With commendable celerity, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention (Anticipation, Montreal, August 6–10, 2009) has announced the Hugo Award nominees. The total number of nominating ballots, 799, well exceeded last year’s surprising and disappointing 483. Except for the anomalously high Nippon 2007 total, the turnout was the best we’ve seen in years. Here is what the fiction categories look like:
Best Novel (639 Ballots Cast)
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
I’ve read and commented on Anathem. The other nominees look like an interesting lot. Of course, “interesting” and “Hugo worthy” aren’t necessarily synonymous. Judging purely by “heard on the street”, I’d rank Saturn’s Children as the favorite. Not only does Charlie Stross have a devoted following, but the premise (robots trying to carry on the traditions of extinct humanity) is fascinating on its face. All of the other nominated authors have followings, too, but their books have aspects that weaken their Hugo prospects: Anathem may be too weighed down by philosophical musings. The Graveyard Book is fantasy, and children’s fantasy, too (which didn’t stop Harry Potter, but is a definite handicap). Little Brother is heavily political. Zoe’s Tale builds on wildly implausible premises.
Best Novella (337 Ballots Cast)
‘‘The Erdmann Nexus’’ by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
‘‘The Political Prisoner’’ by Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF Aug 2008)
‘‘The Tear’’ by Ian McDonald (Galactic Empires)
‘‘True Names’’ by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
‘‘Truth’’ by Robert Reed (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
Best Novelette (373 Ballots Cast)
‘‘Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders’’ by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s Jan 2008)
‘‘The Gambler’’ by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
‘‘Pride and Prometheus’’ by John Kessel (F&SF Jan 2008)
‘‘The Ray-Gun: A Love Story’’ by James Alan Gardner (Asimov’s Feb 2008)
‘‘Shoggoths in Bloom’’ by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s Mar 2008)
Best Short Story (448 Ballots Cast)
‘‘26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss’’ by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Jul 2008)
‘‘Article of Faith’’ by Mike Resnick (Baen’s Universe Oct 2008)
‘‘Evil Robot Monkey’’ by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New
Science Fiction, Volume 2)
‘‘Exhalation’’ by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
‘‘From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled’’ by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s Feb 2008)
I haven’t read enough of the short fiction nominees to say anything even tentatively about their merits. One striking point is the continued steady inroad of anthologies into territory once dominated by the traditional print magazines. This year the mags have nine of 15 nominations. Last year it was 11. Way back in 2000, every single one came from Asimov’s, F&SF or Analog, save for an interloper from the semi-prozine Interzone. We are decidedly in a golden age of SF anthologies, though I can’t figure out why.
OTOH, the golden age of SF on the Web still still awaits: Just one nominee this year appeared in an on-line publication. In some recent years, there have been as many as two. If the preferences of Hugo nominators are any indicator, ink and paper remain the media of the future.
Further down the ballot, the experimental Best Graphic Story category drew 212 nominating ballots, the least of any except Best Fan Artist. Such a show of interest doesn’t encourage me to think that this is a good addition to a set of awards that is already generally regarded as overcrowded. On the positive side, I am delighted that my old friend Phil Foglio and his wife Kaja gained a nomination for Girl Genius 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones.
Best Fan Writer has reverted to the mean after the two-year Scalzi Incursion: Chris Garcia, John Hertz, Dave Langford, Cheryl Morgan and Steven H Silver. Ironically, a collection of Scalzi fan (or at least miscellaneous) writing, Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, is a nominee for Best Related Book.
Mr. Scalzi is also involved with one of the odder candidates: an audiobook anthology called “METAtropolis” that is competing for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. Either it’s truly terrific, or 2008 was a really weak year for movies (or both, which is how I would bet).
The deadline for voting hasn’t been announced yet. On past form, it will be in early July.
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