Tag: Daniel Suarez

Sequels, part 3: Many have been nominated, but only a select few have won a Prometheus award for Best Novel


By Michael Grossberg

How often are sequels nominated for Best Novel? And of those, how many go on to become Best Novel finalists? Or winners?

A lot, actually – and more than I initially recalled.

In this ongoing Prometheus Blog analysis of the number of sequels that have won over 46 years in the Best Novel category, I discovered several surprising patterns.

The subject of sequels is timely, with four sequels of the 11 2024 novels nominated this year for Best Novel and two sequel novels going on to become Best Novel finalists.

That sounds like a lot, but it’s not anywhere close to a Prometheus Awards record.

Continue reading Sequels, part 3: Many have been nominated, but only a select few have won a Prometheus award for Best Novel


Author’s update: Two-time Prometheus winner Daniel Suarez launches publications of short stories and announces a 2025 novel and film adaptation plans

Daniel Suarez, last year’s Prometheus Best Novel winner for Critical Mass, has shared with his fans some exciting developments.

Among the big news: the launch of a series of separately published short stories; some progress with film and TV adaptations of his works; and an update on his next novel, due out in 2025 by Dutton.

However, it won’t be the novel many expect.

Meanwhile, Heir Apparent, the first story in the new series, has just been published.

Continue reading Author’s update: Two-time Prometheus winner Daniel Suarez launches publications of short stories and announces a 2025 novel and film adaptation plans

Best of the blog 2024: More reviews posted than ever, including of the year’s two Prometheus Award winners


By Michael Grossberg

For the first time, the Prometheus Blog was able to post timely reviews of all five Best Novel finalists and all four Prometheus Hall of Fame finalists for Best Classic Fiction this past year.

Thanks to all the LFS members and Prometheus judges who took the time and effort to write thoughtful, insightful and illuminating reviews, just as Libertarian Futurist Society members were seriously considering the merits of the nominees and finalists and reading and ranking their favorites to help choose the 2024 Prometheus Award winners.

This enormous effort and success fulfills a long-term goal for the Prometheus Blog, established in mid-2017 as a replacement for Prometheus, the LFS’ former printed quarterly.

Our purpose in soliciting more full-length, in-depth reviews of our awards winners and contenders was twofold:

* to increase the substantive content of the blog, for both our membership and our wider public readership,

* to further enhance our annual awards-judging process by offering members more food for thought as they read and ranked the 2024 Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction finalists.

Continue reading Best of the blog 2024: More reviews posted than ever, including of the year’s two Prometheus Award winners


Free-market industrialization of our solar system: An appreciation of Daniel Suarez’s Critical Mass, the 2024 Prometheus Best Novel winner

By Charlie Morrison and Michael Grossberg

A deep understanding and passion for commercial space development informs and enlivens Critical Mass, the 2024 Prometheus winner for Best Novel.

A courageous band of astronaut-entrepreneurs strive to alleviate Earth-based problems through commercial space projects in Daniel Suarez’s grippingly realistic SF thriller.

Set mostly off the Earth and around the solar system, the suspenseful, fast-paced drama follows the resourceful heroes as they strive to achieve their ambitious, unprecedented goals amid Cold War tensions, shifting global political alliances and shortsighted opposition from Earth governments.

Continue reading Free-market industrialization of our solar system: An appreciation of Daniel Suarez’s Critical Mass, the 2024 Prometheus Best Novel winner

See the video of the 44th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Daniel Suarez and Victor Koman, Reason’s Bob Poole and LFS leaders

How can science fiction and fantasy help people envision a freer, better future?

Can a grippingly realistic novel about near-future space commercialization play a role in transforming dreams of such progress into scientific and economic fact?

How important is humor in exposing and surviving oppression and tyranny?

Such are among the fascinating and fertile questions explored by SF authors and freedom-loving SF/fantasy fans during the recent 44th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony.

Airing live Aug. 25, 2024, the half-hour-long ceremony honored Daniel Suarez, winner of the 2024 Prometheus Award for Best Novel for Critical Mass; and the late great Terry Pratchett, whose comic-fantasy Discworld novel The Truth was inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction.

Continue reading See the video of the 44th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Daniel Suarez and Victor Koman, Reason’s Bob Poole and LFS leaders

How SF offers a critical forum to imagine new ideas and futures: Daniel Suarez’s 2024 Prometheus Award Best Novel acceptance speech for Critical Mass

By Daniel Suarez

Two-time Prometheus-winning author Daniel Suarez Photo: Steve Payne

It is wonderful to receive this award, especially for a novel that means so much to me. 

First: my thanks to the Libertarian Futurist Society — both for the principles this Prometheus Award represents and also for awarding it to me in a pivotal year for freedom of expression in science fiction. 

Authoritarianism is on the march in this world once more, and the first step in resisting it, is to be free in one’s own thoughts and imagination. That is, after all, where sci-fi lives, and the LFS is helping to keep free-thinking science fiction alive.

Continue reading How SF offers a critical forum to imagine new ideas and futures: Daniel Suarez’s 2024 Prometheus Award Best Novel acceptance speech for Critical Mass

2024 Prometheus Awards: Best Novel presenter Victor Koman’s speech on mortality, the awards’ longevity, the diversification of publishing and the future of liberty


Victor Koman, a veteran libertarian SF writer, had the honor of presenting the Best Novel category Sunday at the 44th Prometheus Awards ceremony.

Prometheus-winning novelist Victor Koman in 2019 Photo courtesy of Koman

Who better to fulfill that role than Koman, one of very few writers to win as many as three Prometheus awards for Best Novel?

Here, for the record, is the transcript of Koman’s speech.

Continue reading 2024 Prometheus Awards: Best Novel presenter Victor Koman’s speech on mortality, the awards’ longevity, the diversification of publishing and the future of liberty


Final update: Watch the 44th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony, with Zoom web link to watch it Sunday Aug. 25


Not one but two celebrity presenters will grace the 44th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony, set for Sunday Aug. 25 in a Zoom event set to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (11 a.m. Pacific time) and open to the public.

We invite Libertarian Futurist Society members, their families and friends, science fiction/fantasy fans and all freedom lovers  to watch the roughly hourlong awards show, which is expected to include interesting, entertaining and substantive speeches by celebrity presenters, LFS leaders and this year’s Prometheus Award winner for Best Novel.

Continue reading Final update: Watch the 44th annual Prometheus Awards ceremony, with Zoom web link to watch it Sunday Aug. 25


Suarez and Pratchett: Both 2024 Prometheus Award winners earn well-deserved recognition – again

By Michael Grossberg

The third time’s the charm, as the saying goes. Yet, in the Prometheus Awards, it seems the second time around’s the charm, too.


In the 2024 Prometheus Awards, both winners are being recognized for the second time.

Daniel Suarez, winner of the 2024 Best Novel category for Critical Mass, previously won Best Novel in 2015 for Influx.

Meanwhile, the late Terry Pratchett, winner of the 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction for The Truth, was first recognized by the Prometheus Awards in 2003, when he won Best Novel for Night Watch.

When recently notified of the news that he’s won the Prometheus Award a second time, Suarez responded positively but soberly:

“Authoritarianism is on the march in this world once more, and I’m convinced the first step in resisting despots is to be free in one’s own thoughts and imagination. LFS is doing great work to keep free-thinking science fiction alive, and for that I thank you,” Suarez said in an email.

Continue reading Suarez and Pratchett: Both 2024 Prometheus Award winners earn well-deserved recognition – again