E.J. Swift has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award, given annually to “the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year,” for When There Are Wolves Again.
Swift’s novel, published by Arcadia Books last October, follows two women, activist Lucy and filmmaker Hester, over a series of decades as they both advocate for the reversal of the ravages of the climate crisis. The book previously won the British Science Fiction Association’s best novel award.
The five other finalists for the Clarke Award were Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami, Luminous by Silvia Park, There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm, and The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson.
Tom Hunter, director of the Clarke Award, said in a statement, “The world of When There Are Wolves Again is an ambitious study in the power of long-term hope in the face of climate breakdown. Science fiction at its most powerful is often not about predicting the future but showing us that no one future has to be inevitable.”
Swift reacted to her novel’s win on Instagram, writing, “Woke up this morning and this beautiful trophy was in the house and it was not a dream. Utterly stunned, extraordinarily grateful, deliriously happy.”
The Arthur C. Clarke Award, named after the legendary science fiction author, was established in 1987. Previous winners include Margaret Atwood for The Handmaid’s Tale, Neal Stephenson for Quicksilver, and Colson Whitehead for The Underground Railroad.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
