This year, the five members of the jury (ahem!) will be reading 60 books in total from no less than 25 imprints, up slightly from last years 54 submissions, which is an encouraging sign of greater participation from publishers, and of course more work and a tougher job all round for the poor, beleaguered jury.
The list includes four past winners, China Miéville (a 3 times winner), Ian R. MacLeod, Christopher Priest and Neal Stephenson and ten previously shortlisted authors in the shape of Stephen Baxter, Greg Bear, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, James Lovegrove, Adam Roberts, Justina Robson, Sherri S. Tepper, Charles Stross, Connie Willis and Chris Wooding.
The full list reads as follows:
- Embedded by Dan Abnett (Angry Robot)
- Dead of Veridon by Tim Akers (Solaris)
- The Departure by Neal Asher (Tor UK)
- Novahead by Steve Aylett (Scar Garden)
- Bronze Summer by Stephen Baxter (Gollancz)
- Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear (Gollancz)
- The Kings of Eternity by Eric Brown (Solaris)
- The Great Lover by Michael Cisco (Chomu Books)
- Random Walk by Alexandra Claire (Gomer)
- Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
- Sequence by Adrian Dawson (Last Passage)
- The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (Canongate)
- The Clockwork Rocket by Greg Egan (Gollancz)
- Gods of Manhattan by Al Ewing (Abaddon Books)
- Bringer of Light by Jaine Fenn (Gollancz)
- Final Days by Gary Gibson (Tor UK)
- Heaven’s Shadow by David S. Goyer&Michael Cassutt (Tor UK)
- The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtenay Grimwood (Orbit)
- The Last Four Things by Paul Hoffman (Michael Joseph)
- Dead Water by Simon Ings (Corvus)
- The Ironclad Prophecy by Pat Kelleher (Abaddon Books)
- 11.22.63 by StephenKing (Hodder and Stoughton)
- Shift by Tim Kring and Dale Peck (Bantam)
- Cyber Circus by Kim Lakin-Smith (NewconPress)
- Echo City by Tim Lebbon (Orbit)
- Nemonymous Nights by D.F. Lewis (Chomu Books)
- The Age of Odin by JamesLovegrove (Solaris)
- Wake Up and Dream by Ian R. MacLeod (PS)
- The End Specialist by Drew Magary (HarperVoyager)
- Germline by T.C. McCarthy (Orbit)
- Savage City by Sophia McDougall (Gollancz)
- Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan)
- Equations of Life by Simon Morden (Orbit)
- Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi (Picador)
- Hell Ship by Philip Palmer (Orbit)
- The Shadow of the Soul by Sarah Pinborough (Gollancz)
- The Straight Razor Cure by Daniel Polansky (Hodder and Stoughton)
- The Recollection by Gareth L. Powell (Solaris)
- The Islanders by Christopher Priest (Gollancz)
- Here Comes The Nice by Jeremy Reed (Chomu Books)
- The Demi Monde: Winter by Rod Rees (Jo Fletcher Books)
- by Light Alone by Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
- Down to the Bone by Justina Robson (Gollancz)
- The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers (Sandstone)
- Regicide by Nicholas Royle (Solaris)
- Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer (Gollancz)
- War in Heaven by Gavin Smith (Gollancz)
- Reamde by Neal Stephenson (Atlantic)
- Rule 34 by Charles Stross (Orbit)
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (Hodder and Stoughton)
- The Waters Rising by Sherri S. Tepper (Gollancz)
- Osama by Lavie Tidhar (PS)
- Dust by Joan Frances Turner (Berkley UK)
- The Noise Revealed by Ian Whates (Solaris)
- Zone One by Colson Whitehead (Harvill Secker)
- All Clear by Connie Willis (Gollancz)
- Blackout by Connie Willis (Gollancz)
- Son of Heaven by David Wingrove (Corvus)
- The Godless Boys by Naomi Wood (Picador)
- The Iron Jackal by Chris Wooding (Gollancz)
The shortlist will be announced in late March, and the winner will be presented with their award comprising a cash prize of £2012 and a commemorative trophy book-end on May 2nd, at the 11th SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival.