'The Testament of Jessie Lamb' wins 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Award

The Serendip Foundation announced Wednesday of last week at the SCI-FI-LONDON film festival that “The Testament of Jessie Lamb” by Jane Rogers was the winner of the 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

The other finalists for this year’s award included:

1. “Hull Zero Three” by Greg Bear

2. “The End Specialist” by Drew Magary

3. “Embassytown” by China Mieville

4. “Rule 34” by Charles Stross

5. “The Waters Rising” by Sheri S. Tepper

For those of you unfamiliar with the Arthur C. Clarke Award, it is arguably the most prestigious science fiction award in Britain. It is awarded annually to the best science fiction novel first published in Britain 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
2012 – “The Testament of Jessie Lamb” by Jane Rogers

Rogers, age 59, has eight books to her credit. They include:

- "The Voyage Home"

- "Island"

- "Promised Lands"

- "Mr. Wroe's Virgins"

- "The Ice is Singing"

- "Her Living Image"

- "Separate Tracks"

- "The Testament of Jessie Lamb"

“The Testament of Jessie Lamb” has also been longlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize. For more information about Rogers, visit her official Web site at http://www.janerogers.org/.

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 http://www.clarkeaward.com/.