The BSFA Awards

BSFA Awards

The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association to honor works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members...

 are given every year by the British Science Fiction Association

British Science Fiction Association

The British Science Fiction Association was founded in 1958 by a group of British science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to encourage science fiction in every form. It is an open membership organisation costing £26 per year for UK residents and £18 for the unwaged. The...

. The Best Novel award is open to any novel-length work of science fiction or fantasy that has been published in the UK for the first time in the previous year. Serialised novels are eligible, provided that the publication date of the concluding part is in the previous year. If a novel has been previously published elsewhere, but it hasn't been published in the UK until the previous year, it is eligible.

Winners

• 1969: Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner
  John Brunner (novelist)
  John Kilian Houston Brunner was a prolific British author of science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar, about an overpopulated world, won the 1968 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award the same year...
  
  
• 1970: The Jagged Orbit by John Brunner
• 1971: The Moment of Eclipse by Brian W. Aldiss
• 1972: No award
• 1973: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
  Arthur C. Clarke
  Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
  
  
• 1974: Inverted World by Christopher Priest
• 1975: Orbitsville by Bob Shaw
  Bob Shaw
  Bob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...
  
  
• 1976: Brontomek! by Michael G. Coney
  Michael G. Coney
  Michael Greatrex Coney was a British science fiction writer who spent the later half of his life in Canada. Born in Birmingham, England on September 28, 1932, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1972...
  
  
• 1977: The Jonah Kit by Ian Watson
  Ian Watson
  Ian Watson may refer to:* Ian Watson * Ian Watson , British science fiction author* Ian Watson , British cricketer* Ian Watson , British footballer...
  
  
• 1978: A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
  Philip K. Dick
  Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
  
  
• 1979: The Unlimited Dream Company by J. G. Ballard
  J. G. Ballard
  James Graham Ballard was an English novelist, short story writer, and prominent member of the New Wave movement in science fiction...
  
  
• 1980: Timescape by Gregory Benford
  Gregory Benford
  Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine...
  
  
• 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 & the City by China Mieville
• 2010: The Dervish House by Ian McDonald

1979

• The Unlimited Dream Company, J. G. Ballard (Jonathan Cape)
• A.K.A.: A Cosmic Fable, Rob Swigart (Magnum)
• Blind Voices, Tom Reamy (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke (Gollancz)
• On Wings of Song, Thomas M. Disch (Gollancz)

1980

• Timescape, Gregory Benford (Simon & Schuster)
• Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, Frederik Pohl (Ballantine Del Rey)
• Engine Summer, John Crowley (Doubleday)
• Molly Zero, Keith Roberts
• Transfigurations, Michael Bishop
• A World Between, Norman Spinrad

1981

• The Shadow of the Torturer, Gene Wolfe (Sidgwick & Jackson)
• The Affirmation, Christopher Priest (Faber & Faber)
• Hello America, J. G. Ballard (Jonathan Cape)
• Where Time Winds Blow, Robert Holdstock (Faber & Faber)

1982

• Helliconia Spring, Brian W. Aldiss (Cape; Atheneum)
• The Divine Invasion, Philip K. Dick
• Little, Big, John Crowley (Bantam)
• No Enemy But Time, Michael Bishop (Timescape)
• The Sword of the Lictor, Gene Wolfe (Timescape)

1983

• Tik-Tok, John Sladek (Gollancz)
• Cat Karina, Michael G. Coney
• The Citadel of the Autarch, Gene Wolfe (Timescape)
• Golden Witchbreed, Mary Gentle
• Helliconia Summer, Brian W. Aldiss (Cape)

1984

• Mythago Wood, Robert Holdstock (Gollancz)
• Empire of the Sun, J. G. Ballard (Gollancz)
• The Glamour, Christopher Priest (Jonathan Cape)
• Neuromancer, William Gibson (Gollancz)
• Nights at the Circus, Angela Carter (Chatto & Windu

1985

• Helliconia Winter, Brian W. Aldiss (Cape)
• The Anubis Gates, Tim Powers (Chatto & Windus)
• Free Live Free, Gene Wolfe (Gollancz)
• Kiteworld, Keith Roberts (Gollancz)
• The Warrior Who Carried Life, Geoff Ryman (Allen & Unwin)

1986

• The Ragged Astronauts, Bob Shaw (Gollancz)
• Blood Music, Greg Bear (Gollancz)
• Count Zero, William Gibson (Gollancz)
• Queen of the States, Josephine Saxton (The Women's Press)
• Schismatrix, Bruce Sterling (Penguin)

1988

• The Player of Games by Iain M Banks
• Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
  William Gibson
  William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
  
  
• Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock
• Kairos by Gwyneth Jones
  Gwyneth Jones
  Gwyneth Jones may refer to:* Gwyneth Jones , Welsh soprano* Gwyneth Jones , British science fiction novelist...
  
  
• The Wooden Spaceships by Bob Shaw
  Bob Shaw
  Bob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...
  
  
• Life During Wartime by Lucius Shepard
  Lucius Shepard
  Lucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism. His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents...
  
  

1989

• Pyramids, Terry Pratchett (Gollancz)
• A Child Across the Sky, Jonathan Carroll (Legend; Century)
• The Child Garden, Geoff Ryman (Unwin Hyman)
• Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh (NEL)
• The Gold Coast, Kim Stanley Robinson (Or

1990

• Take Back Plenty, Colin Greenland (Unwin)
• The Difference Engine, William Gibson & Bruce Sterling (Gollancz)
• Hyperion, Dan Simmons
  Dan Simmons
  Dan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
  
   (Headline)
• Rats and Gargoyles, Mary Gentle (Bantam UK)
• Use of Weapons, Iain M. Banks (Macdonald)

1991

• The Fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons (Headline)
• The Architecture of Desire, Mary Gentle (Bantam UK)
• Eternal Light, Paul J. McAuley (Gollancz)

1992

• Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins UK)
• Doomsday Book, Connie Willis (NEL)
• Hearts, Hands and Voices, Ian McDonald (Gollancz)
• Hot Head, Simon Ings (Grafton)
• Lost Futures, Lisa Tuttle (Grafton)

1993

• Aztec Century, Christopher Evans (Gollancz)
• Ammonite, Nicola Griffith (Grafton)
• Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins UK)
• Harm's Way, Colin Greenland (HarperCollins UK)
• Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson (Roc UK)

1994

• Feersum Endjinn, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
• Engineman, Eric Brown (Pan)
• Necroville, Ian McDonald (Gollancz)
• North Wind, Gwyneth Jones (Gollancz)
• Permutation City, Greg Egan (Millennium)

1995

• The Time Ships, Stephen Baxter (HarperPrism)
• Blood, Michael Moorcock
• Chaga, Ian McDonald (Gollancz)
• Fairyland, Paul J. McAuley (Gollancz)
• The Nano Flower, Peter F. Hamilton
• The Prestige, Christopher Priest (Simon & Schuster)

1996

• Excession, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
• Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins Voyager)
• Holy Fire, Bruce Sterling (Orion)
• Interface, Stephen Bury (Michael Joseph)
• The Memory Palace, Gill Alderman (HarperCollins Voyager)
• The Stone Canal, Ken MacLeod (Legend

1997

• The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (Black Swan)
• Earthquake Weather, Tim Powers (Legend)
• Jack Faust, Michael Swanwick (Orion/Millennium)
• Signs of Life, M. John Harrison (Gollancz)
• A Son of the Rock, Jack Deighton (Orbit)

1998

• The Extremes, Christopher Priest (Simon & Schuster UK)
• The Cassini Division, Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
• Inversions, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
• Queen City Jazz, Kathleen Ann Goonan (HarperCollins Voyager)
• To Hold Infinity, John Meaney (Bantam UK)

1999

• The Sky Road, Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
• Children of God, Mary Doria Russell (Black Swan)
• Headlong, Simon Ings (HarperCollins Voyager)
• Silver Screen, Justina Robson (Macmillan UK)
• ThigMOO, Eugene Byrne (Earthlight)

2000

• Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
  Mary Gentle
  -Literary career:Mary Gentle's first published novel was Hawk in Silver , a young-adult fantasy. She came to prominence with the Orthe duology, which consists of Golden Witchbreed and Ancient Light ....
  
   (Gollancz)
• Paradox by John Meaney
  John Meaney
  -Biography:Meaney grew up in London and Slough, England with his brother Colm . He has been studying martial arts since childhood and has a black belt in shotokan karate. Meaney originally studied at Birmingham University and holds a combined degree in Physics and Computer Science from the Open...
  
   (Bantam)
• Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
  China Miéville
  China Tom Miéville is an award-winning English fantasy fiction writer. He is fond of describing his work as "weird fiction" , and belongs to a loose group of writers sometimes called New Weird. He is also active in left-wing politics as a member of the Socialist Workers Party...
  
   (Macmillan)
• redRobe by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
  Jon Courtenay Grimwood
  Jon Courtenay Grimwood is a British science fiction and fantasy author.He was born in Valletta, Malta, grew up in Britain, Southeast Asia and Norway in the 1960s and 1970s. He studied at Kingston College, then worked in publishing and as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers including The...
  
   (Simon & Schuster/Earthlight)
• Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
  Alastair Reynolds
  Alastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
  
   (Gollancz)

2001

• Chasm City
  Chasm City
  Chasm City is a 2001 science fiction novel by author Alastair Reynolds, set in the Revelation Space universe. It deals with themes of identity, memory, and immortality, and many of its scenes are concerned primarily with describing the unusual societal and physical structure of the titular city, a...
  
   by Alastair Reynolds
  Alastair Reynolds
  Alastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
  
   (Gollancz)
• American Gods
  American Gods
  American Gods is a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel by Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn protagonist, Shadow. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, being preceded by Good Omens ,...
  
   by Neil Gaiman
  Neil Gaiman
  Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
  
   (Headline Feature)
• Bold as Love
  Bold As Love (novel)
  Bold As Love, first published in 2001, is the first of a series of five books written by Gwyneth Jones and set in a near-future version of the United Kingdom. The full title of the novel is Bold as Love: a Near Future Fantasy. It combines elements of science fiction, fantasy and horror while...
  
   by Gwyneth Jones
  Gwyneth Jones
  Gwyneth Jones may refer to:* Gwyneth Jones , Welsh soprano* Gwyneth Jones , British science fiction novelist...
  
   (Gollancz)
• Lust by Geoff Ryman
  Geoff Ryman
  Geoffrey Charles Ryman is a writer of science fiction, fantasy and surrealistic or "slipstream" fiction.Ryman currently lectures in Creative Writing for University of Manchester's English Department. His most recent full-length novel, The King's Last Song, is set in Cambodia, both at the time of...
  
   (Flamingo)
• Pashazade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
  Jon Courtenay Grimwood
  Jon Courtenay Grimwood is a British science fiction and fantasy author.He was born in Valletta, Malta, grew up in Britain, Southeast Asia and Norway in the 1960s and 1970s. He studied at Kingston College, then worked in publishing and as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers including The...
  
   (Earthlight)
• The Secret of Life by Paul McAuley
  Paul McAuley
  Paul J. McAuley , a British botanist and award-winning author.A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.McAuley began with far-future space opera...
  
   (HarperCollins Voyager)

2002

• The Separation by Christopher Priest (Scribner UK)
• Castles Made of Sand by Gwyneth Jones (Gollancz)
• Effendi by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Earthlight)
• Light by M. John Harrison (Gollancz)
• The Scar by China Miéville (Macmillan)
• The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins)

2003

• Felaheen by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Earthlight)
• Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)
• Maul by Tricia Sullivan (Orbit)
• Midnight Lamp by Gwyneth Jones (Gollancz)
• Natural History by Justina Robson (Macmillan)
• Pattern Recognition by William Gibson (Viking)

2004

• Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
• Stamping Butterflies by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Gollancz)
• Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
• River Of Gods by Ian McDonald (Simon and Schuster)
• Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)
• Forty Signs Of Rain by Km Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins)

2005

• Air by Geoff Ryman (Gollancz)
• 9Tail Fox by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Gollancz)
• Accelerando by Charles Stross (Orbit)
• Learning the World by Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
• Living Next Door to the God of Love by Justina Robson (Macmillan)

2006

• End Of The World Blues by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
• Nova Swing by M John Harrison
• The Last Witchfinder by James Morrow
• Icarus by Roger Levy
• Darkland by Liz Williams

2007

• Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot (Jonathan Cape)
• Black Man by Richard Morgan (Gollancz)
• Brasyl by Ian McDonald (Gollancz)
• The Execution Channel by Ken MacLeod (Orbit)
• The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (Fourth Estate)

2008

• Flood by Stephen Baxter
• The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
• The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod
• Anathem by Neal Stephenson

2009

• Ark by Stephen Baxter (Gollancz)
• Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin (Gollancz)
• The City & The City by China Mieville (Macmillan)
• Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)

2010

• The Windup Girl
  The Windup Girl
  The Windup Girl is a biopunk science fiction novel written by Paolo Bacigalupi and published in September 2009. It was named as the ninth best fiction book of 2009 by TIME magazine, and as the best science fiction book of the year in the Reference and User Services Association's 2010 Reading List...
  
   by Paolo Bacigalupi
  Paolo Bacigalupi
  Paolo Tadini Bacigalupi is an American science fiction and fantasy writer.He has won the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and was nominated for the National Book Award...
  
   (Orbit)
• Zoo City
  Zoo City
  Zoo City is a science fiction novel by South African author Lauren Beukes. The book was first published in 2010 by Jacana Media, and won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award...
  
   by Lauren Beukes
  Lauren Beukes
  Lauren Beukes is a South African novelist, short story writer, journalist and TV scriptwriter. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and her daughter.- Books :...
  
   (Angry Robot)
• The Restoration Game
  The Restoration Game
  The Restoration Game is a 2010 science fiction/techno-thriller novel by Ken MacLeod.The novel's main character is Lucy Stone, a computer programmer who was born in the fictional Caucasian Soviet republic of Krassnia but now works for a videogame company in Edinburgh...
  
   by Ken MacLeod
  Ken MacLeod
  Ken MacLeod , is a Scottish science fiction writer.MacLeod was born in Stornoway. He graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in zoology and has worked as a computer programmer and written a masters thesis on biomechanics....
  
   (Orbit)
• The Dervish House by Ian McDonald(Gollancz)
• Lightborn by Tricia Sullivan
  Tricia Sullivan
  Tricia Sullivan is a science fiction writer. She also writes fantasy under the pseudonym Valery Leith....
  
  (Orbit)

External Links

• Official BSFA Awards website
• Graphical listing of awards and nominees with excerpts and synopses -- Worlds Without End