Each year, the Philip K. Dick award is presented to the best science fiction published in the United States as a paperback original. The 2007 finalists have been chosen, and five of the seven books on the list come from a single house: Bantam Spectra, one of two imprints at Bertelsmann dedicated exclusively to sci-fi and fantasy. The Spectra books chosen include Living Next Door to the God of Love by Justina Robson, who received a special citation from the PKD judges last year for a previous novel, along with works by Elizabeth Bear, Mark Budz, Tony Ballantyne, and Chris Moriarty.
“AWESOME!” was Spectra editor Juliet Ulman‘s reply when contacted by email for a response to the shortlist announcement, before settling down to a more measured response: “We are thrilled and gratified by Bantam Spectra’s strong showing on the Philip K. Dick shortlist. It is impossible to have a favorite in this fight, but we cannot be anything but overjoyed that so many of our titles have been honored.” The winner will be announced at the Norwescon convention in Seattle come April.