Chris Beckett wins Edge Hill short story prize

Remember the surprise expressed in some quarters that a science fiction writer could be shortlisted for a major short story prize? Well now Chris Beckett has actually won the Edge Hill Prize, beating Anne Enright into second place with his collection, The Turing Test.

One of the judges, James Walton said:

"I suspect Chris Beckett winning the Edge Hill Prize will be seen as a surprise in the world of books. In fact, though, it was also a bit of surprise to the judges, none of whom knew they were science fiction fans beforehand. Yet, once the judging process started, it soon became clear that The Turing Test was the book that we'd all been impressed by, and enjoyed, the most - and one by one we admitted it."