Run Along The Awards Shelf - The BSFA Best Novel Shortlist
I do have to think reading the British Science Fiction Association’s shortlist for Best Novel that this fits very timely into a discussion as to what is science fiction? Each of the books chosen by its members fits neatly into a discussion as to what science fiction is and where is it going.
For me there are two very different stories on the list that didn’t quite work for me for very different reasons.
First I do have to admit being slightly mystified by Edge of Oblivion by Kirk Weddell reaching the shortlist. It’s a self-published novel which I’ve not heard much mention of at all prior to its arrival on the shortlist. Very few reviews could be found although I did note some slick social media pages. Its not often I’ve not heard of a popular book or author who is making an impact but clearly it has happened here. Putting that mystery to one side I could indeed see some parts of fandom enjoy this. It’s a very traditional science fiction mystery with added great man of history using science to solve a problem. There is a whole vein of these action adventure problem solving stories in SF history and for me that’s the novel’s biggest weakness. Its very predictable, very simple and really for me quite soulless. There is nothing here to really get your teeth into and I suspect quite forgettable for most readers. For me this is very much Science Fiction’s past and not a particularly great example of why that strand has a future. For me this is last place.
I have a grudging respect for A Granite Silence by Nina Allan it’s a very well written story using a real life crime story to play with ethe wat-ifs and maybes of the real life characters. There are sections I just enjoyed the writing craft on offer. I just found its contrarian attitudes running counter to my own that meant I left it with a bad taste in my mouth. Now in many ways this is an edge novel in terms of science fiction and fantasy. There are some chapters that have a science fictional element but for me they’ve just fragments and imagining what the lives of the characters would or would not be really fantastical. For me this is far more a literary true crime novel and while Allan has written SF &F before for me this is so far away from the genre it doesn’t really fit in here.
Now those are out of the way I have good news! There are three very very good novels that I feel all are worthy of the award and all have something to say about where science fiction may be heading. With The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson we have story that blends science fiction and fantasy in keeping with the spirit of the award. We have a mysterious post-apocalyptic world where the internet has been destroyed and incredibly dangerous digital ghosts that can infect and kill humans has wrecked havoc. However, at the core of this is a story about the dark side of science. What happens when ethics are ignored. Combined with Wilson’s exquisite prose this is a sumptuous mysterious read that lingers in the mind.
I was delighted to see Project Hanuman by Stewart Hotston on the shortlist. In some ways space opera is also a standard part of science fiction but for me while Edge of Oblivion just has a lick of paint I feel Hotston creates a novel actually in dialogue with science fiction’s past and future. It dissects utopian ideas of a ‘good empire’ perhaps a bit on the nose than the Culture stories of Banks ever did and it uses newer scientific concepts to create an interesting debate on what is real. It also plays with characters who we think are all on the side of the heroes may still be quite flawed thanks to where they come from. It offers adventure, science and scope but for md what has lingered are the ideas being explored. I can’t wait to read more by Hotston in the future. For me this is science fiction evolving for the future of the 21st century and that’s a great sign.
Finally well as this was my read of 2025 I have to admit of the three this would be my favourite is When There Are Wolves Again by EJ Swift now I have seen some fans state this is not a very science fictional novel. To which I say with all due respect NO! One of the biggest issues in this century which an awful lot of people are ignoring is climate change is running rampant. Swift, I feel in this novel takes a UK focused story and gives us the feeling of the potential horror of a drought-hit Uk but then goes into the had yards of how to potentially fix things. Now science fiction can be very handwavium – able to fix things very quickly and perhaps with bigger SFX budgets to wow us. Here it’s the harder and more complicated path of social and political change combined with the environmental science of re-wiliding and changing our way life in cities and even the countryside that is not going to be easy, not going to be able to make immediate impacts but if the human race could learn to play the long game will pay dividends for the future generations to come. This story tells that beautifully. So the mix of science and fiction makes this science fiction and importantly one that is talking about the world now and where we go next.
We’ll find out where the voters went this weekend at eastercon!
