BSFA Awards short list announced

The British Science Fiction Association released on Monday its shortlist of nominees for the 2010 BSFA Awards.

For those of you unfamiliar with the BSFA Awards, they are given each year by the British Science Fiction Association to “honor works in the genre of science fiction.” Nominees and winners are selected by a vote of BSFA members and Eastercon members. (Eastercon is the common name of a long-running British sci-fi convention that dates back to 1948.)

This year, BSFA Awards will be given in four categories – Best Novel, Best Short Fiction, Best Non-Fiction and Best Art. The nominees in each category this year include:

Best Novel:
- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
- The Restoration Game by Ken Macleod
- The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
- Lightborn by Tricia Sullivan

Best Short Fiction:
- Flying in the Face of God by Nina Allan
- The Shipmaker by Aliette de Bodard
- The Things by Peter Watts
- Arrhythmia by Neil Williamson

Best Non-Fiction:
- Blogging the Hugos: Decline, Big Other by Paul Kincaid
- Review, With Both Feet in the Clouds, Asking the Wrong Questions Blogspot by Abigail Nussbaum
- Review, Wheel of Time, Punkadiddle by Adam Roberts
- Red Plenty by Francis Spufford
- The Notes from Coode Street Podcast by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe

Best Art:
- Conflicts (cover by Andy Bigwood)
- Fun with Rainbows, written by Gareth Owens (cover by Charlie Harbour)
- The Cat’s Cradle, written by Kurt Vonnegut (cover by Dominic Harman)
- Zoo City, written by Lauren Beukes (cover by Joey Hi-Fi)
- A Deafened Plea for Peace (cover for Crossed Genres 21 by Ben Greene)
- Finch by Jeff Vandermeer (cover by Adam Tredowski)

The winners in each of the four award categories will be announced on Sat., April 23.

The award categories have changed over the years by one constant since the awards were first handed out in 1970 is the category for Best Novel. As you might imagine, a number of great sci-fi novels have received this award, and I leave you tonight with a complete list of the BSFA Best Novel Award winners. Here they are:

1969 – Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
1970 – The Jagged Orbit by John Brunner
1971 – The Moment of Eclipse by Brian W. Aldiss
1972 – No award (insufficient votes)
1973 – Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
1974 – Inverted World by Christopher Priest
1975 – Orbitsville by Bob Shaw
1976 – Brontomek! By Michael G. Coney
1977 – The Jonah Kit by Ian Watson
1978 – A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
1979 – The Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard
1980 – Timescape by Gregory Benford
1981 – The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
1982 – Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss
1983 – Tik-Tok by John Sladek
1984 – Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
1985 – Helliconia Winter by Brian W. Aldiss
1986 – The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw
1987 – Grainne by Keith Roberts
1988 – Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock
1989 – Pyramids by Terry Pratchett
1990 – Take Back Plenty by Colin Greenland
1991 – The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
1992 – Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
1993 – Aztec Century by Christopher Evans
1994 – Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks
1995 – The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter
1996 – Excession by Iain M. Banks
1997 – The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
1998 – The Extremes by Christopher Priest
1999 – The Sky Road by Ken MacLeod
2000 – Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
2001 – Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds
2002 – The Separation by Christopher Priest
2003 – Felaheen by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
2004 – River of Gods by Ian McDonald
2005 – Air by Geoff Ryman
2006 – End of the World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
2007 – Brasyl by Ian McDonald
2008 – The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod
2009 – The City and the City by China Mieville

In the end, how many of these books have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which did you like? Dislike? Let us know in the comments section below.