My Hugo Votes: Best Novelette 2013
SFnal writing snackNovelette. Silly sounding word, isn't it? For Hugo purposes, it's a work of fiction between 7,500 and 17,500 words long. One of these years, I won't have to look that up.
(5) “Rat-Catcher” by Seanan McGuire - She seems to be everywhere at the moment. Indeed, she and her alias Mira Grant have been nominated a record five times this year.
Same as last time, I'd like to like her more than I do, but it's still not happening. Even though she's set this story in an interesting time and place for me: London just before the Great Fire. It's too messy. I think I'm going to put her below No Award, again. :(
(4) “In Sea-Salt Tears” by Seanan McGuire - Noteworthy for being the first self-published work to be nominated. It provides back story to her novel _One Salt Sea_ which I haven't read. It might've had more emotional wallop if I had. I'm also not sure about what she's done with the selkies.
(3) “The Boy Who Cast No Shadow” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt - A story of love and friendship between two very different teenage boys, which ends with acceptance and sadness. It's a fine story, heading in the general direction of magic realism.
Olde Heuvelt is the first Dutch author to be nominated for a Hugo. Has anyone heard of him? The original story won the Paul Harland prize back in 2009 and, as far as I can tell, this is the translation by Laura Vroomen. Are translations often nominated? [Edit: nwhyte says it's the first in a fiction category, as far as he's aware.]
(2) “Fade To White” by Catherynne M. Valente - A dark alternate history in which the powers-that-be try to maintain some of the ideals of 1950's America, even though much of the country is a radioactive mess. Reproductive control is a big theme and, thanks to the aformentioned mess, it's the men whose main aspiration is to be the perfect parent and partner. One young man buys the propaganda wholesale, while one young woman starts to question.
I wasn't sure about the ad breaks at first, especially as there were already two narrative points of view, but it turned out to be more than just extra worldbuilding. Anyway, great story, but pipped at the post by...
(1) [Hugo winner.] “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi” by Pat Cadigan - A Jupiter work crew is drawn into system politics. A story that hits the ground, er, running and keeps going. Excellent prose, engaging characters and, above all, a lot of fun.
Cadigan has been on the scene for years but this is the first time I've read anything by her. Any recommendations for further reading?