Awards are curious things, they exist for many reasons. One reason, for literary awards, is to effect the way readers behave. An award, hopefully, will make a book stand out from the pack and make a reader more likely to pick it up, consider it, buy it, and read it. But do we react to awards in that way? I was struck by my own reaction to the news that Sarah Hall’s novel, The Carhullan Army, has won the Tiptree. Before I heard the news I’d been vaguely considering picking up the book. When I heard it had won the Tiptree, I had this reaction where I went “Oh”, and lost interest. I think it may have something to do with whether you identify yourself as belonging to the tribal group that comes with the award. I identify as being part of the group that would like Hugo, Nebula, Locus, or World Fantasy Award winners. For some reason, I don’t identify with the Tiptree. I don’t think it’s a feminist thing, it’s something else.

Postscript: Checked the list of Tiptree winners. Some fabulous works that I have loved have won. And yet I can’t shake the feeling that if it wins the Tiptree, it’s likely to be a tract.  Illogical, but there you go.