Hugo Nominees Up

[chris_gerrib]

So, John Scalzi reports that the 2009 Hugo Award nominees are up. Since I will be buying a supporting membership to Worldcon to vote, here are my first thoughts, typed while I watch the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament. As a reminder, here was my ballot for Hugo nominees.

Novel
I'm not surprised that Little Brother is on the ballot, but of the novels listed, I think Saturns' Children is the best. I'm sad that Slow Train to Arcturus (one of my recommendations) didn't make it, but it was a long shot. Ditto Sly Mongoose although not so much of a long shot. Toby's a big boy - he'll get over it.

Novella
The Political Prisoner (my recommendation) made the cut, and hopefully I'll get a chance to read the other nominees online.

Novelette
None of these picks are terribly familiar, although it appears that the only one not online is an F & SF story sitting in my to-be-read pile.

Short Story
I'm glad to see Evil Robot Monkey made the cut. I read Baen's Universe but the Resnick story doesn't ring any bells for me. Still, it's nice to see a new publication get stuff on the final ballot.

There are no real surprises in the two dramatic categories, although I would have liked to see something from The Sarah Connor Chronicles in the list. I still think a "best series" category would be appropriate for the Hugos. Working down the editors and fan writers list, it appears to be a collection of The Usual Suspects (yes, that means you, shsilver), but that's a function of the industry. Alas, j_cheney didn't make the Campbell cut, but I think she's got another year of eligibility. Still, it's tough to argue that the folks on that list didn't earn their slots.

Overall, it looks like a solid ballot, and it should be an interesting vote.

Comments

[jetfx.livejournal.com]

I haven't read Saturn's Children because I didn't hear many good things about it. I'm a big fan of Stross, but when people mentioned it was a homage to later Heinlein, I steered clear. I really liked Little Brother even though its supposed to be "young adult". However, it was fairly mature and didn't assume its audience was stupid like so much of the genre. It wasn't any less than Doctorow's usual fare.

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Saturn's Children is Heinlein-like only in that the political system is vaguely libertarian. But anybody who reads the book and thinks that the political system is worth a plugged nickel has reading comprehension issues.

I think Little Brother was a great book, but I think it will be quickly dated.

[jetfx.livejournal.com]

I like Heinlein and his willingness to tackle political issues, but his later works had a tendency to rant and have weird sex scenes. That's what I was trying to avoid.

[karenjeane.livejournal.com]

Gaiman's nominated book is also youth adult . . . I've noticed much of the good genre fare is in the YA section of the book store, while the "adult" SF&F section has tie-ins and weak fantasy. Any insights on this?

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Well, two books I nominated for the list, Sly Mongoose and Slow Train to Arcturus, were both adult books. I think there's plenty of good in the adult section, but the kids seem to be driving more of the sales at the moment.