The literary award that honored Robert Anton Wilson

If you like to read science fiction and if you lean libertarian in your politics, today's blog post is aimed at you! The rest of you can skip it and wait to see what I write about tomorrow.

I have been a member for several years of a group called the Libertarian Futurist Society, which for more than 30 years have been giving out two literary awards: the Prometheus Award, for the best science fiction/fantasy novel of the previous year which deals with individual liberty, and the Hall of Fame Award, which honors a literary work published in the past. 

I have posted about the award in the past, and in fact there is a Robert Anton Wilson connection. As far as I know, the only literary award that RAW received when he was alive was a Prometheus Hall of Fame Award, given to him and Robert Shea for the Illuminatus! trilogy. (You can read Robert Shea's acceptance speech at the 1986 Worldcon in Atlanta. ( I attended the convention but missed the ceremony. It's a big
convention.)

I am pleased with the quality of the work we've honored in recent years.
Here are some recent winners:

2015 -- Daniel Suarez, Influx
2014 -- Cory Doctorow, Homeland and Ramez Naam, Nexus
2013 -- Cory Doctorow, Pirate Cinema
2012 -- Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze and Ernest Cline, Ready Player
One
2011 -- Sarah Hoyt, Darkship Thieves
2010 -- Dani and Eytan Kollin, The Unincorporated Man
2009 -- Cory Doctorow, Little Brother
2008 -- Harry Turtledove, The Gladiator; Jo Walton, Ha'penny
2007 -- Charles Stross, Glasshouse
2006 -- Ken MacLeod, Learning the World
2005 -- Neal Stephenson, The System of the World
2004 -- F. Paul Wilson, Sims
2003 -- Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Full list here.

I bring this up to issue an invitation. If you are interested in libertarian issues, and if you like science fiction, you should consider joining the Libertarian Futurist Society and participating on our award.

There are various levels of membership. For $60, the level of Full membership I would suggest, you get to vote for all of the awards. You will likely enjoy the process. Panels of judges select five or so Hall of Fame finalists and five or so Prometheus Award finalists. These finalists are selected from nominations by LFS members. While anyone can call a book to our attention, nominating a book for the Prometheus Award or the Hall of Fame Award is a right reserved only to LFS members. 

The Hall of Fame finalists this year are Manna by Lee Correy, Courtship Rite by Donald Kingsbury, "As Easy as ABC" by Rudyard Kipling, The Island Worlds by Eric Kotani and John Maddox Roberts and A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn. This year's Prometheus Award finalists will be announced soon. I can't drop any hints, but I've read all of the finalists, and they are good books.

On occasion, we also give special awards, after a vote by the membership. Lifetime Achievement awards have been given, for example, to writers L. Neil Smith, Vernon Vinge, F. Paul Wilson and Poul Anderson.

Please consider joining us, and see this page for more information.