Hugo ballot, discussion of
The final Hugo ballots are due in to Worldcon by midnight Tuesday. Herewith to fill some space, my discussion of parts of my final ballot. I'm not going to discuss the whole thing, just a few pieces and parts.
Best Novel (in order from #6 to #1)
6. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson - Kim is leaving me cold, writing novels that (to me) are too long and too slow.
5. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin - not a fantasy reader, and this is part of a series that I also bounced off of.
4. Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee - I enjoyed this book, although I found it dense. Yoon tosses you into the world's deep end and says "swim or die."
3. Provenance by Ann Leckie - another solid effort from Ann Leckie, and I find her worldbuilding very interesting
2. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi - a rollicking good time.
1. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty - I really, really liked the concept behind this one.
Best Novella (in order from #6 to #1)
Others have said this and I have to agree - the hot competition in this year's ballot is in novellas.
6. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire - again, I really liked the concept behind this story. In a year with less competition, it would have rated higher for me.
5. The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang - I'm not a strong fan of fantasy.
4. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor - again, this was a strong story, but given that it's a muddle-in-the-middle of the series, not quite strong enough.
3. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey - this was a really weird and original story.
2, And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker - a great twist on that old standby, the locked-room mystery.
1. All Systems Red by Martha Wells - murderbots. Need I say more?
Best Novelette
6. Children of Thorns by Aliette de Bodard - I've personally met Aliette, and she's good people, but this was the weakest of a strong bunch. I much prefer her Vietnamese ins space stories.
5. Small Changes Over Long Periods by K.M. Szpara - neat modern vampire story.
4. Extracurricular Activities by Yoon Ha Lee
3. Wind Will Rove by Sarah Pinsker - a neat twist on the old generation-ship concept.
2. A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad - very clever concept and execution
1. The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer - just a cute and entertaining story
Best Short Story
6. Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde - catchy title, a bit too weird for me.
5. Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim - a touching little tale of mechanical beings.
4. Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse - I enjoyed it. I suspect that, given my tastes aren't always that of the average Hugo voter, this is the story to beat in this category.
3. Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad - a strong entry, and given that the author has two stories in Hugo contention, I put her as #1 on my Campbell list.
2. Sun, Moon, and Dust by Ursula Vernon - a neat twist on the old "find a hero in a haystack" story.
1. The Martian Obelisk by Linda Nagata - a somber and downbeat tale, but I like it.
Best Fan Writer
I only went to 4 on this, voting only for those I read.
4. Sarah Gailey
3. Mike Glyer
2. Foz Meadows
1. Camestros Felapton
The (as-yet nameless) Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)
I also only went down to 4 on this.
4. The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller - a bit too much teen angst for me to handle.
3. In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan - somewhat bog-standard quest
2. Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor - I'm liking more non-bog-standard magic systems
1. Summer in Orcus by written by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) - this I just adored, especially how the main character triumphed.
This entry was originally posted at https://chris-gerrib.dreamwidth.org/703089.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Best Novel (in order from #6 to #1)
6. New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson - Kim is leaving me cold, writing novels that (to me) are too long and too slow.
5. The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin - not a fantasy reader, and this is part of a series that I also bounced off of.
4. Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee - I enjoyed this book, although I found it dense. Yoon tosses you into the world's deep end and says "swim or die."
3. Provenance by Ann Leckie - another solid effort from Ann Leckie, and I find her worldbuilding very interesting
2. The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi - a rollicking good time.
1. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty - I really, really liked the concept behind this one.
Best Novella (in order from #6 to #1)
Others have said this and I have to agree - the hot competition in this year's ballot is in novellas.
6. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire - again, I really liked the concept behind this story. In a year with less competition, it would have rated higher for me.
5. The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang - I'm not a strong fan of fantasy.
4. Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor - again, this was a strong story, but given that it's a muddle-in-the-middle of the series, not quite strong enough.
3. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey - this was a really weird and original story.
2, And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker - a great twist on that old standby, the locked-room mystery.
1. All Systems Red by Martha Wells - murderbots. Need I say more?
Best Novelette
6. Children of Thorns by Aliette de Bodard - I've personally met Aliette, and she's good people, but this was the weakest of a strong bunch. I much prefer her Vietnamese ins space stories.
5. Small Changes Over Long Periods by K.M. Szpara - neat modern vampire story.
4. Extracurricular Activities by Yoon Ha Lee
3. Wind Will Rove by Sarah Pinsker - a neat twist on the old generation-ship concept.
2. A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad - very clever concept and execution
1. The Secret Life of Bots by Suzanne Palmer - just a cute and entertaining story
Best Short Story
6. Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde - catchy title, a bit too weird for me.
5. Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim - a touching little tale of mechanical beings.
4. Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse - I enjoyed it. I suspect that, given my tastes aren't always that of the average Hugo voter, this is the story to beat in this category.
3. Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad - a strong entry, and given that the author has two stories in Hugo contention, I put her as #1 on my Campbell list.
2. Sun, Moon, and Dust by Ursula Vernon - a neat twist on the old "find a hero in a haystack" story.
1. The Martian Obelisk by Linda Nagata - a somber and downbeat tale, but I like it.
Best Fan Writer
I only went to 4 on this, voting only for those I read.
4. Sarah Gailey
3. Mike Glyer
2. Foz Meadows
1. Camestros Felapton
The (as-yet nameless) Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)
I also only went down to 4 on this.
4. The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller - a bit too much teen angst for me to handle.
3. In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan - somewhat bog-standard quest
2. Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor - I'm liking more non-bog-standard magic systems
1. Summer in Orcus by written by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) - this I just adored, especially how the main character triumphed.
This entry was originally posted at https://chris-gerrib.dreamwidth.org/703089.html. Please comment there using OpenID.