Awards: 2011 Arthur C Clarke Ceremony

Lauren Beukes wins the 2011 award for her book Zoo City. Presented at the Sci-Fi-London film festival.

Book Trailer: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

Release: November 30, 2010

Matched is a new young adult SF novel coming later this month. While I'm not big on YA fiction, distopian novels are right up my alley, especially when there's technology involved.

Dustjacket Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Book Trailer: StarShipSofa Stories

StarShipSofa plugs its upcoming anthology, StarShipSofa Stories Volume 2, with video by Dee Cunniffe and music by David Bradshaw. Unlike volume one, most of the stories in volume two have not yet aired on the Sofa's podcast. The collection includes stories by Tobias S. Buckell, Cory Doctorow, Stephen R. Donaldson, Neil Gaiman, Nancy Kress, and China Miéville.