Bonus Book Discussion: My 2014 Hugo Reviews and Predictions
It's almost the deadline to vote for the 2014 Hugos!
Here are my reviews for works under consideration, and my thoughts on the categories.
I'm also going to go out on a limb and predict who I think will actually win. Let's find out how totally wrong I can be!
Best Novel
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan
Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross
Parasite, by Mira Grant
Warbound, by Larry Correia
I am torn - Warbound was the one I enjoyed the most, and seeing Larry Correia win would be a year's worth of popcorn, but Neptune's Brood and Ancillary Justice were both better written and more memorable.
Parasite, while perfectly passable entertainment, barely merits better than a No Vote, as far as I am concerned, and fuck the Wheel of Time and its fanboys.
Who I think will win: Ann Leckie is favored by All The Right People and her novel has got that non-binary gender thing going on that seems to be excruciatingly important at the moment. And people want to see it be the first to score a triple-crown: Nebula, Clarke, and Hugo. So that's my bet, though Robert Jordan fans might pull off a victory for the dead guy.
Best Novella
Equoid, by Charles Stross
The Butcher of Khardov, by Dan Wells
The Chaplain's Legacy, by Brad Torgersen
Six-Gun Snow White, by Catherynne Valente
Wakulla Springs, by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages
Catherynne Valente is one of my favorite authors, and Six-Gun Snow White is a lovely book. I liked Equoid, and it's certainly a memorable little Lovecraftian tribute. I would probably vote for Wakulla Springs if it were actually, you know, science fiction or fantasy. The others are merely entertaining.
Who I think will win: Catherynne Valente is a strong contender here, but I am actually going to go with Wakulla Springs. Unless many more people feel as I do, that it lacked enough genre elements to really qualify for a Hugo, its combination of crowd-pleasing theme and undeniably better writing will give it the rocket.
Best Novelette
The Exchange Officers, by Brad Torgersen
The Lady Astronaut of Mars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Opera Vita Aeterna, by Vox Day
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling, by Ted Chiang
The Waiting Stars, by Aliette de Bodard
Not thrilled with any of these, but Chiang's piece is the best written. On the other hand, Vox Day winning would be so epic I'd probably vote for him just to see it, if I thought there was any chance he actually could win.
Who I think will win: I think Chiang's piece is clearly, clearly, the best of the bunch, and I'm going to go with it as the winner. If it's not, though, then it will be Kowal and her Lady Astronaut because grrl power. De Bodard will get some guilt votes for great social justice, but her story just isn't impressive enough. Torgersen and Day, their political radioactiveness aside, both submitted mediocre efforts here.
Best Short Story
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, by John Chu
If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love, by Rachel Swirsky
Selkie Stories Are for Losers, by Sofia Samatar
Even less thrilled with this category - nothing even approached "great," and the only one I'd really call "good" in terms of fantasy is The Ink Readers of Doi Saket. John Chu wrote the best actual story and Swirsky was the best stylist, but both of their stories are only SF&F by pretension.
Who I think will win: Swirsky and her dino-lover. Fucking shoot me.
Best Related Work
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
I've read Kameron Hurley's essay, We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative, which made some decent points and a specious argument. I am not familiar with the other entries.
Who I think will win: Kameron Hurley, because grrl power.
Best Graphic Story
I've only read Saga, which is very good.
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
I've seen all of these but Frozen. I think Gravity was probably the best film, even if there have been arguments that it's not truly "science fiction."
Who I think will win: Iron Man 3
Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
I have seen none of these. No idea who will win.
So, your thoughts? How many of you are voting? Whether or not you are voting, how many of these have you read? How will/would you vote? What do you think of my predictions? What are your predictions?
Here are my reviews for works under consideration, and my thoughts on the categories.
I'm also going to go out on a limb and predict who I think will actually win. Let's find out how totally wrong I can be!
Best Novel
Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan
Neptune's Brood, by Charles Stross
Parasite, by Mira Grant
Warbound, by Larry Correia
I am torn - Warbound was the one I enjoyed the most, and seeing Larry Correia win would be a year's worth of popcorn, but Neptune's Brood and Ancillary Justice were both better written and more memorable.
Parasite, while perfectly passable entertainment, barely merits better than a No Vote, as far as I am concerned, and fuck the Wheel of Time and its fanboys.
Who I think will win: Ann Leckie is favored by All The Right People and her novel has got that non-binary gender thing going on that seems to be excruciatingly important at the moment. And people want to see it be the first to score a triple-crown: Nebula, Clarke, and Hugo. So that's my bet, though Robert Jordan fans might pull off a victory for the dead guy.
Best Novella
Equoid, by Charles Stross
The Butcher of Khardov, by Dan Wells
The Chaplain's Legacy, by Brad Torgersen
Six-Gun Snow White, by Catherynne Valente
Wakulla Springs, by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages
Catherynne Valente is one of my favorite authors, and Six-Gun Snow White is a lovely book. I liked Equoid, and it's certainly a memorable little Lovecraftian tribute. I would probably vote for Wakulla Springs if it were actually, you know, science fiction or fantasy. The others are merely entertaining.
Who I think will win: Catherynne Valente is a strong contender here, but I am actually going to go with Wakulla Springs. Unless many more people feel as I do, that it lacked enough genre elements to really qualify for a Hugo, its combination of crowd-pleasing theme and undeniably better writing will give it the rocket.
Best Novelette
The Exchange Officers, by Brad Torgersen
The Lady Astronaut of Mars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Opera Vita Aeterna, by Vox Day
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling, by Ted Chiang
The Waiting Stars, by Aliette de Bodard
Not thrilled with any of these, but Chiang's piece is the best written. On the other hand, Vox Day winning would be so epic I'd probably vote for him just to see it, if I thought there was any chance he actually could win.
Who I think will win: I think Chiang's piece is clearly, clearly, the best of the bunch, and I'm going to go with it as the winner. If it's not, though, then it will be Kowal and her Lady Astronaut because grrl power. De Bodard will get some guilt votes for great social justice, but her story just isn't impressive enough. Torgersen and Day, their political radioactiveness aside, both submitted mediocre efforts here.
Best Short Story
The Ink Readers of Doi Saket, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, by John Chu
If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love, by Rachel Swirsky
Selkie Stories Are for Losers, by Sofia Samatar
Even less thrilled with this category - nothing even approached "great," and the only one I'd really call "good" in terms of fantasy is The Ink Readers of Doi Saket. John Chu wrote the best actual story and Swirsky was the best stylist, but both of their stories are only SF&F by pretension.
Who I think will win: Swirsky and her dino-lover. Fucking shoot me.
Best Related Work
Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
I've read Kameron Hurley's essay, We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative, which made some decent points and a specious argument. I am not familiar with the other entries.
Who I think will win: Kameron Hurley, because grrl power.
Best Graphic Story
I've only read Saga, which is very good.
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
I've seen all of these but Frozen. I think Gravity was probably the best film, even if there have been arguments that it's not truly "science fiction."
Who I think will win: Iron Man 3
Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
I have seen none of these. No idea who will win.
So, your thoughts? How many of you are voting? Whether or not you are voting, how many of these have you read? How will/would you vote? What do you think of my predictions? What are your predictions?