My Hugo Votes: Best Novella 2014
Once again, Novella = 17,500 to 40,000 words and Novelette = 7,500 to 17,500 words. Does anyone actually care about the distinction? Maybe it would be better to fold the two categories into one and open up the remaining space to Best YA Novel.
That said, the first two novellas were very worthwhile.
(1) Six-Gun Snow White - Catherynne M. Valente A clear winner for this category. The name Snow White isn't a description of what the character is, but of what she never can be. Native American tales mixed with European tales mixed with gender issues mixed with colonialism, mixed with... The ending doesn't do quite do the rest of the story justice, but that would be hard.
(2) “Wakulla Springs” - Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages This is SF in the sense that it builds on SF movie history, if you consider Tarzan to be SF. It's not the first category that springs to my mind, to be honest.
A few other people have left it off their ballot because they didn't consider the story to be SF. It also made me think, because the only proper SFnal bit was at the end but felt tacked on. But I haven't the heart because I did love the characters and the story.
(3) No Award
[Hugo winner] “Equoid” by Charles Stross This is part of his "Laundry" series, which I've never read.
It was slow to get started and erratically paced after that. Every time it looks like it might get up, it stumbles over its own overly self-aware prose. Further, if you're going to make me read about girls being abused, you'd better make it worth it.
There's two more nominees, but I'd rather spend time dusting off the draft post for Novelette.
That said, the first two novellas were very worthwhile.
(1) Six-Gun Snow White - Catherynne M. Valente A clear winner for this category. The name Snow White isn't a description of what the character is, but of what she never can be. Native American tales mixed with European tales mixed with gender issues mixed with colonialism, mixed with... The ending doesn't do quite do the rest of the story justice, but that would be hard.
(2) “Wakulla Springs” - Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages This is SF in the sense that it builds on SF movie history, if you consider Tarzan to be SF. It's not the first category that springs to my mind, to be honest.
A few other people have left it off their ballot because they didn't consider the story to be SF. It also made me think, because the only proper SFnal bit was at the end but felt tacked on. But I haven't the heart because I did love the characters and the story.
(3) No Award
[Hugo winner] “Equoid” by Charles Stross This is part of his "Laundry" series, which I've never read.
It was slow to get started and erratically paced after that. Every time it looks like it might get up, it stumbles over its own overly self-aware prose. Further, if you're going to make me read about girls being abused, you'd better make it worth it.
There's two more nominees, but I'd rather spend time dusting off the draft post for Novelette.