Coincidentally, both Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “Death and the Senator” and Mack Reynolds’ novella “Ultima Thule’ were first published in 1961.
Of the 10 classic works of speculative fiction nominated for potential induction next year into the Hall of Fame, these two shorter works rank among the oldest.
The Hall of Fame, which focuses on older works of SF/fantasy that have endured and taken on the patina of classics, is open to nomination of speculative fiction of almost any type, length or format (published, performed, staged, screened or broadcast) that first appeared in some form at least twenty years ago.
So why was each of these works of fiction nominated?
Which each work reflects its era in some ways, each is very different in focus, setting, theme and tone – and their themes in particular prompted their nomination for the next Prometheus Hall of Fame.
Under long-established LFS awards rules, any LFS member in good standing may nominate any eligible work for any category of the Prometheus Awards – an important step and prerequisite that broadens our purview and helps ensure that worthy candidates are not overlooked.
The next step in our awards process, now underway, involves the LFS members who have volunteered to judge the Hall of Fame nominees, and who are now reading and discussing their merits, with the goal of voting to select a slate of finalists, which will be announced in December.
The Prometheus Blog previously launched our series of capsule descriptions and reviews of this year’s slate of Hall of Fame nominees with the two oldest works: Rudyard Kipling’s novelette “As Easy as A.B.C.,” published in 1912; and C.S. Lewis’ novel That Hideous Strength, published in 1945.
Here, in part two of the series, are capsule descriptions of the next two nominees, in chronological order of publication:
CLARKE’S “DEATH AND THE SENATOR”
“Death and the Senator,” a 1961 (Analog) story by Arthur C. Clarke, underlines the dangers of government blocking the path to the stars.
Short-term thinking, power-seeking and other negatives of politics are contrasted with the positives of family, science, technology and space exploration.
With both ironic and tragic dimensions, the story revolves around an aging U.S. senator, long ambitious to become President, who receives a terminal medical diagnosis giving him few months to live. Now realizing he hasn’t spent enough time with his family and grandchildren, the Senator regrets his actions preventing the development of an orbiting medical-research facility that might have saved or extended his life.
A strong advocate of reason, science and humanity’s expansion into space during at a critical juncture in the 1960s, Clarke didn’t really question the devil’s bargain of government funding of the space program (or of other scientific research) and how that might lead to centralization, corruption, stagnation and the politicization of science.
Nor did Clarke truly consider less problematic alternatives, especially the support and innovation possible through private enterprise – something that in real life eventually is spurring significant space exploration and development, but which is entirely absent from Clarke’s vision in this story.
Yet, many LFS members and other freedom-loving SF fans share Clarke’s hopes of humanity expanding into outer space, with all of its potential benefits, a dream Clarke makes palpable in this story. And
Overall, “Death and the Senator” offers an important reminder that too much politics actually undermines progress and innovation, with perverse and unintended consequences.
REYNOLDS’ ‘ULTIMA THULE’
“Ultima Thule,” a 1961 (Analog) novella by Mack Reynolds, explores the benefits of freedom and innovation amid the fragility of different societies and their relationship to technological progress in an interstellar future.
A young man gets his dream job as a United Planets investigating agent visiting different planets with a secret mission: to track down the elusive Tommy Paine.
The legendary revolutionary has been disrupting the status quo in many authoritarian and/or primitive human colonies settled by an explosion of humanity to the stars to create their own radically different utopias – many of which have become stagnant or repressive.
The twisty story questions the consequences of the United Planets’ ethic of noninterference and more broadly, the sociopolitical assumptions behind a variety of forms of governance, from theocracy to communism.
* For capsule review/descriptions of the two oldest works nominated, check out the recent Prometheus Blog post about Rudyard Kipling’s 1912 novelette “As Easy as A.B.C.” and C.S. Lewis’ 1945 novel That Hideous Strength.
THE FULL LIST OF HALL OF FAME NOMINEES
Here, for the record, are the 10 Hall of Fame nominees for the 2025 Prometheus Awards, listed in chronological order of publication or recording:
“As Easy as A.B.C.,” by Rudyard Kipling (1912), a novelette
That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis (1945), a novel
“Death and the Senator,” by Arthur C. Clarke (1961), a short story
“Ultima Thule,” by Mack Reynolds (1961), a novella
“Conquest by Default,” by Vernor Vinge (1968), a novelette
The Demon Breed, by James H. Schmitz (1968), a novel
“The Trees,” by Rush (1978), a song
Orion Shall Rise, by Poul Anderson (1984), a novel
Between the Rivers, by Harry Turtledove (1998), a novel
Singularity Sky, by Charles Stross (2003), a novel
For more information about all 10 works listed above, visit the Prometheus Blog’s announcement of the Hall of Fame nominees.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:
* Prometheus winners: For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer and Sarah Hoyt), Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Facebook page for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.
* Join us! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.
Libertarian futurists believe that culture matters! We understand that the arts and literature can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future – and in some ways can be even more powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other’s rights, individuality and human dignity.
