Tag: J. Kenton Pierce

The 46th Prometheus Awards: Raconteur Press’ Ian McMurtrie makes commitment to continue publishing stories of courage, self-reliance, resilience, honor and valor

 

Editor’s note: Raconteur Press published two of this year’s three Prometheus winners: J. Kenton Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles, the 2026 Best Novel winner; and Dave Freer’s Storm-Dragon, which received the first Special Prometheus Award for Young Adult Fiction.

Co-publisher Ian McMurtrie made these remarks Aug. 16, 2026, at the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony.

By Ian McMurtrie

Good afternoon, members of the Society, fans, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of Dave Freer and Kenton Pierce; on behalf of the fans, and of the staff at Raconteur Press, allow us to express our delight at our authors winning not one, but two Prometheus Awards in our inaugural year of publishing novels and Boy’s Adventure books.

We consider this honor from the members of the Libertarian Futurist Society to be solid proof that there is still a place in this jaded world for stories of courage, self-reliance, honor, resilience, and yes – valor.

In this new Golden Age of Publishing, these awards are proof that the field remains wide open to anyone with a vision, drive, and grit.

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: Raconteur Press’ Ian McMurtrie makes commitment to continue publishing stories of courage, self-reliance, resilience, honor and valor

The 46th Prometheus Awards: J. Kenton Pierce discusses good characters, conflicts and restrictions on liberty in his Best Novel acceptance speech for A Kiss for Damocles 


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. 

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: J. Kenton Pierce discusses good characters, conflicts and restrictions on liberty in his Best Novel acceptance speech for A Kiss for Damocles 


The 46th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Grossberg on the value of fiction dramatizing voluntarism and cooperation as the ethical and practical alternative to coercion

Editor’s note: LFS co-founder Michael Grossberg, who chairs the Prometheus Best Novel Judging Committee, presented the 2026 Prometheus Award for Best Novel to J. Kenton Pierce for A Kiss for Damocles. This is the first in a series of posts celebrating the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony, with separate articles devoted to each Aug. 16 speech by winners and presenters.

By Michael Grossberg

Since the Prometheus Award was first presented in 1979, 47 books have won Best Novel. Today, we will honor a 48th.

One of the oldest fan-based sf/fantasy awards after the Hugos and Nebulas, the Prometheus Awards are distinctive in their dual focus on both liberty and literary quality. While quite a few Prometheus-winning works have also won Hugo and Nebula awards, only the Libertarian Futurist Society annually recognizes fantastical fiction that consistently champions respect for human rights – even for that smallest oppressed minority, the individual.

Continue reading The 46th Prometheus Awards: LFS co-founder Grossberg on the value of fiction dramatizing voluntarism and cooperation as the ethical and practical alternative to coercion

By the numbers: The many reasons to watch the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony this Sunday Aug. 16 on Zoom (here’s the link)



By Michael Grossberg

ONE Special Prometheus Award — the first for Young Adult Fiction.

TWO exciting guest speakers — leading libertarian thinker Ilya Somin, who will give the keynote speech on libertarian currents in SF/fantasy; and two-time Prometheus Best Novel winner Travis Corcoran (The Powers of the Earth, Causes of Separation), who will discuss the vital importance of Young Adult Fiction to encourage and inspire new generations of readers.

THREE Prometheus Awards — more than the usual annual two for Best Novel and the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction.

By the numbers alone, this Sunday’s 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony will be pretty special  – with more awards and far more interesting and inspiring speakers (10) than is typical at our annual awards ceremonies.

You can watch the roughly hourlong awards show, which is open to the public, by using this Zoom link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87824388418?pwd=CsoznF4wtlLNTYvEotlIpVJkCoGb9I.1

Please log in at 1 p.m. Sunday Aug. 16 Eastern time.

Continue reading By the numbers: The many reasons to watch the 46th Prometheus Awards ceremony this Sunday Aug. 16 on Zoom (here’s the link)


Novelist Laura Montgomery hails Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles as an “awesome” Prometheus winner


By Michael Grossberg

J. Kenton Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles, the 2026 Prometheus Best Novel winner, is receiving rave reviews. Even from novelists whose works Pierce beat to win his first Prometheus award.

The latest raves come from Laura Montgomery, herself nominated in 2026 for Planting Life: Shut the Kingdom.

“I read Damocles to vote on and absolutely loved it.   I’m now closing on the end of the third book in the (Tales of the Long Night) series and will clearly have to figure out where these rumored short stories can be found,” Montgomery wrote on her website.

“Everyone is recommending A Kiss for Damocles, and you should definitely read it.  It’s awesome and just won the Prometheus.”

Continue reading Novelist Laura Montgomery hails Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles as an “awesome” Prometheus winner


Best Novel winner J. Kenton Pierce on gratitude, good fortune, a journeyman’s skill at writing and his advice to writers


By MIchael Grossberg

J. Kenton Pierce insists he’s no master craftsman.

“I’m a maladjusted ape with a keyboard and a lifetime subscription to Maladaptive Daydreaming With ADHD,” Pierce wrote in a July post on his Substack column Tales from the Long Night.

Yet, somehow, Pierce’s first novel A Kiss for Damocles won the 2026 Prometheus Award for Best Novel. Moreover, in this past year’s highly competitive process, Pierce’s novel beat out four other widely admired and first-rate novels ranked as finalists, each written by a well-respected previous Best Novel winner.

“I’m still having some trouble wrapping my brain around this. I’ve read in many places over the years that the conventional wisdom is thus: a writer’s first novel is mediocre at best, and even that’s considered unlikely. Yet here I am, sitting on a debut novel that’s placed ahead of authors who’ve written some of my favorites,” Pierce wrote.

Continue reading Best Novel winner J. Kenton Pierce on gratitude, good fortune, a journeyman’s skill at writing and his advice to writers


J. Kenton Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles: First-time nominee wins Prometheus Award for debut novel over stiff competition


By Michael Grossberg

A first-time Prometheus nominee might not be expected to win the Best Novel award, especially with a debut novel or when up against solid works by several popular and acclaimed previous winners.

J. Kenton Pierce (Courtesy of Raconteur Press)

Yet, that’s part of the impressive accomplishment this year of J. Kenton Pierce, whose debut novel A Kiss for Damocles has won the 2026 Prometheus Award for Best Novel.

The science fiction novel, published by Raconteur Press and launching Pierce’s Tales From the Long Night series, illuminates the ethics and efficacy of free trade and self-defense as a proper foundation for civilization.

This year’s award, focusing on novels published in 2025, was considered by many Libertarian Futurist Society members and Prometheus Best Novel judges to have one of the strongest lineups in many years.

Continue reading J. Kenton Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles: First-time nominee wins Prometheus Award for debut novel over stiff competition


Guess who’s at LibertyCon this weekend? Three of this year’s Prometheus Best Novel finalists, just for starters

By Michael Grossberg

Quite a few authors and publishers recognized by the Prometheus Awards are participating at LibertyCon this weekend.

Left to right: Prometheus Best Novel finalists J. Kenton Pierce, Sarah Hoyt and Karl K. Gallagher at LibertyCon 38 (Photo courtesy of Gallagher)

LibertyCon 38, which continues through June 28 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has attracted a majority of this year’s Prometheus Best Novel finalists.

That includes Karl K. Gallagher (War by Other Means), Sarah Hoyt (No Man’s Land) and J. Kenton Pierce (A Kiss for Damocles) – who just sent us a photo of themselves at the con “for proof.”

Continue reading Guess who’s at LibertyCon this weekend? Three of this year’s Prometheus Best Novel finalists, just for starters

A final reminder: Vote for the Prometheus Awards by July 4


By Michael Grossberg

Which finalist will win the Prometheus Award for Best Novel? And which work will be inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame?

Libertarian Futurist Society members will help answer those questions by participating in the final stage of judging this year’s Prometheus Awards.

With the July 4 voting deadline just a few days away, it’s not too late for LFS members to submit their ballots.

Continue reading A final reminder: Vote for the Prometheus Awards by July 4


Read our reviews of this year’s Best Novel finalists by Freer, Gallagher, Hoyt, Pierce and Turtledove


By Michael Grossberg

As a guide to Prometheus Awards voting, the Prometheus Blog has once again published full-length and in-depth reviews of each of this year’s five Best Novel finalists.

Here, for your convenience, are the embedded links to the reviews of the five Best Novel finalists:  Dave Freer’s Storm-Dragon, Sarah Hoyt’s No Man’s Land, J. Kenton Pierce’s A Kiss for Damocles), Karl K. Gallagher’s War By Other Means and Harry Turtledove’s Powerless.

Whether Libertarian Futurist Society members read the reviews (which do contain a few spoilers) before, during or after reading the finalists themselves, the reviews are designed to illuminate and raise the visibility of each novel.

Other SF/fantasy fans and other libertarians, outside the LFS, also are invited to check out the reviews to better understand how they fit the distinctive dual focus of the Prometheus Awards on both quality and liberty.

Continue reading Read our reviews of this year’s Best Novel finalists by Freer, Gallagher, Hoyt, Pierce and Turtledove