Sylvia Bishop

The Arthur C Clarke award highlights six outstanding science fiction books every year. The judges look for books that reward re-reading and make them think, says chair of judges Andrew M. Butler. He introduces this year’s shortlist, taking in everything from time travel to heist novels: books that provoke questions, confront crises, and make us laugh.

H. P. Lovecraft has been hugely influential on many leading names in speculative fiction today, and is also frequently adapted – and frequently subverted. Jeffrey Weinstock, co-editor of The Age of Lovecraft, introduces five stories that best illustrate the themes and range of this influential figure: the anxieties, the typical Lovecraftian twists, and the ‘cosmic indifferentness’ that set his work apart.

Cyberpunk focuses on the near future, and on the impact of technology on human affairs, says Jared Shurin, anthologist and editor of The Big Book of Cyberpunk. He takes us from prescient writers of the past, up to those asking the same questions today: five stories from worlds that are plausible, challenging, and – above all – deeply human.

Gothic fantasy helps us explore what is hidden, disturbing and liminal in our own lives, explains author C.J. Cooke. She introduces her top five gloriously Gothic novels, featuring haunted houses, attic prisons, carrion crows, and ghost children – and an underlying exploration of personal and collective traumas.

Dark academia is a phenomenon with deep roots, says bestselling author Lev Grossman. He introduces five of the best examples, covering secret societies, gentleman scholars, boarding schools – and unforgettable descents into darkness. We have long told stories about forbidden knowledge: now, we make it look good.

There are two essential features of a vampire, says award-winning author Grady Hendrix: they look just like us, and they need us. Beyond this, they are highly adaptable, and have stood in for pandemics, economic exploitation, addiction, abuse, true crime and lust. Here, Hendrix introduces five novels that have shaped this complicated monster.

Mythological retellings bring us stories with timeless resonance, viewed through the lens of modern concerns, explains Francesca Simon. The bestselling author tells us about her five favourite retellings, and introduces her first adult novel and the rich world of folklore and legend that inspires it.

There are over 370 books in the Warhammer 40k series. As veteran Warhammer author Graham McNeill explains, the books offer a chance to introduce complexity and depth, while respecting the Lore the fans know and love. There are no greater fans of the 40k world, says McNeill, than the writers themselves. He introduces his top five choices, and gives us a glimpse of the writers’ world – of group workshops, complicated timelines, constant correspondence, and friends for life.

Isaac Asimov is a sci fi icon who wrote over four hundred books – which can make it hard to know where to begin. Alec Nevala-Lee, author of the group biography Astounding, is our guide to this enormous body of work: he tells us where to find Asimov’s best short stories, which of his novels show his true colours, and why his highly readable nonfiction made him a superstar.

A medieval flavour is common in fantasy books, but this can range from chivalric adventures and mythical beasts to grimdark realities. Here Robin Hobb, multi-award winning novelist of the Realm of the Elderlings series, introduces her five favourites, spanning the breadth of the genre.