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Hugo Nominations & Awards: 2021 and Onward


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18 minutes ago, TazerFace! said:

Edit: Yah that's a lot of name. o.O

It is.

I suspect the speculation is a very good educated guess based on what the resignees wrote and statements they and people in their orbit have made both before and after, but a precise detailing of what led up to it will need someone to speak up about it.

Personally, I think the situation sucks mightily. The shenanigans this year are a black mark for the WSFS and its members.

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  • 3 months later...

I can't believe it's been this long since I was here (OK I can).  I'm out of town right now being a fucking ostrich about how much work I have to do.  I absolutely INHALED Deadly Education.  I had read T. Kingfisher's book last year on a day I didn't want to get out of bed.  Working through the Lodey's now.  I think next up is Cemetary Boys?  Bummed that K. Eason's Rory Thorne Space operas didn't make it.  But this COVID / Hurricane / Tornado time has been going on so loong I can't rememberr when anything was published.

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On 9/26/2021 at 11:51 AM, Lily Valley said:

I can't believe it's been this long since I was here (OK I can).  I'm out of town right now being a fucking ostrich about how much work I have to do.  I absolutely INHALED Deadly Education.  I had read T. Kingfisher's book last year on a day I didn't want to get out of bed.  Working through the Lodey's now.  I think next up is Cemetary Boys?  Bummed that K. Eason's Rory Thorne Space operas didn't make it.  But this COVID / Hurricane / Tornado time has been going on so loong I can't rememberr when anything was published.

Oh! Someone else who read Rory Thorne! I loooooved those books but they seem to have flown way under the radar. :(

Though I am like you, I can't remember when things are published any more, I don't think it was eligible for this year's Hugo? Maybe?

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Ok, so I finished Deadly Education, Raybearer, Wizard's Guide, Legendborn.  I'm still struggling with Cemetary boys (it's the teen boy angst that's putting me off.  The fact that it's getting under my skin bespeaks how well this character is written).  Haven't read Elatsoe yet either, but I have a copy.

So far, Raybearer is the stand out.  Deadly education was awesome, but the cliffhanger ending tore me up.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok.  Reading Gideon the 9th.  Not sure why it put me off last year.  I think the imagery was too grim and I was not in the mood for playful snark.  I pushed through the grisly beginning and it's growing on me.  

Did not like the Relentless Moon.  I haven't read any of the rest of the series.  I was willing to go with "really unlikeable main character" until a few things happened that grated my last gay nerves.  There's some room for discussion about the portrayal of feminism and how it's handled that would require reading more of this author's work. I will leave this as "not for me".  

Additional justification on Relentless Moon: I LOATHE Stephenson who similarly bloats his novels with his research.  This book had a LOT of unnecessary asides about "Fun Facts about SPACE" that were distracting, especially so in first person delivery.  I KNOW some of you enjoy this stuff @Ser Scot A EllisonEllison but I would like it shoved in a footnote, accompanying workbook, or (best option) in the author's notes, never ever to see the light of day.  

Loved Black Sun right until the ending.

Piranesi was just...bizarre.  I enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell but there was a whole lot of description in this novel. A LOT. Fun afternoon read that involved heavy skimming on my part.

Network effect:. Murderbot has grown on me now that Murderbot has quit whining so much.  This was charming.

I have to buy the new Jemison or wait on the Library.  

Edited by Lily Valley
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3 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

Ok.  Reading Gideon the 9th.  Not sure why it put me off last year.  I think the imagery was too grim and I was not in the mood for playful snark.  I pushed through the grisly beginning and it's growing on me.  

Did not like the Relentless Moon.  I haven't read any of the rest of the series.  I was willing to go with "really unlikeable main character" until a few things happened that grated my last gay nerves.  There's some room for discussion about the portrayal of feminism and how it's handled that would require reading more of this author's work. I will leave this as "not for me".  

Additional justification on Relentless Moon: I LOATHE Stephenson who similarly bloats his novels with his research.  This book had a LOT of unnecessary asides about "Fun Facts about SPACE" that were distracting, especially so in first person delivery.  I KNOW some of you enjoy this stuff @Ser Scot A EllisonEllison but I would like it shoved in a footnote, accompanying workbook, or (best option) in the author's notes, never ever to see the light of day.  

Loved Black Sun right until the ending.

Piranesi was just...bizarre.  I enjoyed Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell but there was a whole lot of description in this novel. A LOT. Fun afternoon read that involved heavy skimming on my part.

Network effect:. Murderbot has grown on me now that Murderbot has quit whining so much.  This was charming.

I have to buy the new Jemison or wait on the Library.  

I adored Piranesi.  It is maybe my favorite thing that I have read this year.  She writes so beautifully, the characters were wonderful and there are SO MANY layers to the book.  It has really stayed with me.  I’m getting Raybearer….(And btw, the sequel to Deadly Education is out.  It’s marvelous.).

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19 minutes ago, Mlle. Zabzie said:

I adored Piranesi.  It is maybe my favorite thing that I have read this year.  She writes so beautifully, the characters were wonderful and there are SO MANY layers to the book.  It has really stayed with me.  I’m getting Raybearer….(And btw, the sequel to Deadly Education is out.  It’s marvelous.).

Really?  I'll have to give it another shot after my speed reading binge.  I really felt like it was bouncing off me.  Also know I was missing a LOT by skimming the statuary passages.  I liked Jonathan Strange more on the second read.  I think I need to treat Clarke's books like I treat The Blind Assassin.  I reread that every three years or so and it takes me a week.  

Raybearer sequel is out as well.  Loved it.  I inhaled The Last Graduate (squee!!)

Sometimes I think that binge reading the Hugo's will impact my perception because of reading order.  Like I'm bad DJing my reading perception.  Nobody wants Berlioz after Earth Wind and Fire.  Feeling fortunate that the packet is robust enough to create this type of dissonance.

Right now it looks like I have 8000 pages of Tasmin Muir to finish, but I'll break before I read Jemison's newest or move on to the shorter works.

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Gideon is seriously growing on me.  This is a book where a paper copy would have been helpful to keep the characters straight.  I finally had to highlight all the houses in order to remember who was who and put them in my notes.  It's also a locked room mystery which I LOVE.  Really looking forward to reading Harrow.  The epic swearing and depiction of women's sexual gaze is SO GOOD.  This book got mixed reviews, it was a slow start for me so I can see why, but definitely worth it.  I'm about 60% through it right now and it feels like I'm at a classic turning point.  Digging it!! Thanks nerds for encouraging me to keep going.

Bonus for Gideon:. Harrow reminds me so much of my first and long term Great Love.  We started as enemies because we were kids. Totally hoping these two wind up hate kissing at some point.

Anyone with thoughts on where to start best series?  I should finish the novel category by Friday and the shorts by Monday or Tuesday.

*Edit:. Gideon is free on KU right now.

Edited by Lily Valley
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9 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

Gideon is seriously growing on me.  This is a book where a paper copy would have been helpful to keep the characters straight.  I finally had to highlight all the houses in order to remember who was who and put them in my notes.

You've probably noticed, but the last names tend to relate to the house. Fifth house is Pent and Quinn. Seventh house is Septimus. etc.

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17 hours ago, Lord of Rhinos said:

You've probably noticed, but the last names tend to relate to the house. Fifth house is Pent and Quinn. Seventh house is Septimus. etc.

Yes.  It's the "Lieutenant" "Warden" "Prince what's his face" "Babs" "Lady Pent" stuff I had to write down.  I did manage to catch the counting bit.

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5 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

And struggling with Harrow the Ninth.  What in the HELLSCAPE OF VISCERA am I reading???  

The most unreliable narrator ever. Which reminds me I need to reread it now that I actually know what's going on.

Edited by Denvek
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I've read four of the Hugo finalists now. Black Sun and Relentless Moon are the only two left to go.

Of the four, Piranesi is by far my favourite. It's, to me, a perfect little surrealist novel. I enjoyed Harrow the Ninth less than Gideon, but I still respect the ambition and I see why people would nominate it.

Network Effect... I don't know, I don't think it did Murderbot any favours to have a full length novel. The writing is very clunky and repetitive, the plot is a bore (which has always been a problem in Murderbot), and there's not much going on beneath the surface.  I enjoy Murderbot and ART banter, but this was my least favourite Murderbot so far.

But I'd take it over The City We Became, which I thought was a bad novel - and this is coming from someone who loved Broken Earth. It reminded me a little of Mieville's Kraken - lots of fun and interesting ideas, but with so frantic a pace and such shallow characters that you can't care about any of it.

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Ok.  Finally finished Harrow.  I am likely going to rank it #1 for the sheer gleeful Gore and the reference to Miette.  Also NUN HUMOR!!!  Only have City We Became left.  I really enjoyed Black Sun as well.  

Felice not sure about the PDF.  :(. I probably won't get through the series reading.  I really took my time with Gideon and Harrow.

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3 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

Felice not sure about the PDF.  :(. I probably won't get through the series reading.  I really took my time with Gideon and Harrow.

I managed to read at least some of every series, though not every installment, so I feel better about voting in that category this year. I'm intending to finish novelette and graphic story before voting closes; otherwise I've done all the categories I'm likely to do.

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4 hours ago, Lily Valley said:

Ok.  Finally finished Harrow.  I am likely going to rank it #1 for the sheer gleeful Gore and the reference to Miette.  Also NUN HUMOR!!!

I don't think I'll rank it #1 myself but I definitely wouldn't be upset if it won since I do admire its ambition and willingness to be different.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Since it's only a day and a bit until the deadline I voted for the Hugos today.

I went for:

Best Novel: Piranesi, Harrow the Ninth, Black Sun, Network Effect, The City We Became (didn't get round to catching up with the Lady Astronaut series).

I think Piranesi was definitely my favourite, but the others were also good.

Best Novella: Empress of Salt and Fortune, Ring Shout, Come Tumbling Down, Upright Women Wanted, Riot Baby, Finna

I thought the first two were particularly good.

Best Novelette: Inaccessibility of Heaven, Monster, Two Truths and a Lie, Burn, No Award, The Pill, Helicopter Story

I think this the weakest of the fiction categories although the first three were good. There were a couple I thought were awful.

Best Short Story: Open House on Haunted Hill, Metal Like Blood in the Dark, A Guide for Working Breeds, Little Free Library, Mermaid Astronaut, Badass Moms of the Zombie Apocalypse

This on the other hand was much stronger and more difficult to rank the different stories against each other.

Series: Daevabad, Murderbot Diaries, Lady Astronaut

Best Drama (Long form): Palm Springs, Tenet, Old Guard, Birds of Prey

Not the strongest year for films for obvious reasons.

Best Drama (short form): Good Place, Doctor Who, 2 * Mandalorian

I really need to catch up with The Expanse on TV

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  • 4 weeks later...

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