Roll Them Bones
So the Arthur C Clarke Award shortlist is out and my quick and dirty guess was pretty good, predicting four of the six. As with last year, here are my odds for the actual winner:
The City & The City by China Mieville – 2/1
Spirit by Gwyneth Jones – 4/1
Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts – 6/1
Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson – 9/1
Far North by Marcel Theroux – 9/1
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding – 12/1
A good, varied shortlist but I still reckon The City & The City is out in front.
Everything Is Nice 
How much will you let me put on China at 2/1?
mckie
31 March 2010 at 10:48
Oh dear, I have a nasty feeling I might lose my shirt on this. I initally had Mieville down as evens but I managed to talk myself out of it the basis of various naysayers (ie Niall).
Martin
31 March 2010 at 11:16
I might take Theroux. Could be a dark horse.
Niall
31 March 2010 at 11:19
I would be surprised if Miéville won; I’d put Robinson as the favourite.
David H
31 March 2010 at 11:39
Well, no-one’s ever won three of these things. Doesn’t mean Mieville won’t, of course, but I wonder if The City and the City is, like last year’s Anathem, the sort of impressive novel that might not do so well on a second reading.
At the moment (though on the basis of having read only Mieville) I’ve this nagging feeling it might be Roberts’ year. But that will undoubtedly change over the next four weeks.
Tony Keen
31 March 2010 at 14:53
[…] Lewis offers his odds: The City & The City by China Mieville – 2/1 Spirit by Gwyneth Jones – 4/1 Yellow Blue […]
Clarke Comment « Torque Control
31 March 2010 at 16:01
No one had won two until Miéville did it.
Martin
31 March 2010 at 16:01
Not true – first person to win two was Pat Cadigan (Synners in ’92 and Fools in ’95).
Tony Keen
31 March 2010 at 21:16
A terrible oversight, particularly since I actually looked this up.
You might well be right about The City & The City faring less well on the re-read. However, I’m sure it would fare better than Anathem.
Martin
1 April 2010 at 11:54
Can i put a pint on Jones? Time now is 1403, Not The Clarkes is just starting, so betting is still open, right?
Tom A
4 April 2010 at 14:03
[…] I’m not going to lay down any odds, but that hasn’t stopped other people having a go. […]
GUEST BLOG The Clarke Award is tonight!
28 April 2010 at 10:16
Actually we have seen a lot of late money on Far North so I might have to revise these odds:
The City & The City by China Mieville – 1/2
Far North by Marcel Theroux – 2/1
Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson – 12/1
Spirit by Gwyneth Jones – 12/1
Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts – 12/1
Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding – 30/1
Well done, Niall!
Martin
28 April 2010 at 11:45
[…] reviewer’s choice, with Dan, David, Nic and Abigail all leaning in that direction, and Martin revising his odds accordingly. And for all that it’s been a long time since “the mainstream book” […]
Notes on a Shortlist « Torque Control
28 April 2010 at 11:54
[…] been a while since I’ve offered odds on the Arthur C Clarke Award (and what a good shortlist that was) but today seem like a good […]
Eat My Hat | Everything Is Nice
19 March 2014 at 09:20