Science fiction novelist's riff on golden-age detective fiction has won him his first award
Adam Roberts … crime meets SF. Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex Features
Adam Roberts, the science fiction novelist Kim Stanley Robinson said should have won the Man Booker prize, has received his first major award – the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) best novel prize for his space-set riff on golden-age detective fiction, Jack Glass.
Roberts beat authors including former BSFA winners Robinson – who in 2009 said Roberts's novel Yellow Blue Tibia should have won the Booker – and Ken MacLeod to take the award. Jack Glass plays on the tropes of classic science fiction and crime fiction, such as the locked room mystery, with the story of a serial murderer living in a future solar system where Earth is only inhabited by the rich, and the poorer sections of humanity – the "Sumpolloi" – live in life-support capsules orbiting the sun.
"I've had a fairly long writing career but never before won any kind of award; I couldn't be happier my first is a BSFA," said Roberts.
BSFA awards administrator Donna Scott called Jack Glass "an amazing book, which successfully blends crime and science fiction into a triptych of appealing narratives concerning – of all things – a sociopathic protagonist."
"It's highly intelligent and skilful storytelling. I wouldn't be surprised if this book goes on to win more awards," said Scott. "Adam Roberts must surely soon be recognised by the literary establishment as one of the finest writers we currently have working in the English language."
Running since 1958, the BSFA awards are voted for by members of the association, with the best novel prize going to writers including Arthur C Clarke, Philip K Dick, Terry Pratchett and, last year, Christopher Priest.
This year, the best short story award went to Ian Sales for "Adrift on the Sea of Rains", which sees a group of astronauts stranded on the moon when nuclear war breaks out on Earth. World Fantasy award-winning novelist Lavie Tidhar won the best non-fiction prize for his work on the World SF Blog, while Blacksheep took the best artwork award for the cover of Jack Glass.
"We started the World SF Blog four years ago, in order to have a conversation: a conversation about science fiction and about diversity, a conversation we felt it was important to have," said Tidhar in his speech. "I have seen a lot of changes in genre fiction in the past four years, a greater awareness to do with representation, and a strong and vigorous discussion of assumptions only a few years ago no one thought to question. I am delighted I've been able to contribute to that discussion, in whatever minor capacity, and very grateful to the members of this convention for recognising us in this way."
The winner of the Philip K Dick award for distinguished science fiction – Brian Francis Slattery for Lost Everything – was also announced at the weekend. Set in the near future, Slattery's post-apocalyptic novel is about a man travelling up the Susquehanna river to find his son, passing through an America ravaged by war and climate change.
Roberts beat authors including former BSFA winners Robinson – who in 2009 said Roberts's novel Yellow Blue Tibia should have won the Booker – and Ken MacLeod to take the award. Jack Glass plays on the tropes of classic science fiction and crime fiction, such as the locked room mystery, with the story of a serial murderer living in a future solar system where Earth is only inhabited by the rich, and the poorer sections of humanity – the "Sumpolloi" – live in life-support capsules orbiting the sun.
"I've had a fairly long writing career but never before won any kind of award; I couldn't be happier my first is a BSFA," said Roberts.
BSFA awards administrator Donna Scott called Jack Glass "an amazing book, which successfully blends crime and science fiction into a triptych of appealing narratives concerning – of all things – a sociopathic protagonist."
"It's highly intelligent and skilful storytelling. I wouldn't be surprised if this book goes on to win more awards," said Scott. "Adam Roberts must surely soon be recognised by the literary establishment as one of the finest writers we currently have working in the English language."
Running since 1958, the BSFA awards are voted for by members of the association, with the best novel prize going to writers including Arthur C Clarke, Philip K Dick, Terry Pratchett and, last year, Christopher Priest.
This year, the best short story award went to Ian Sales for "Adrift on the Sea of Rains", which sees a group of astronauts stranded on the moon when nuclear war breaks out on Earth. World Fantasy award-winning novelist Lavie Tidhar won the best non-fiction prize for his work on the World SF Blog, while Blacksheep took the best artwork award for the cover of Jack Glass.
"We started the World SF Blog four years ago, in order to have a conversation: a conversation about science fiction and about diversity, a conversation we felt it was important to have," said Tidhar in his speech. "I have seen a lot of changes in genre fiction in the past four years, a greater awareness to do with representation, and a strong and vigorous discussion of assumptions only a few years ago no one thought to question. I am delighted I've been able to contribute to that discussion, in whatever minor capacity, and very grateful to the members of this convention for recognising us in this way."
The winner of the Philip K Dick award for distinguished science fiction – Brian Francis Slattery for Lost Everything – was also announced at the weekend. Set in the near future, Slattery's post-apocalyptic novel is about a man travelling up the Susquehanna river to find his son, passing through an America ravaged by war and climate change.
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