UK LeGuin Prize shortlist is out!

July 28, 2022 2:05 PM

The prize honors a book-length work of imaginative fiction with $25,000. "Since Le Guin’s death in January, 2018, her son and literary executor, Theo Downes-Le Guin has been thinking of ways to honor his mother’s work, and share her art and ideas with a new generation of readers and writers."

The shortlist:

Cynthia Zhang, After the Dragons
Matt Bell, Appleseed
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Elder Race
Olga Ravn, The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century
Khadija Abdalla Bajaber, The House of Rust
Sequoia Nagamatsu, How High We Go in the Dark
Catherynne M. Valente, The Past Is Red
Darcie Little Badger, A Snake Falls to Earth
Michelle Ruiz Keil, Summer in the City of Roses

Descriptions of all finalists and an interview with Theo Downes-LeGuin at at the shortlist post. I don't know about y'all, but I have some reading to do...

posted by humbug (15 comments total)

Definitely a source for new reading material! Some of these blurbs sound depressing though!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 3:03 PM on July 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Adrian Tchaikovsky's Elder Race is very LeGuin-esque and great. I haven't read any of the others, but I expect to find other things to love.
posted by signal at 3:52 PM on July 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

I like the sound of How High We Go In the Dark & The Past is Red.

Elder Race is the only one I've read and I was a bit disappointed with it, I've picked up a few of Tchaikovsky's recently and this seemed the weakest.

Anyone know what a "cottonmouth kid" is?
posted by biffa at 3:56 PM on July 28, 2022

I'm thinking young cottonmouth snake person
posted by InfidelZombie at 4:07 PM on July 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

Ooooh, noted! "Adding frantically to reading list!*
posted by esoteric things at 5:14 PM on July 28, 2022

I was confused why the LeGuin prize was based out of the UK, but now I realize it was just an unfortunate contraction of Ursula K.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:20 PM on July 28, 2022 [4 favorites]

I really liked both Elder Race and How High We go in the Dark. Agree that they seem LeGuin-esque. I’m excited to try some of the others!
posted by charmedimsure at 5:31 PM on July 28, 2022

The Past is Red is good. The House of Rust is freaking excellent.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:14 PM on July 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Past is Red took a bit of time for me to get into, but it left a big impression on me that lingers long after finishing it.
posted by matildaben at 7:52 PM on July 28, 2022 [4 favorites]

I was just having a conversation about UKL-ish sci fi. Two that I added to my list based on that conversation were A Half-Built Garden (possibly too recent to be considered — this week — idk how good or LeGuin-esque it actually is) and The Actual Star.
posted by supercres at 9:34 PM on July 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Please also read the interview with Theo - a very thoughtful reflection that honours his mother.
posted by domdib at 7:04 AM on July 29, 2022

There's like 3 things on there that I will be suggesting my book club add to its "to be read" list.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:34 AM on July 29, 2022

This is reminding me to finish reading the Earthsea series. I read n-1 volumes in 2018.
posted by neuron at 8:24 AM on July 29, 2022

Well that'll keep me busy for a month or two. I've been a bit behind on new SF&F.
posted by liminal_shadows at 11:51 AM on July 29, 2022

I had a chance to hear a conversation on some of these themes moderated by Theo Downes-Le Guin with one of the award nominees (Michelle Ruiz Keil) and another novelist (Juhea Kim) and I was impressed by all three of them.
posted by spamandkimchi at 12:43 PM on July 29, 2022