Reading roundup, Hugo homework, Worldcon plans

[hamsterwoman]

55. Ursula Vernon, Whiskerella (Hamster Princess 5) -- the last of the Hamster Princess books currently out, so there will be no more sparkly hamsters for me until October (which is fine, as I'm ready to take a break; binging these is probably not what one should do, anyway). This one was also pretty cute, with the Cinderella story subversion

Comments

[zigadenus]

I have kinda-answers for your 'con noob questions': It's a bit rude sneaking out of panels -- if you're doing to do it, do a standing lurk at the back, so that it's obvious to the panellists that you're planning to leave partway through, and your exit isn't a response to anything they said. Autograph lines can be long. I once stood in a line for Atwood for 110 minutes (not at a con, but it was an efficient line nonetheless). If an author doesn't have an autograph session, some would consider it a little bit rude to ask them to sign something -- instead, ask if they have any signed books for sale at the con, or at a nearby bookstore. Some might offer to sign/personalize something for you, but it's more respectful to indicate that you're willing to buy a signed book, and also indicates that you're not approaching them with the expectation that they're "on" all the time.

[cyanshadow]

Agreed that it's a bit rude to sneak out of panels, and that the above is a good tactic if you must (and in the end, it's not like most people are likely to pay attention beyond momentary annoyance :P); if you're only a couple minutes late sneaking in isn't a big deal, but after maybe 10? minutes in, it gets pretty noticeable, especially if the panel isn't packed.

I seem to recall e.g. Ann Leckie's line being fairly long back at Sasquan, but I think we still managed to get through it in < the hour allotted, when showing up towards the beginning of that timeslot. One thing to potentially note is that they may have a restriction on # books signed (Sasquan I think was 3/person?) to help ensure that the line keeps moving.

... But also, while she was pretty popular at the time (I forget which, but one of the Ancillary books was a Hugo nominee :D), I'm not sure she was Sanderson / GRRM levels of fame, so ... arriving early seems like it probably wouldn't hurt if you're planning to tackle one of those behemoths. :D

[hamsterwoman]

That is good to hear about the likely manageable-ness of the Leckie queue... (though, as you say, it wouldn't surprise me if it would have grown meanwhile)

Restriction on number of books signed should not be a problem! I have so few hard copy books anymore, I'd have to actually BUY some for signatures (though I do happen to have one of the Ancillary titles in hard copy courtesy of Powell's :D), so it would be at most one book for me and one book for a friend/present in some cases.

I think I've given up on GRRM, and Sanderson's someone I'm tracking purely out of thinking about other people (I just know a lot of Sanderson fans! IDK what's wrong with y'all ;P), so I would not be heartbroken to skip him, either, tbh.

ambyr on DW says kaffeeklatsches are her favorite and one can generally get 1-2 books signed. So hm!

And good point about logistics being potentially an issue in trying to "corner" a panelist for an autograph. If I do end up trying that, I will for sure first educate myself on where they're supposed to be next and such.

e

[cyanshadow]

(I just know a lot of Sanderson fans! IDK what's wrong with y'all ;P)

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

... Though tbh, I think I may currently be on a Sanderson hiatus as well -- I finally sat down and read Edgedancer and, while I enjoyed it, also noticed how starkly I didn't care when it tried to edge back into references to the main series' overarching plot.

I suspect I should probably wait until I actually care about the epic fantasy plots again before I spent another X thousand words reading about them. :D

ambyr on DW says kaffeeklatsches are her favorite and one can generally get 1-2 books signed. So hm! Yeah, that was an interesting data point for me, too. :D

Hugos schedule tentacle

[cyanshadow]

*cracks knuckles* With the caveat that I haven't gone through and made my personal intended schedule yet, a few comments based on names I'm familiar with from Norwescon / general thoughts :D

Re: Hugos schedule tentacle

[hamsterwoman]

(I'm considering suggesting my mom and I try to do it Weds, but probably not worth the extra trip just for registration if you're not already in the area.)

I was thinking of potentially registering on Wednesday, too, to get it over with... as it would be relatively easy to pop over after work, but not sure if I really feel like it (or like being in Santa Clara on Wed) or not...

Excellent suggestion about food! I was wondering if outside food/water WOULD be allowed -- sounds like it typically is? I would definitely rather not waste time standing in line for those things, and though I keep forgetting it sometimes, I no longer have the ability to just power through for hours without eating anything that I did in my 20s...

I feel like I had an opinion on Mike Resnick, but I honestly can't recall what it was. XD So my main comment here would be -- anything with GRRM on it is likely to be PACKED so arrive early. :P Good point on GRRM's likely effect on the panel, though hopefully the early/weird timeslot will mean less competition...

Re: Hugos schedule tentacle

[ikel89]

You both know what to do when you see either of the serpents, right? :

Re: Hugos schedule tentacle

[hamsterwoman]

To be honest, I'm actually unsure how to properly fan at someone from a non-tangible, non-visual medium.

I didn't see Macey on any of the panels, though I assume she will be there? She was on the list of people helping fix the Worldcon program, I think? (And if she is, I don't know that I could be more grown-up about it than running up to her and being like "you're my favorite let's be friends and talk about math in fantasy" XD

Leftover Hugo-related tentacle

[cyanshadow]

A hearty congratulations!! for having finished the Broken Earth trilogy. I feel certain I will be back with more detailed thoughts, but am first allowing myself to get distracted by the Hugos portion of this post. :D

To wit: I tip my hat to you, and how impressively thorough you were. :) My final accounting was far more modest:

Novel: 4 (I continued to fail to make myself read Collapsing Empire and Six Wakes, though I have some hopes that I may finally get around to them now that deadline pressure is no longer giving me intense desires to do anything but read XD)
Novella: 5 (everything except River of Teeth)
Novelette: 1 (didn't read anything other than Extracurricular Activities, which I'd already read)
Short Story: 5 (my rushed deadline-day reading involved catching up on all the short stories except The Martian Obelisk :D)
Series: 4 (Went ahead and ranked everything I'd read at least one book of -- everything except Divine Cities and InCryptidBest Related Work: 1 (the Le Guin essays

Re: Leftover Hugo-related tentacle

[hamsterwoman]

Yes, please do come back with Broken Earth thoughts!

Collapsing Empire is actually pretty fun, and I say that as a person who bounced off a couple of earlier Scalzi titles. Well, OK, half of it is fun and half of it is, like, inoffensive, but I definitely feel it was worth a read. And Six Wakes you should read just so you can kvetch with K and me about how it squandered the promise of its premise and could've been done better. Or, you know, you might actually enjoy it as is -- not trying to prejudice you! XP

Re: novella and short story:

I also wanna chat "And then There Were (N-One)" and "Wind Will Rove" with you! Especially "Wind Will Rove" as it compares with An Unkindness of Ghosts -- obviously very different stories in scope and mood and interests, but I read them very close together, and kept mentally contrasting them. And I know "N-one" did not unseat Murderbot for you, no was I expecting it to, but there's so many interesting things it's doing that I've never seen a sci-fi story do before, I really want to talk to someone

Re: Leftover Hugo-related tentacle

[cyanshadow]

half of it is fun and half of it is, like, inoffensive

🤣

Given that yours and K's are probably the most "negative" reviews of it that I've seen, I'm fairly certain I'll enjoy it once I get around to it. But I've been very aggressively not in the mood for reading for most of the last couple months, frustratingly, so every time I look at it I turn my nose up it and go scroll Tumblr or something instead. XD

And lol, "neat premise, squandered execution" has been a very consistent reaction to Six Wakes among friends so I suspect I will also feel the same. :D But yes, I'm still fully intending to read it for kvetching purposes. :D

Re: Leftover Hugo-related tentacle

[hamsterwoman]

Aww, I hope your reading mojo returns! (But, yeah, I know this period, and I'm trying to avoid sinking into it myself in post-Hugo burnout. Except I've been watching random YouTube videos instead of scrolling Tumblr. :P)

And lol, "neat premise, squandered execution" has been a very consistent reaction to Six Wakes among friends so I suspect I will also feel the same.

I wonder how it got on the ballot then... I mean, I ranked it above the impenetrable KSR, but I understand why KSR is there -- that book, I'm willing to accept on faith, is an excellent example of a sub-genre I don't care about, 'cos ain't nobody got time for that. Is it just that Mur Lafferty is beloved in other categories (fancast, zine) and this carried over?

I haven't read "Wind Will Rove" yet, alas

Oh, duh! I keep forgetting it's a novelette and not a short story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it if and when.

when I dug up your short story summary post, I admit to being somewhat self-congratulatory about having managed to dodge the story you liked least. ;)Heh, I

[_profiterole_]

I see Foz Meadows will be there too. You haven't read any of her stuff yet? I feel like An Accident of Stars would be right up your alley.

[hamsterwoman]

She will, and I want to catch some of her panels, because I enjoyed the fan-writer compilation from her in the vote package. I haven't read her fiction, though I'm aware of it from your reviews, and intrigued to try it at some point. Portal fantasy tends to be more hit-or-miss for me than other kinds, so I've been procrastinating, but my hope is that hearing her in a panel will be a spur towards giving it a shot :)

[aletheiafelinea]

those higher than themselves in the revolutionary anarchist council, and those heretics whose definition of revolutionary anarchy differs from their own by about half a sentence in paragraph 97 of the charter.
♥XD♥XD♥XD♥ This piece is so much PTerry it almost hurts...

I don't think true anarchy is actually possible. At most, it's an unstable state for us. Homo sapiens falls into order and hierarchy like organized structures succumb to entropy. Even 'outsider' is another type of position. Deep down we're a herd animal we like it or not. :)

[spiffikins]

Even 'outsider' is another type of position. Deep down we're a herd animal we like it or not. :)

This is so true.

[hamsterwoman]

This piece is so much PTerry it almost hurts...

Isn't it? <333 It is a very PTerry observation, and a very PTerry way of putting it, and then it's so very Vetinari to cheerfully exploit that tendency for the greater good.

I don't think true anarchy is actually possible. At most, it's an unstable state for us. Homo sapiens falls into order and hierarchy

Very much agreed on this, too. (And thoughts on this are thematically appropriate to the Broken Earth books, too, so it's been on my mind.)