38th Arthur C. Clarke award winner: Martin MacInnes claims Sci-Fi Crown with In Ascension (award news).

In a stunning display of literary prowess that may or may not involve secret alien mind control, Martin MacInnes has ascended to new heights, snatching the 38th Arthur C. Clarke Award for his novel In Ascension. The award, which is essentially the Oscars of the science fiction world—minus the red carpet, celebrity feuds, and billion-dollar budgets—was announced to a room filled with writers, publishing insiders, and more than a few hardcore sci-fi fans who hadn’t seen daylight since the last Star Wars marathon.

The prestigious accolade, which this year comes with a rather specific £2024.00 prize (because who doesn’t love a numerically significant nod to the future?), also includes a trophy in the form of a commemorative engraved bookend. You know, for all those times you need to remind yourself that you’ve just won one of the biggest awards in science fiction while keeping your bookshelf from collapsing.

Dr. Andrew M. Butler, Chair of the Judges, described the decision process as “filled with emotion and intelligence,” which sounds like code for “we argued about it for hours.” But eventually, MacInnes’s In Ascension rose above the fray, described by one judge as revealing “vistas between the cellular and the cosmic”—or, as most people might interpret that, “a really trippy read.” Dr. Butler also pointed out that it’s one of those rare winners that actually aligns with Clarke’s own brand of science fiction, so you know it’s serious business.

Award Director Tom Hunter expressed his delight at seeing the excitement build around In Ascension, likely relieved that the judges managed to avoid any major intergalactic conflicts while making their decision. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Martin MacInnes into the Clarke Award’s science fictional fold,” Hunter said, possibly while doing his best not to sound too much like a cult leader.

The ceremony, held on a typical rainy London evening, saw the usual suspects in attendance—authors, publishing professionals, and sci-fi aficionados who were probably just there for the free drinks. The judging panel was a who’s who of science fiction gatekeepers, including representatives from the British Science Fiction Association, the Science Fiction Foundation, and SCI-FI-LONDON, all of whom will now likely spend the next year trying to predict what bizarre futuristic concepts will dominate the 2025 award.

And so, as another year of speculative fiction closes with a shiny new winner, one can only imagine what Sir Arthur C. Clarke himself would think. Probably something along the lines of, “Well, at least they didn’t go with the one about sentient toasters again.”