FICTION

LONDON (AP) -- Three first-time novelists have made the shortlist of nominees for this year's Booker Prize for fiction, leaving some famous writers out of the running.
"Brick Lane" by Monica Ali, "Vernon God Little" by D.B.C. Pierre, and "Astonishing Splashes of Colour" by Clare Morrall, are all the authors' first published novels.
The three other contenders for Britain's most prestigious literary award, announced by judges on Tuesday, are Margaret Atwood for "Oryx and Crake," Zoe Heller for "Notes on a Scandal" and "The Good Doctor" by South African writer Damon Galgut.
John Carey, chairman of the judges, said this year's list was notable for the number of debut novelists and the lack of star names such as Martin Amis and J.M. Coetzee, whose books -- "Yellow Dog" and "Elizabeth Costello" respectively -- didn't make it to the finals.
"This has been David's year, not Goliath's," Carey said. "None of the big names who started out as favorites are here except for Atwood. ... It's happened that the big names this year didn't produce big books."
The winner of the prize, to be announced Oct. 14, will receive $80,000.