British author M. John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel, The End of Everything. At 81 years old, Harrison becomes the oldest winner in the history of the annual UK award, which honors the best novel written in English from anywhere in the world.
The End of Everything is a dystopian satire and the 13th novel by the science fiction veteran. Set in the near future on the windswept English coast, the story follows beachcomber Phillip Tennent and his free-spirited, dementia-stricken aunt Marnie. The narrative depicts a post-apocalyptic Britain invaded by mysterious objects known as the iGhetti, using dark humor and elusive narratives to cast a futuristic lens on modern politics post-calamity and echo concerns about artificial intelligence.
Judges of the prestigious prize praised the novel for its huge ambition and extraordinary expert writing, noting that the work probes the limits of human understanding. The Booker Prize Foundation's chief executive stated that the slim novel is the first winner to emerge from the bona fide science fiction world. Upon receiving the award, Harrison said he feels like a proper writer at last.