Anne Charnock
Science fiction author
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Anne Charnock (born 8 June 1954) is a British author of science fiction novels. In 2018, she won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in science fiction, for her novel Dreams Before the Start of Time.
- Arthur C. Clarke Award
- BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction
Anne Charnock | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Science fiction author |
| Writing career | |
| Notable work | Dreams Before the Start of Time |
| Notable awards |
|
| Website | annecharnock |
Career
Born in Bolton, England, Charnock has a background in environmental science, journalism, and fine art, which she incorporates into her science fiction writing.[1] She has worked as a science writer for The Guardian and New Scientist, and as a foreign correspondent.[2]
A Calculated Life is set in a dystopian near-future Britain shaped by advances in genetic engineering and corporate power; its protagonist is a ‘simulant’ (part human, part AI) leased to a corporation to generate economic predictions.[3] It was nominated for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award.[4] Charnock’s novella The Enclave, set in the same world, follows migrant workers attempting to make a living in the UK, and it was published in a quartet of novellas by NewCon Press alongside works by Neil Williamson, Simon Morden and Alastair Reynolds.[5]
Charnock is also the author of Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind (47 North), published in 2015, a novel that braids together past, present and future, with a 15th-century Italian female artist at its centre.[6]
Her 2017 novel Dreams Before the Start of Time (47 North), is set in a future world where artificial wombs have become the primary method of reproduction and infertility has been eradicated. It won the Arthur C. Clarke award for science fiction in 2018.[2] In 2017, it was shortlisted for the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) Award for Best Novel.[7]
In 2017, Charnock won the BSFA Award for Best Shorter Fiction for her novella The Enclave, published by NewCon.[7] Charnock was a judge during the 2018 James White Award short story competition,[8] and served as a judge for the Kitschies Awards in 2024.[9]
Awards
| Year | Work | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | A Calculated Life | Philip K. Dick Award | — | Finalist | [10] |
| Kitschies | Golden Tentacle (Dèbut) | Shortlisted | |||
| 2018 | The Enclave | BSFA Award | Short Fiction | Won | |
| 2018 | Dreams Before the Start of Time | Arthur C. Clarke Award | — | Won | |
| BSFA Award | Novel | Shortlisted | |||
| 2021 | "All I Asked For” | BSFA Award | Short Fiction | Shortlisted |
Bibliography
Novels
- A Calculated Life (2013). Self-published.
- Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind (2015).
- Dreams Before the Start of Time (2017).
- Bridge 108 (2020).[11]
Chapbook
- The Enclave (2017)
Short stories
| Title | Year Published | Collection / Mag | ISBN | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "A Good Citizen" | 2017 | "A Good Citizen". 2084. Unsung Stories. 2017. | ISBN 978-1-907389-50-4 | [12] |
| "A Cure for Homesickness" | 2018 | "A Cure for Homesickness". Shoreline of Infinity (11.5). The New Curiosity Shop. April 2018. | ISBN 978-1-9997002-6-3 | [13] |