Nebula Awards nominees for 2013

[David Selig]

Best Novel

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Marian Wood)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review)

Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)

Hild, Nicola Griffith (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

The Red: First Light, Linda Nagata (Mythic Island)

A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar (Small Beer)

The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker (Harper)

Best Novella

‘‘Wakulla Springs’’ Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages (Tor.com 10/2/13)

‘‘The Weight of the Sunrise,’’ Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)

‘‘Annabel Lee,” Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick)

‘‘Burning Girls,’’ Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)

‘‘Trial of the Century,’’ Lawrence M. Schoen (lawrencemschoen.com, 8/13; World Jumping)

Six-Gun Snow White, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Best Novelette

‘‘Paranormal Romance,’’ Christopher Barzak (Lightspeed 6/13)

‘‘The Waiting Stars,’’ Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky)

‘‘They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass,’’ Alaya Dawn Johnson (Asimov’s 1/13)

‘‘Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,’’ Henry Lien (Asimov’s 12/13)

‘‘The Litigation Master and the Monkey King,’’ Ken Liu (Lightspeed 8/13)

‘‘In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind,’’ Sarah Pinsker (Strange Horizons 7/1 – 7/8/13)

Best Short Story

‘‘The Sounds of Old Earth,’’ Matthew Kressel (Lightspeed 1/13)

‘‘Selkie Stories Are for Losers,’’ Sofia Samatar (Strange Horizons 1/7/13)

‘‘Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer,’’ Kenneth Schneyer (Clockwork Phoenix 4)

‘‘If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,’’ Rachel Swirsky (Apex 3/13)

‘‘Alive, Alive Oh,’’ Sylvia Spruck Wrigley (Lightspeed 6/13)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Doctor Who: ‘‘The Day of the Doctor’’ (Nick Hurran, director; Steven Moffat, writer) (BBC Wales)

Europa Report (Sebastián Cordero, director; Philip Gelatt, writer) (Start Motion Pictures)

Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, director; Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, writers) (Warner Bros.)

Her (Spike Jonze, director; Spike Jonze, writer) (Warner Bros.)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Francis Lawrence, director; Simon Beaufoy & Michael deBruyn, writers) (Lionsgate)

Pacific Rim (Guillermo del Toro, director; Travis Beacham & Guillermo del Toro, writers) (Warner Bros.)

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Indigo)

When We Wake, Karen Healey (Allen & Unwin; Little, Brown)

Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)

The Summer Prince, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)

Hero, Alethea Kontis (Harcourt)

September Girls, Bennett Madison (Harper Teen)

A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine)

Damon Knight Grand Master Award: Samuel R. Delany

Special Guest: Frank M. Robinson

The most impressive list of nominees in the novel section that I've seen in a long time. 3 of my top 5 novels of 2013 are included. Then there's the Neil Gaiman novel which I didn't like much but seemingly everyone else did, so I can live with it.

I have to note though that while We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and Hild are remarkable works (my top 2 2013 novels), neither of them is really SFF according to the most common definitions. The first is a mainstream novel largely about science, taking place in modern day USA and doesn't include any fantastical elements. The second is a historical novel where there might be a tiny bit of fantastical stuff, if you really want to find it. Still both are excellent novels and highly recommended. I doubt either really has a chance though, Ancillary Justice and The Ocean at the End of the Lane surely are the big favourites.

[Brendan Moody]

I had the same thought about the Fowler book (which I found very good but not quite great). It's not the first time a work of hers that's marginally genre has been up for the Nebula: the (brilliant) short story "What I Didn't See" was nominated and won in 2004.

I'm very pleased to see Linda Nagata's The Red: First Light get a nomination. It's a great little book that deserves more exposure. This is, I believe, the first time a self-published novel has been up for a Nebula, though Cat Valente's first Fairyland book did win the Andre Norton Award a few years back.

[SkynJay]

I was pretty happy to see Nagata on that list as well. I took a flyer on her last year and she was one of my favorite reads. I started with her fantasy works, but have already paid for Red Light, so this is probably the kick I need to actually get on reading it.

[Darth Richard II]

Well its better than last years, that's for sure.

[beniowa]

Along with Ancillary Justice and the Gaiman, I also happy to see The Golem and the Jinni and A Stranger in Olondria on the list. All were great books for me. I've been hearing good things about Hild and will be getting to it soon.

[Peadar]

The novel list is a good one. Gives me confidence to try all the shorter works.

[frodostark]

No love for Best of All Possible Worlds or Love Minus Eighty?

[David Selig]

Winners:

Novel: Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Novella: ‘‘The Weight of the Sunrise’’, Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)

Novelette: ‘‘The Waiting Stars’’, Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky)

Short Story: ‘‘If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love’’, Rachel Swirsky (Apex 3/13)

Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Gravity

Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book: Sister Mine, Nalo Hopkinson (Grand Central)

I would've preferred We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves or Hild to win, but Ancillary Justice is a high quality novel too. De Bodard's story is really good.

If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love is a very good story, but I don't see it as SFF at all. Oh, well..

All written fiction categories were won by women, BTW.

[Darth Richard II]

In before the "Ancillary Justice is just a gimmick book" comments from people who haven't read it yet.

:(

Poo on you. That book rocks my socks.

[Anatúrinbor]

So even the Nebula awards are going for gimmicks over substance? What a joke. But at least The Ocean at the End of the Lane didn't win, so this isn't all bad.

[SkynJay]

So even the Nebula awards are going for gimmicks over substance? What a joke. But at least The Ocean at the End of the Lane didn't win, so this isn't all bad.

Can someone hit the record player? It seems to be skipping again.

[mgambino]

I know I'm of the few people that wasn't crazy about Ancillary Justice, but the talk of it being nothing but a gimmick is nonsense. It wasn't a bad book, but I would have rather seen Fire With Fire or Golem and the Jinni win for novel.

Fire With Fire, in particular, is a gem of a sci-fi book that's really getting overlooked.

I also would have liked to see Six Gun Snow White win, because Valente is amazing, but it's also the only novella I've read from that list, so I can really say if it was the best.

... and yes Gravity was an excellent movie, but I'll take the ridiculousness that was Pacific Rim any day.

[Anatúrinbor]

Who says that the book is nothing but a gimmick? I actually liked it, but it's hardly the best book written in 2013, SF or not. And there is no doubt in my mind that if it weren't for the gender gimmick... Sorry, I mean "Ann Leckie's groundbreaking commentary on feminism and gender relations" this book would not have won anything.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah, all those people who bought it because it was a book about a girl who used to be a spaceship and gave it 5 star ratings while barely/not mentioning the gender thing are obviously sock puppets.

[DanielAbraham]

I liked it for the way it handled distributed consciousness and identity, but I also thought the gender thing was well-handled and interesting as a way of giving the story its own cultural space. But I may have a greater respect for gimmicks than your average bear.

There are several books on the list I'd have been comfortable seeing win, and this was one of them.

[Anatúrinbor]

Yeah, all those people who bought it because it was a book about a girl who used to be a spaceship and gave it 5 star ratings while barely/not mentioning the gender thing are obviously sock puppets.

Since when do five star reviews speak to the quality of a book?

===============

By the way, sorry for whining too much about this book lately, like I said I liked it but it's hardly wor--- whoops almost did it again.

[Darth Richard II]

We get it, you don't like it. Let it go, bro.