Editor’s note: J. Kenton Pierce, who won the 2026 Prometheus Award for Best Novel for A Kiss for Damocles, delivered his acceptance speech Aug. 16, 2026, during the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony.
By J. Kenton Pierce
I am deeply grateful for this tremendous honor. Giving a speech wasn’t a problem I imagined having, considering that A Kiss for Damocles was up against books by people who’ve written some of my favorite stories.
I’m no deep political or philosophical thinker.I’m just a character-driven reader, so I lean in on crafting characters I’d enjoy spending time with.
Sarah Hoythas always been a wonderful storyteller who frequently crosses genre boundaries with engrossing results.
With No Man’s Land, nominated for this year’s Prometheus Award for Best Novel, Hoyt has outdone herself.
Blending the tropes and appeal of science fiction and fantasy, Hoyt weaves many enticing elements into the three-volume novel. Her two deftly entwined stories encompass space opera, mystery, romance, adventure, suspense, intrigue and politics in a vivid “first contact” saga leavened with humor and humanity.
Throughout the 46-year history of the Prometheus Award, 505 novels have been nominated for Best Novel.
That’s a surprisingly large number, at least to me – and a cumulative total that I don’t believe has been calculated and reported before, or at least not in many years.
Yet, when I counted them up recently, I was even more surprised by the number of Best Novel nominees that turn out to be sequels. (Quite a few were hard to identify as sequels, by the way, until I researched each title – with some so obscure, and not immediately recognizable as sequels when nominated and read by Prometheus judges and LFS members, because many work fine as stand-alone stories without any obvious indications of previous works.)
Can you guess how many Best Novel nominees have been sequels?
Sims, the 2004 Prometheus winner for Best Novel, is on sale.
The novel, by five-time Prometheus winner F. Paul Wilson, is available as an ebook for 90 percent off at both Amazon (for $1.99) and Bookbub (for $2).
One of Wilson’s most libertarian science fiction novels, Sims offers a cautionary tale about genetic engineering and the struggle of the sims, a genetically engineered cross between humans and champinees, for freedom and respect.
His central question: Should genetically enhanced creatures be viewed as animals, to be owned, or as human, with basic rights?
Wilson explores such basic libertarian issues with gripping drama in this plausible, suspenseful and well-paced scientific thriller.
Michael Grossberg, who chairs the Prometheus Best Novel judging committee, presented the Best Novel category Aug. 30 at the 45th Prometheus Awards ceremony. Here is the transcript of his speech.
The Prometheus Awards, one of the oldest-sustained annual fan-based sf/fantasy awards after the Hugos and Nebulas, are unique in recognizing fantastical fiction that dramatizes the perennial conflict between liberty and power.
Since the Prometheus Award for Best Novel was first presented in 1979, 46 novels have won this annual category. Today, we will honor a 47th.
This year’s five finalists represent a diverse range of fiction by authors who appreciate how freedom makes possible and helps sustain peace, prosperity, progress, civility and social harmony – while its absence increases the risk of war, tyranny and other abuses of power.
“I think Michael was one of the most underrated authors in the genre… his work holds up to some of the best science fiction I’ve ever read.
— Shahid Mahmud, publisher of CAEZIK SF & Fantasy
Novelist Michael Flynn at an sf convention several decades ago (File photo)
Introduction: CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, a company led by Shahid Mahmud, published Michael Flynn’s last and posthumous novel In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Prometheus winner for Best Novel – and the first novel originally published by CAEZIK to win a Prometheus Award.
In his comments during the 45th Prometheus Awards ceremony, Mahmud paid tribute to Flynn, who died in 2023 at 75 after an impressive career writing science fiction. Winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award, Flynn was nominated seven times for the Hugo Award (including Best Novel for Eifelheim) and eight times for the Prometheus Award, winning three times for Best Novel.
“He lived exactly the life he wanted to live.”
– Kevin Flynn, about his brother Michael
Two-time Prometheus winner Michael Flynn (Creative Commons license)
Michael Flynn won his third Prometheus Award for Best Novel for his posthumously published In the Belly of the Whale.
Here is the text of the eloquent, poignant and very personal acceptance speech by Kevin Flynn, brother of the late novelist, who died in 2023 at 75. The speech was recorded and presented Aug. 30, 2025, during the 45th Prometheus Awards ceremony.
By Kevin Flynn
On behalf of Michael Flynn’s family, his daughter Sara, his son Dennis, his grandchildren Noelle, Zaid, and Adam, and his brothers Sean and Patrick, it is my privilege to be chosen by them to speak here today and accept this award. I know that Michael would be deeply moved by this recognition, which will serve as the capstone of his distinguished science fiction bibliography. Thank you so much for recognizing our brother’s work.
As Michael was nominated for the Prometheus Awards nine times, chosen as a Best Novel finalist eight of those times, and won the Best Novel award now for the third time, you know well of Michael’s passion for learning, for liberty, for liberation of the mind and pushing back on authority in pursuit of freedom of thought and expression.
For those of us who knew him so well, we know he would be reluctant to display his pride as publicly and shamelessly as I am going to do on his behalf. That was simply who our big brother was. But he was so much more, and I hope to use this short time to tell you what kind of human our brother was.
Valued Libertarian Futurist Society member and former Prometheus Awards judge Jeff Schulman has died.
Jeff Schulman (Photo courtesy of family)
Schulman, who died unexpectedly July 18, 2025, served for years as a judge on the Prometheus Best Novel judging committee, which reads and evaluates a wide variety of candidates and nominees to select the annual slate of Best Novel finalists.
Known for his kindness, brilliance, creativity and openness to new ideas and new technology, Jeff had a passion for liberty, for the advancement of civilization and for the Libertarian Futurist Society.
For the first time in Prometheus Awards history, our annual Best Novel award has gone to a posthumous work.
Novelist Michael Flynn at an sf convention several decades ago (File photo)
Michael Flynn, who died in 2023 at 75, was able to finish writing In the Belly of the Whale before his passing.
CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, a strong supporter of Flynn’s work, published Flynn’s last novel in 2024.
The epic science fiction novel, a suspenseful and insightful exploration of the complex challenges, conflicts and threats to liberty aboard a large colony ship two centuries into a projected eight-century voyage to Tau Ceti, has now won the 2025 Prometheus Award for Best Novel.
By J. Kenton Pierce
