In the Belly of the Whale – Prometheus Blog

CAEZIK SF & Fantasy’s “Ninja Loot” book sale: Discounts on Michael Flynn, Harry Turtledove, other Prometheus-winning authors – and five free ebooks

CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, which has published quite a few Prometheus-winning authors and this year’s Best Novel winner, is having a book sale.

Quite a few titles have been discounted, and five of the ebooks are now free, for a limited time, in the so-called Ninja Loot Sale of the Maryland-based small press.

CAEZIK and Arc Manor publisher Shahid Mahmud also reports that his company has just added new titles from such science fiction and fantasy greats as Harry Turtledove, Mercedes Lackey, Katharine Kerr, Jim. C. Hines, Joan Slonczewski and more.

The sale includes Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Prometheus Best Novel winner, and Turtledove’s Powerless, among eight 2025 novels nominated so far for the next Best Novel award.

FREE EBOOKS

Plus, “somewhere in the sale, we have hidden 5 completely free ebooks,” Mahmud said.

I searched through the listings – not that hard, actually, and it didn’t take long at all – and discovered that the free ebooks include Captive Dreams, an anthology of Flynn’s stories and novellas.

Check out the sale here.

ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS AND THE LFS

* 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 international association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.

Libertarian futurists understand that culture matters. We believe that literature and the arts can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future. In some ways, culture can be even more influential and 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, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.

* Prometheus winners: For a full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including in 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. This page 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.

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* 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.

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How Arc Manor Books, CAEZIK SF & Fantasy and Phoenix Pick support Prometheus-winning authors, including this year’s Best Novel winner

By Michael Grossberg

Besides the late great Michael Flynn, Arc Manor Books has published quite a few other Prometheus-winning authors – including Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, L. Neil Smith, Harry Turtledove and Jack Williamson.

Two of Arc Manor’s major imprints are CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, launched in 2020 with a “new” previously unpublished novel by Robert A. Heinlein, and Phoenix Pick, which reprints classic SF and Fantasy “from the ashes” of other publishing houses, with some new titles.

Thus, the Maryland-based small-press, created by Shahid Mahmud in 2006 to utilize the exciting new emerging technologies being developed in the publishing marketplace, should be better known, especially by Libertarian Futurist Society members and other freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.

Continue reading How Arc Manor Books, CAEZIK SF & Fantasy and Phoenix Pick support Prometheus-winning authors, including this year’s Best Novel winner

An epic social novel about conflicts and threats to liberty on a multi-generation interstellar colony ship: An Appreciation of Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Best Novel winner

By Michael Grossberg

In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Prometheus winner for Best Novel, was Michael Flynn’s last, posthumous novel and one of his richest and most resonant.

Exploring the complex lives, jobs, relationships, challenges and conflicts aboard a large colony ship two centuries into a projected eight-century voyage to Tau Ceti, the epic 472-page novel takes some time to fully introduce its large cast of characters among 40,000 people who live in the hollowed-out asteroid ship dubbed The Whale.

Yet, patience is amply rewarded with Flynn’s plausible and intricate world-building, deep insights into social psychology and wise grasp of human nature.

In the Belly of the Whale, Flynn’s 14th and final novel, builds dramatic intensity coupled with rich and revelatory insights that freshen this seemingly familiar SF subgenre of the long colony-ship voyage. Flynn raises deeper questions than most SF writers, scientists or space-colonization enthusiasts have considered about the prospects and costs of such generations-long voyages.

Continue reading An epic social novel about conflicts and threats to liberty on a multi-generation interstellar colony ship: An Appreciation of Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Best Novel winner

Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Michael Grossberg’s speech presenting the Best Novel category to Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale 

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.

By Michael Grossberg

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.

Continue reading Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Michael Grossberg’s speech presenting the Best Novel category to Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale 

Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: Michael Flynn’s publisher Shahid Mahmud’s acceptance speech about one of our most underrated sf authors 

“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.

Continue reading Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: Michael Flynn’s publisher Shahid Mahmud’s acceptance speech about one of our most underrated sf authors 

Arc Manor Books sale: Discounted ebooks through Sept. 14 of Michael Flynn’s 2025 Best Novel winner In the Belly of the Whale and other new novels 

By Michael Grossberg

Arc Manor Books, whose CAEZIK SF & Fantasy imprint published our 2025 Prometheus Best Novel winner, is having a special ebook sale.

Available through Sunday Sept. 14 at significant ebook savings are several novels by Prometheus winners – including Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale, the 2025 Best Novel winner.

“Michael Flynn’s In the Belly of the Whale won the Prometheus Award for Best Novel last month! This epic, hard science fiction tale unfolds aboard a colossal generation ship, where a decaying aristocracy faces rebellion after a mysterious death in the abandoned “Burnout” region,” publisher Shahid Mahmud said.

Continue reading Arc Manor Books sale: Discounted ebooks through Sept. 14 of Michael Flynn’s 2025 Best Novel winner In the Belly of the Whale and other new novels 

Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: A heartfelt family tribute to the late great Michael Flynn, three-time Best Novel winner

“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.

Continue reading Celebrating the 45th Prometheus Awards: A heartfelt family tribute to the late great Michael Flynn, three-time Best Novel winner

 The 2025 Prometheus Awards ceremony is set for Aug. 30 via Zoom, with libertarian theorist and novelist David Friedman presenting the Hall of Fame 

By Michael Grossberg

Mark your calendar: The 45th Prometheus Awards has been confirmed for Saturday Aug. 30, with a leading libertarian thinker and novelist as a guest presenter.

The Zoom-led ceremony will run from 2 to 3 p.m. that Saturday (Eastern time) and will be open to all LFS members and the public. (The Zoom link is below.)

Among the speakers: leading libertarian thinker and fantasy novelist David D. Friedman, who will present the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction; Astrid Anderson Bear, daughter of the late sf/fantasy writer Poul Anderson, a frequent Prometheus Awards winner; CAEZIK SF & Fantasy publisher Shahid Mahmud; author Kevin Flynn, brother of the late sf novelist Michael Flynn, a three-time Prometheus winner; LFS President William H. Stoddard, and Libertarian Futurist Society co-founder Michael Grossberg.

Continue reading  The 2025 Prometheus Awards ceremony is set for Aug. 30 via Zoom, with libertarian theorist and novelist David Friedman presenting the Hall of Fame 

The Locus rave review of Michael Flynn’s last novel – with a remarkable apology – may signal a broader re-evaluation of the three-time Prometheus winner 

By Michael Grossberg

Winning literary awards and receiving rave reviews can boost the careers of novelists, by raising their visibility and enhancing their reputation. That’s sadly no longer fully possible for the late great Michael Flynn.

Michael Flynn, a three-time Prometheus Best Novel winner (Creative Commons license)

Flynn, who died in 2023 at 75, recently was announced in an LFS press release as the 2025 winner of the Prometheus Award for Best Novel for In the Belly of the Whale.

His epic social novel, a sobering drama about challenges and conflicts among the crew on a vast colony ship two centuries into a projected eight-century voyage to settle Tau Ceti, was the last novel Flynn wrote before his death.

Published in 2024 by CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, Flynn’s novel has garnered some attention – especially an extraordinary review in Locus magazine (excerpted below) that amounts to a mea culpa for previously overlooking and underestimating Flynn.

Yet, both during his five-decade writing career and after his passing, Flynn has not garnered as much attention and appreciation from other critics and mainstream publications as I think the author and his last book deserve.

Shahid Mahmud, CAEZIK founder-publisher and a huge enthusiast for Flynn’s fiction, agrees. Mahmud tells me that he considers Flynn one of the most underestimated science fiction writers of his generation.

Continue reading The Locus rave review of Michael Flynn’s last novel – with a remarkable apology – may signal a broader re-evaluation of the three-time Prometheus winner 

Michael Flynn, now a three-time Prometheus winner, wins posthumous Best Novel recognition for In the Belly of the Whale

By Michael Grossberg

For the first time in Prometheus Awards history, our annual Best Novel award has gone to a posthumous work.

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.

Continue reading Michael Flynn, now a three-time Prometheus winner, wins posthumous Best Novel recognition for In the Belly of the Whale