Size / / /

The 2012 Clarke shortlist has already engendered a lot of discussion (see Niall's here, and his roundup of other reactions). But what of the nominated books themselves? Here's a look at the critical reception that each has received:

Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear

Hull Zero Three US cover     Hull Zero Three US cover

Reviewed by Finn Dempster at Strange Horizons

Reviewed by Steven Brandt at SF Site

Reviewed by Elizabeth Bear at Tor.com

Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe at Locus

Reviewed by Ian Berriman at SFX

Reviewed by Andrew Liptak at worlds in a grain of sand

Reviewed by Chris Hsian at io9

The End Specialist/The Postmortal by Drew Magary

The End Specialist cover     The Postmortal cover

Reviewed by Michael Jones at seattlepi.com

Reviewed by Justin at Staffer's Book Review

Reviewed by Kevin McFarland at The A.V. Club

Reviewed by Mark Fraunfelder at BoingBoing

Embassytown by China Miéville

Embassytown UK cover     Embassytown US cover

Reviewed by Ursula K. Le Guin in The Guardian

Reviewed by James Purdon in The Guardian

Reviewed by Carlo Rotella in The New York Times

Reviewed by Carolyn Kellogg in The Los Angeles Times

Reviewed by James Lovegrove at Financial Times

Reviewed by Roger Perkins in The Telegraph

Reviewed by Sam Thompson in The London Review of Books

Reviewed by Jeff VanderMeer at Barnes and Noble Review

Reviewed by Gary K. Wolfe at Locus

Reviewed by Rich Horton at SF Site

Reviewed by John Clute at Strange Horizons

Reviewed by Niall Alexander at The Zone

Reviewed by Jared Shurin at Pornokitsch

Reviewed by Dan Hartland at @Number 71

Reviewed by Matt Hilliard at Yet There Are Statues

Reviewed by Colin Harvey

Reviewed by Larry Nolen at The OF Blog

Reviewed by Abigail Nussbaum at Asking the Wrong Questions

Reviewed by Adam Whitehead at The Wertzone

The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers

Jessie Lamb UK cover     Jessie Lamb US cover

Reviewed by Katy Guest in The Independent

Reviewed by Lesley McDowell in The Scottish Review of Books

Reviewed by Niall Harrison at Strange Horizons

Reviewed by Aishwarya Subramanian at Practically Marzipan

Reviewed by Anne C. Perry at Pornokitsch

Reviewed at Solar Bridge

Rule 34 by Charles Stross

Rule 34 UK cover     Rule 34 US cover

Reviewed by Damien G. Walter in The Guardian

Reviewed by Alexandra Pierce at Strange Horizons

Discussed by Henry Farrell at Crooked Timber

Reviewed by Niall Alexander at The Speculative Scotsman

The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper

The Waters Rising UK cover     The Waters Rising US cover

Reviewed by David Allkins at Concatenation

Reviewed by Barb Caffrey at Shiny Book Review

Reviewed at The Hathor Legacy

Reviewed at the Little Red Reviewer

I imagine that being shortlisted for the Clarke will bring extra attention, and more reviews, from within SF fandom for each of these books. And, of course, closer to the announcement of the winner, Strange Horizons will publish its own, mega-review of the entire shortlist.



Niall Harrison is an independent critic based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He is a former editor of Strange Horizons, and his writing has also appeared in The New York Review of Science FictionFoundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, The Los Angeles Review of Books and others. He has been a judge for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and a Guest of Honor at the 2023 British National Science Fiction Convention. His collection All These Worlds: Reviews and Essays is available from Briardene Books.
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