Black Man by Richard Morgan and published by Gollancz is the winner of this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK’s premier prize for science fiction literature.

The announcement was made at the award’s official ceremony held in London, Piccadilly on the evening of Wednesday 30th April as part of an exclusive event in partnership with the opening of this year’s SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival.

The annual award is presented for best science fiction novel of the year and selected from a list of novels whose UK first edition was published in the previous calendar year.

Speaking about the winning novel, Chair of the Judges Paul Billinger said: "Richard Morgan's Black Man (Gollancz) is a complex and passionate exploration of prejudice and identity, it is bold and risk-taking yet compelling and coherent and a proud addition to the winners of the Arthur C. Clarke Award"

The winner receives a prize of £2008 and a commemorative engraved bookend.

The judging panel for the 2008 Arthur C. Clarke Award were Niall Harrison and Claire Weaver for the British Science Fiction Association, Pat Cadigan and Francis Spufford for the Science Fiction Foundation and Pauline Morgan for SF Crowsnest. Paul Billinger represents the Arthur C. Clarke Award as the Chair of Judges.

Posted May 1, 2008