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Angry Robot's Zoo City wins Arthur C Clarke award

28.04.11 | Bookseller Staff

Lauren Beukes's Zoo City has been honoured with the Arthur C Clarke Award for science fiction novel of the year, being tipped to bring "a whole new readership" to the genre. Zoo City's publisher Angry Robot Books has also been hailed as one of the most "innovative and exciting" genre publishers in the country following the announcement.

The award, worth £2,011, was presented at a ceremony last night (27th April) held as part of the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. Beukes' novel is set in modern Johannesburg and portrays psychic criminal guilt taking physical animal form.

Award director Tom Hunter said: "This is a great book that promises to inspire both long terms fans of the genre and introduce a whole new readership to the best of science fiction literature." Chair of the judges Paul Billinger, said the award contenders had been some of the "most witty, diverse and daring". "Zoo City is a title that realises the enormous potential of SF literature, and as a piece of social commentary it is unsurpassed in the field," he added.

The other judges were: Jon Courtenay Grimwood and Martin Lewis of the British Science Fiction Association, Phil Nanson and Liz Williams of the Science Fiction Foundation and Paul Skevington of SF website Crowsnest.com.

The Arthur C Clarke Award is now in its 25th year, with Margaret Atwood being the first author to win the award for The Handmaid's Tale.

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By Gareth P

"Zoo City" is a much deserved winner on so many levels - great book, the South African setting, the mash-up of technology and "muti" magic. Lauren's first novel "Moxyland" was rather splendid as well. And nice to see a woman winning in a boys' world too for the first time since 2002.

And congrats to the ever-impressive Angry Robot, a massive success for a small, independent imprint who've only been around a short time.

Thu, 28/04/2011 - 12:05
By Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation

News of the Clarke win also over at the
SF2 Concatenation.

It is certainly an interesting and worthy win and importantly only the author's second novel!

Thu, 28/04/2011 - 15:59
By Helen Moffett

It's a win with huge implications for other South African genre writers -- and we have a LOT of talent in this department. Kudos to Angry Robot of course, but let's not forget Jacana, the tiny yet feisty SA publisher that took Lauren on, and published both her novels first.

Fri, 29/04/2011 - 16:01
By Smith

This is intelligent and witty urban writing for the 21st century and wildly entertaining. Zoo City reiterates Beukes as one of South Africa’s most imaginative new literary voices. London Locksmith

Fri, 23/09/2011 - 10:31

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