Technicolor Ultra Mall has been short-listed for a Sunburst Award.
The Sunburst jury says:
“This ultra-sharp, darkly satiric, hyper-speed novel is set in a world where multi-level mega malls serves as city states and everything on the outside lies in ruin. On the lower red levels, gang violence and media saturation and bio-tech designer drugs rule. During the weekend, slummers from the green levels leave their safe lives of jobs and families to partake in risky, sometimes deadly, fun on the red levels. And on every level, TV and advertisements literally penetrate the mind. Death is easy and life cheap, until that life is your own or your beloveds. Extreme stylization, great characters, and a high-level of intensity is maintained throughout. This is a whip-smart, truly violent novel that has at its core a still very human pulsing heart.”
This really came as a surprise. I just heard this last night on the twitter.
And the jury does a better job of describing my book than I ever do. But I sort of think describing a book is what the book is for. And what can I tell you? I’ve never been much of a salesman.
At any rate, this is my novel’s second award nomination.
The other, The Aurora Award, is done by a popular vote. (You can register and vote here if you like. Registration costs ten bucks but includes a voter’s package with complete e-copies of some nominated works (mine included) and, aside from supporting Canadian SF, is actually a fairly decent deal.)
Evolution of the Sunburst Award Design.
The Sunburst is a juried award. The Aurora and the Sunburst are Canada’s top awards for speculative fiction. So, not bad for a book I never thought would see the light of day.
I guess this is the part where I tell people to follow their dreams or some such malarkey. But I don’t give advice like that. Do what you want, I suppose. If you have the time.
But I will say this is a book that was rejected by publishers and agents alike for the very reasons it’s found itself nominated. So stick to your guns, I guess. I really don’t know.
After one goes through all that, it’s hard to take either damnation or praise all that seriously. People tend to love you for the wrong reasons and hate you for the right ones. Either way, you probably won’t get paid all that much.
But I can report in all honesty that all that bullshit about it being an honour just to be nominated is actually true.
Especially because Geoff Ryman is also shortlisted and his books, 253 and Lust, are a couple of my favourites. Seriously, you should read those. They’re excellent.
