's the link

Edited November 29, 2005 by Felix

[Hal]

Robert Anton Wilson - Illuminatus! Trilogy is brilliant, although difficult to read due to the unconventional style. Terry Pratchett - Night Watch is also excellent, but I wouldnt advise someone to read it as their first Discworld novel (Men at Arms would probably be a better starting point).

The "Hall of Fame" seems lacking in the Aldous Huxley department. Also, The Fountainhead is infinitely superior to Anthem so god knows why they included the latter.

edit2: Rousseau being nominated for the Hall of Fame seems odd. I admittedly havent read his fiction, but his non-fiction is hardly a rousing endorsement of libertarian principles.

Edited November 29, 2005 by Hal

[khaight]

The "Hall of Fame" seems lacking in the Aldous Huxley department. Also, The Fountainhead is infinitely superior to Anthem so god knows why they included the latter.

Although it isn't entirely clear from the website, the Prometheus Awards are for libertarian *science fiction*. Although The Fountainhead has many merits, it is definitely not a work of science fiction. Anthem clearly is. Atlas Shrugged is kind of in the middle, as a basically realistic book with a few science-fictional elements (such as Rearden Metal and Galt's motor).

As for which books on their list are worth reading... it depends on your taste, I suppose. Of those listed, I think the following are the real standouts: A Deepness in the Sky, Kings of the High Frontier and In The Country of the Blind.

A Deepness in the Sky is two alien first-contact stories and a war story wrapped together with a fascinating background. If you like it you will almost certainly want to read Vinge's other major novel A Fire Upon the Deep. His earlier book The Peace War is also worthwhile if you can find a copy.

Kings of the High Frontier is a novel about the private-sector race to space. It starts with a group of college students at New York University who decide to build a Roton in a warehouse in the Bronx (google on it; the design is real). Things go downhill (or uphill, depending on your point of view) from there. Good clean fun, and the bad guy gives off serious Ellsworth Toohey vibes.

In The Country of the Blind is a novel based on the premise of a secret society founded in the early 1800s that developed techniques for predicting the future course of history. Gradually the society's goals mutate into *controlling* the future course of history, first for the benefit of everyone and later for their own benefit. The bulk of the novel is set around the turn of the 21st century as the various conspiracies involved start to unravel. The ending is a bit abrupt, but that's the only major flaw.

[Hal]

Although it isn't entirely clear from the website, the Prometheus Awards are for libertarian *science fiction*. Although The Fountainhead has many merits, it is definitely not a work of science fiction. Anthem clearly is. Atlas Shrugged is kind of in the middle, as a basically realistic book with a few science-fictional elements (such as Rearden Metal and Galt's motor).

Well that's certainly true. But it was nominated, which leads me to believe that they considered it science fiction.

I find it difficult to accept that Terry Pratchett - Night Watch, George Orwell - 1984 and Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged are all books within the same genre, particularly a genre which also includes Babylon 5 and Star Wars. For this reason, I dont think the 'sci-fi' tag is very useful.

Edited November 30, 2005 by Hal