"...Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

This was going to be a simple post, about the shortlist for the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award. But then last night the sad news broke that Clarke has died, at the age of 90.

Patrick Nielsen Hayden has a moving tribute up at Making Light:

He was all about the transformational reframe, the cosmic perspective, that step off into the great shining dark. He believed it would improve us. He rejoiced to live in a gigantic universe of unencompassable scale, and he thought the rest of us should rejoice, too.

There's an obituary from the New York Times here; and, slightly disturbingly, here's the Guardian obit, written by a chap who is himself dead (as of ten years ago!).

On a brighter note, the video message that Clarke sent out late last year, marking his 90th birthday with remarkable warmth and joyful optimism, can be seen here (embedded Youtube video link, with transcript below).

I've only read a few of Clarke's many works (although I've read many more that were deeply influenced by him): 2001, of course, Childhood's End and the wonderful The City and the Stars. And, as of this evening, the short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" (available online here - go read it now!). A vast sense of wonder that never loses sight of the human connection; it is not for nothing that he is numbered among the greats.

Meanwhile, the Award he founded - for the year's best science fiction novel published in the UK - continues. The shortlist for the 2008 award was announced last week, and is as follows:

• Stephen Baxter, The H-Bomb Girl
• Matthew de Abaitua, The Red Men
• Sarah Hall, The Carhullan Army
• Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts
• Ken MacLeod, The Execution Channel
• Richard Morgan, Black Man

Niall Harrison, who is one of this year's judges, has links to various online-available reviews of the shortlisted books here - including one of The Carhullan Army at Strange Horizons, by our very own Victoria.

Like last year, all the books will be getting the Eve's Alexandria treatment; mostly by me alone, this time around, since Vicky is rather busy - but she hopes to join in where she can. I've had a good start to my reading, with the thoroughly enjoyable The Execution Channel (review to follow); fingers crossed for the rest...

~~Nic