'Zoo City' wins 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award

The Serendip Foundation announced Wednesday night at the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival that “Zoo City” by Lauren Beukes was the winner of the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

The other finalists for this year’s award included:

- “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald
- “Monsters of Men” by Patrick Ness
- “Generosity” by Richard Powers
- “Declare” by Tim Powers
- “Lightborn” by Tricia Sullivan

For those of you unfamiliar with the Arthur C. Clarke Award, it is arguably the most prestigous science fiction award in Britian. It is awarded annually to the best science fiction novel first published in Britian during the previous calendar year.

The winner is selected by a jury composed of representatives from the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation and SF Crowsnest.

Famed sci-fi writer, the late Arthur C. Clarke, established the award in 1986 to encourage and promote science fiction writing in Britain. The first winner was named in 1987. What follows is a complete list of the all-time winners.

1987 – “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
1988 – “The Sea and Summer” by George Turner
1989 – “Unquenchable Fire” by Rachel Pollack
1990 – “The Child Garden” by Geoff Ryman
1991 – “Take Back Plenty” by Colin Greenland
1992 – “Synners” by Pat Cadigan
1993 – “”Body of Glass” by Marge Piercy
1994 – “Vurt” by Jeff Noon
1995 – “Fools” by Pat Cadigan
1996 – “Fairyland” by Paul J. McAuley
1997 – “The Calcutta Chromosome” by Amitav Ghosh
1998 – “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
1999 – “Dreaming in Smoke” by Tricia Sullivan
2000 – “Distraction” by Bruce Sterling
2001 – “Perdido Street Station” by China Mieville
2002 – “Bold As Love” by Gwyneth Jones
2003 – “The Separation” by Christopher Priest
2004 – “Quicksilver” by Neal Stephenson
2005 – “Iron Council” by China Mieville
2006 – “Air” by Geoff Ryman
2007 – “Nova Swing” by M. John Harrison
2008 – “Black Man” by Richard Morgan
2009 – “Song of Time” by Ian R. MacLeod
2010 – “The City and the City” by China Mieville
2011 – “Zoo City” by Lauren Beukes

Beukes, 34, has written several other books. In addition to “Zoo City,” her other books include “Moxyland” (2008) and “Maverick: Extraordinary Women From South Africa’s Past” (2005)

How many of these books have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which did you like, dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about the Arthur C. Clarke Award, visit www.clarkeaward.com.