2011 Hugo votes
Aug. 1st, 2011 10:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormsewerI actually voted in the Hugo awards this year. I originally intended to write this post well before the voting deadline, in the unlikely hope of perhaps influencing the votes of others, but as I neglected to decide what my votes would be until just before said deadline, I'm posting this after said deadline. Sorry.
Anyway, the voting basically involves ranking your choices in order of preference, with the option of ranking "No Award," which means that you'd rather none of the lower ranked choices get an award; i.e., a vote for "if my baby can't have it, no one can." I'll list each of the works in reverse of the order I ranked them.
Best Novel (Fiction greater than 40,000 words)
This year I had actually read one of the nominated novels, and I also read the first chapter of the rest of the nominees. (I thought about subjecting them to the Page 99 Test as well, but never quite got around to it.)
#6- Feed by Mira Grant.
This book has been described as an intelligent take on the well-worn Zombie Apocalypse thing, so I was disappointed to find the first chapter consisted of stupid people doing stupid things and managing somehow to survive. I am so, so tired of zombies. Please. No more.
#5- Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan finds himself in trouble on a new planet. I actually liked the first half of the first chapter- the experience of wandering blind in the dark through endless underground vaults while hammered by hallucinations was well described- but then it veered into cloyingly pseudo-Dickensian territory with the plucky street urchin aiding the mysterious man-of-means, who has found himself in a difficult situation. Maybe Bujold has managed to carve out a stable career for herself writing these books over and over, but I see no need to give awards to that sort of thing, especially when it's derivative work to begin with.
#4- No Award
#3- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemison.
The obscure granddaughter of the king of everything is suddenly selected as one of three heirs to the throne, who are to fight it out among each other to decide which one gets the seat. Honestly, I found this the most engaging first chapter of all as far as style and tone, but the plot and setting seems like pretty standard fare.
#2- Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis.
Time travelers in World War II Britain. Ridiculously long, and rather poorly reviewed on Amazon, it still won the Nebula Award. I found the first chapter uninspiring, and I'm now not sure why I ranked this above The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Probably because I've felt stronger dislike for some of the other Jemison stuff I've read, but that's really not fair. I wish I'd switched those two. Oh well. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#1- The Dervish House by Ian McDonald.
This is the one I actually read all the way through, and that I actually nominated. It takes place in 2027 Istanbul and follows six characters who have some relation to an old dervish house. It's a character-driven piece, and I thought the characters were wonderfully drawn. It's also soaked to dripping with all kinds of details about Turkish history and culture, and while that makes for a dense read that is not to everyone's liking, I really enjoyed it and this book as a whole.
Best Novella (Fiction from 17,500 to 40,000 words)
These were all pretty good.
#5- "The Sultan of the Clouds" by Geoffrey A. Landis.
A scientist and her companion are invited to meet with the head of the mysterious family that rules in the clouds of Venus. I thought the imagery and the scenery were spectacular, but the characters were a touch flat, and there were places where the author was trying too obviously hard to make some of the incongruities fit.
#4- "Troika" by Alastair Reynolds (not freely available online).
Version 2.0 Soviets go to investigate a Big Dumb Object. This was a compelling read, but I didn't find that it added much to the BDO genre.
#3- "The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon" by Elizabeth Hand.
The story of a man who wants to recreate lost footage of an early and very odd flying machine as a last gift to a woman dying of cancer. I was rather unsure through most of it, but the ending was oddly satisfying.
#2- The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang.
Follows the creation and subsequent life of LOLcat-like software AIs designed originally to be something between a pet and a child for their owners. It reads like a long-form magazine article, except written (oddly) in the present tense. It is more of an idea piece than anything else, but it came off as very plausible and was very thought-provoking concerning the types of issues that would have to be dealt with if sentient software programs came into existence. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#1- "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window" by Rachel Swirsky.
The head sorceress of a female-chauvinist lesbianocracy dies and is brought back as a shade to be summoned by other magic users till the end of time. The culture the main character comes from and subsequently clings to is unique and unapologetically non-PC, and I really enjoyed the sense of the immensity of time afforded by the story. I think it would work well if developed into a full-length novel. This won the Nebula.
Best Novelette (Fiction between 7500 and 17,500 words)
I was not so impressed with the novelettes.
#5- "The Emperor of Mars" by Allen M. Steele.
On a future Mars, a man who has suffered a loss retreats into a fantasy world of early Mars science fiction. I'm sorry, but mawkish nostalgia and SF just don't mix for me (though it would seem I am in the minority in this, as such stories seem to get nominated for Hugos fairly frequently). Ironically for a genre focused on blazing the way to the future, there seems to be a significant subset of SF fandom that is quite conservative, always pining for the imagined futures of the past. There's not even that much of a plot in this story; it certainly lacks much in the way of conflict or danger. In hindsight, I wish I had placed "No Award" above this in the ranking. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#4- "Plus or Minus" by James Patrick Kelly.
A coming-of-age story set in a spaceship returning to Mars from the asteroid belt. The oh-no-the-spaceship's-gonna-run-out-of-oxygen plot has been done to death, and I just don't think this takes a particularly innovative angle on it.
#3- "Eight Miles" by Sean McMullen.
In 19th century England, a balloonist is hired by a rich man to take a strange foreign woman up to ridiculous heights in the stratosphere for mysterious reasons. It was a fun adventure story, and I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t seem to have much to say.
#2- "That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made" by Eric James Stone.
A tale of Mormons on the sun, dealing with proselyting and converting gargantuan, ageless beings who live inside stars. I liked this story, and it's interesting to think how human religion would respond to interaction with alien species. But I guess the subject matter hits a little too close to home for me to have an objective opinion about the piece, and I do agree with some of the other opinions that have been expressed about it: “it’s not a story so much as a thought experiment that posits a situation in which none of the negative associations of Christian missionary work are applicable ... in order to lead to the conclusion that, under these conditions, it’s totally OK to impose Christian values on aliens.”
#1- "The Jaguar House, in Shadow" by Aliette de Bodard.
In an alternate history where the Aztec Empire survived to become a powerful modern nation-state, a paramilitary operative who is out of favor with the new regime attempts to save a captured comrade. This story asks hard questions without giving easy answers, which I always appreciate. It’s also interesting to think about how ancient Aztec religion might be repurposed for life in a modern, technologically advanced society. My one objection to this story is that I prefer the "speculative" element in my speculative fiction to be essential to the plot; this could easily be repurposed to take place soon after any number of real-world coups.
Best Short Story (Fiction less than 7500 words)
These I was pretty impressed with.
#4- "For Want of a Nail" by Mary Robinette Kowal.
On a generation ship, an AI responsible for recording a family’s history loses its connection to its long-term memory, and its handler must figure out what to do. I liked this story, though I would have liked more information on what the ship is like and what it’s like to live there. In other words, I think it could have been longer. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#3- "The Things" by Peter Watts.
A retelling of the 1982 film The Thing from the perspective of the Thing. It was cool. Not so original in subject matter, but the execution was superb.
#2- "Amaryllis" by Carrie Vaughn.
In post-crash world where reproduction, fishing quotas, etc. are highly regulated, the captain of a fishing vessel has to deal with a weighing master who fraudulently overweighs her catch to make it seem that she exceeds her quota. Perhaps it’s the subject matter, but I really liked this story. Strong and sympathetic characters, and a compelling alternative culture.
#1- "Ponies" by Kij Johnson.
A tween girl and her pony are invited to a “cutting-out party.” Vicious, brutal, luminous, and True. J. G. Ballard said something like, “there are no perfect novels, but there are some perfect short stories.” I think this is one.
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
#6- Toy Story 3.
The toys' owner goes off to college, and the future of the toys is now at issue. It was cute and cunningly calculated to pluck at the heartstrings, but it shouldn’t be on this ballot.
#5- No Award.
#4- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.
Harry is off to find the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort in the penultimate movie. It was pretty good I guess, but I’ve always been a little “blah” about the movies in comparison to the books.
#3- How to Train Your Dragon.
A young Viking boy in a society that hates dragons manages to befriend one. This was a fun movie, and as a vegetarian I appreciated its message.
#2- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Scott Pilgrim must defeat the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend. I love everything about this movie. I feel like it was made by and for people of my age and cultural inclinations. It didn’t even occur to me to nominate this, and when I saw it on the ballot I was extremely tempted to put it at number one. More staid aspects of my personality apparently won out, though, and I ended up giving the top stop to...
#1- Inception.
Raiders of the Lost Memories. Though I understand some of the criticisms, I thought this film was awesome and achieved everything I’d hope to when I fancy myself a writer of speculative fiction. Even if it does shamelessly steal from Donald Duck. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Basically, my contrary side came out here. Doctor Who got 3/5 nominations, therefore it is overwhelmingly likely to win, therefore I will vote for something else. Though this did finally get me to watch Dr. Who.
#5- Doctor Who: "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang."
Season finale, where the Doctor et al. have to save all of space and time. Rather confusing for the uninitiated, and I'm always suspicious when major characters who died come miraculously back to life. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#4- Doctor Who: "A Christmas Carol."
I must admit that riding a sleigh pulled by a flying shark is pretty cool.
#3- Doctor Who: "Vincent and the Doctor."
The ending scenes with Van Gogh learning how his work is later accepted were pretty cool.
#2- "Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury."
A music video that is definitely NSFW, it is nonetheless more or less how I felt after reading "Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed."
#1- "The Lost Thing".
A wonderful and quirky little short by Shaun Tan. It has a storybook quality to it, and I really liked it. Narrated by the great Tim Minchin. It's available on ITunes.
Best Professional Artist
I basically just did a quick Google image search and made my choice based on that.
#5- Bob Eggleton.
Pretty run of the mill SF art, if you ask me.
#4- Daniel Dos Santos.
Also fairly standard stuff, but there are some interesting ones in there.
#3- John Picacio.
Now we're getting some interesting visuals. It's just not quite my bag, though.
#2- Stephan Martiniere.
I nominated this guy, though he won in 2008. Though his work is a little "busy," I find it very absorbing. He did the cover for The Dervish House.
#1- Shaun Tan.
Now here's someone with a truly unique style (though there are of course echoes of Escher and Magritte), and one that is very enthralling. I found out after I voted that he won last year. If I'd have known that I might not have put him at number one. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
I didn't take the time to figure out votes for the other categories (besides a #1 vote for Clarkesworld for best semiprozine), though I sure hope Girl Genius doesn't win Best Graphic Story again.
We'll see how it falls out.
[Edit: My post on the winners is here.]
My thoughts on the Hugo nominations from other years: 2005 nominations and winners; 2010 nominations and winners
Anyway, the voting basically involves ranking your choices in order of preference, with the option of ranking "No Award," which means that you'd rather none of the lower ranked choices get an award; i.e., a vote for "if my baby can't have it, no one can." I'll list each of the works in reverse of the order I ranked them.
Best Novel (Fiction greater than 40,000 words)
This year I had actually read one of the nominated novels, and I also read the first chapter of the rest of the nominees. (I thought about subjecting them to the Page 99 Test as well, but never quite got around to it.)
#6- Feed by Mira Grant.
This book has been described as an intelligent take on the well-worn Zombie Apocalypse thing, so I was disappointed to find the first chapter consisted of stupid people doing stupid things and managing somehow to survive. I am so, so tired of zombies. Please. No more.
#5- Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan finds himself in trouble on a new planet. I actually liked the first half of the first chapter- the experience of wandering blind in the dark through endless underground vaults while hammered by hallucinations was well described- but then it veered into cloyingly pseudo-Dickensian territory with the plucky street urchin aiding the mysterious man-of-means, who has found himself in a difficult situation. Maybe Bujold has managed to carve out a stable career for herself writing these books over and over, but I see no need to give awards to that sort of thing, especially when it's derivative work to begin with.
#4- No Award
#3- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemison.
The obscure granddaughter of the king of everything is suddenly selected as one of three heirs to the throne, who are to fight it out among each other to decide which one gets the seat. Honestly, I found this the most engaging first chapter of all as far as style and tone, but the plot and setting seems like pretty standard fare.
#2- Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis.
Time travelers in World War II Britain. Ridiculously long, and rather poorly reviewed on Amazon, it still won the Nebula Award. I found the first chapter uninspiring, and I'm now not sure why I ranked this above The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Probably because I've felt stronger dislike for some of the other Jemison stuff I've read, but that's really not fair. I wish I'd switched those two. Oh well. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#1- The Dervish House by Ian McDonald.
This is the one I actually read all the way through, and that I actually nominated. It takes place in 2027 Istanbul and follows six characters who have some relation to an old dervish house. It's a character-driven piece, and I thought the characters were wonderfully drawn. It's also soaked to dripping with all kinds of details about Turkish history and culture, and while that makes for a dense read that is not to everyone's liking, I really enjoyed it and this book as a whole.
Best Novella (Fiction from 17,500 to 40,000 words)
These were all pretty good.
#5- "The Sultan of the Clouds" by Geoffrey A. Landis.
A scientist and her companion are invited to meet with the head of the mysterious family that rules in the clouds of Venus. I thought the imagery and the scenery were spectacular, but the characters were a touch flat, and there were places where the author was trying too obviously hard to make some of the incongruities fit.
#4- "Troika" by Alastair Reynolds (not freely available online).
Version 2.0 Soviets go to investigate a Big Dumb Object. This was a compelling read, but I didn't find that it added much to the BDO genre.
#3- "The Maiden Flight of McCauley’s Bellerophon" by Elizabeth Hand.
The story of a man who wants to recreate lost footage of an early and very odd flying machine as a last gift to a woman dying of cancer. I was rather unsure through most of it, but the ending was oddly satisfying.
#2- The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang.
Follows the creation and subsequent life of LOLcat-like software AIs designed originally to be something between a pet and a child for their owners. It reads like a long-form magazine article, except written (oddly) in the present tense. It is more of an idea piece than anything else, but it came off as very plausible and was very thought-provoking concerning the types of issues that would have to be dealt with if sentient software programs came into existence. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#1- "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window" by Rachel Swirsky.
The head sorceress of a female-chauvinist lesbianocracy dies and is brought back as a shade to be summoned by other magic users till the end of time. The culture the main character comes from and subsequently clings to is unique and unapologetically non-PC, and I really enjoyed the sense of the immensity of time afforded by the story. I think it would work well if developed into a full-length novel. This won the Nebula.
Best Novelette (Fiction between 7500 and 17,500 words)
I was not so impressed with the novelettes.
#5- "The Emperor of Mars" by Allen M. Steele.
On a future Mars, a man who has suffered a loss retreats into a fantasy world of early Mars science fiction. I'm sorry, but mawkish nostalgia and SF just don't mix for me (though it would seem I am in the minority in this, as such stories seem to get nominated for Hugos fairly frequently). Ironically for a genre focused on blazing the way to the future, there seems to be a significant subset of SF fandom that is quite conservative, always pining for the imagined futures of the past. There's not even that much of a plot in this story; it certainly lacks much in the way of conflict or danger. In hindsight, I wish I had placed "No Award" above this in the ranking. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#4- "Plus or Minus" by James Patrick Kelly.
A coming-of-age story set in a spaceship returning to Mars from the asteroid belt. The oh-no-the-spaceship's-gonna-run-out-of-oxygen plot has been done to death, and I just don't think this takes a particularly innovative angle on it.
#3- "Eight Miles" by Sean McMullen.
In 19th century England, a balloonist is hired by a rich man to take a strange foreign woman up to ridiculous heights in the stratosphere for mysterious reasons. It was a fun adventure story, and I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t seem to have much to say.
#2- "That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made" by Eric James Stone.
A tale of Mormons on the sun, dealing with proselyting and converting gargantuan, ageless beings who live inside stars. I liked this story, and it's interesting to think how human religion would respond to interaction with alien species. But I guess the subject matter hits a little too close to home for me to have an objective opinion about the piece, and I do agree with some of the other opinions that have been expressed about it: “it’s not a story so much as a thought experiment that posits a situation in which none of the negative associations of Christian missionary work are applicable ... in order to lead to the conclusion that, under these conditions, it’s totally OK to impose Christian values on aliens.”
#1- "The Jaguar House, in Shadow" by Aliette de Bodard.
In an alternate history where the Aztec Empire survived to become a powerful modern nation-state, a paramilitary operative who is out of favor with the new regime attempts to save a captured comrade. This story asks hard questions without giving easy answers, which I always appreciate. It’s also interesting to think about how ancient Aztec religion might be repurposed for life in a modern, technologically advanced society. My one objection to this story is that I prefer the "speculative" element in my speculative fiction to be essential to the plot; this could easily be repurposed to take place soon after any number of real-world coups.
Best Short Story (Fiction less than 7500 words)
These I was pretty impressed with.
#4- "For Want of a Nail" by Mary Robinette Kowal.
On a generation ship, an AI responsible for recording a family’s history loses its connection to its long-term memory, and its handler must figure out what to do. I liked this story, though I would have liked more information on what the ship is like and what it’s like to live there. In other words, I think it could have been longer. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#3- "The Things" by Peter Watts.
A retelling of the 1982 film The Thing from the perspective of the Thing. It was cool. Not so original in subject matter, but the execution was superb.
#2- "Amaryllis" by Carrie Vaughn.
In post-crash world where reproduction, fishing quotas, etc. are highly regulated, the captain of a fishing vessel has to deal with a weighing master who fraudulently overweighs her catch to make it seem that she exceeds her quota. Perhaps it’s the subject matter, but I really liked this story. Strong and sympathetic characters, and a compelling alternative culture.
#1- "Ponies" by Kij Johnson.
A tween girl and her pony are invited to a “cutting-out party.” Vicious, brutal, luminous, and True. J. G. Ballard said something like, “there are no perfect novels, but there are some perfect short stories.” I think this is one.
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
#6- Toy Story 3.
The toys' owner goes off to college, and the future of the toys is now at issue. It was cute and cunningly calculated to pluck at the heartstrings, but it shouldn’t be on this ballot.
#5- No Award.
#4- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.
Harry is off to find the horcruxes and defeat Voldemort in the penultimate movie. It was pretty good I guess, but I’ve always been a little “blah” about the movies in comparison to the books.
#3- How to Train Your Dragon.
A young Viking boy in a society that hates dragons manages to befriend one. This was a fun movie, and as a vegetarian I appreciated its message.
#2- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Scott Pilgrim must defeat the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend. I love everything about this movie. I feel like it was made by and for people of my age and cultural inclinations. It didn’t even occur to me to nominate this, and when I saw it on the ballot I was extremely tempted to put it at number one. More staid aspects of my personality apparently won out, though, and I ended up giving the top stop to...
#1- Inception.
Raiders of the Lost Memories. Though I understand some of the criticisms, I thought this film was awesome and achieved everything I’d hope to when I fancy myself a writer of speculative fiction. Even if it does shamelessly steal from Donald Duck. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Basically, my contrary side came out here. Doctor Who got 3/5 nominations, therefore it is overwhelmingly likely to win, therefore I will vote for something else. Though this did finally get me to watch Dr. Who.
#5- Doctor Who: "The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang."
Season finale, where the Doctor et al. have to save all of space and time. Rather confusing for the uninitiated, and I'm always suspicious when major characters who died come miraculously back to life. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
#4- Doctor Who: "A Christmas Carol."
I must admit that riding a sleigh pulled by a flying shark is pretty cool.
#3- Doctor Who: "Vincent and the Doctor."
The ending scenes with Van Gogh learning how his work is later accepted were pretty cool.
#2- "Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury."
A music video that is definitely NSFW, it is nonetheless more or less how I felt after reading "Dark They Were, and Golden Eyed."
#1- "The Lost Thing".
A wonderful and quirky little short by Shaun Tan. It has a storybook quality to it, and I really liked it. Narrated by the great Tim Minchin. It's available on ITunes.
Best Professional Artist
I basically just did a quick Google image search and made my choice based on that.
#5- Bob Eggleton.
Pretty run of the mill SF art, if you ask me.
#4- Daniel Dos Santos.
Also fairly standard stuff, but there are some interesting ones in there.
#3- John Picacio.
Now we're getting some interesting visuals. It's just not quite my bag, though.
#2- Stephan Martiniere.
I nominated this guy, though he won in 2008. Though his work is a little "busy," I find it very absorbing. He did the cover for The Dervish House.
#1- Shaun Tan.
Now here's someone with a truly unique style (though there are of course echoes of Escher and Magritte), and one that is very enthralling. I found out after I voted that he won last year. If I'd have known that I might not have put him at number one. [Note from the future: This was the ultimate winner.]
I didn't take the time to figure out votes for the other categories (besides a #1 vote for Clarkesworld for best semiprozine), though I sure hope Girl Genius doesn't win Best Graphic Story again.
We'll see how it falls out.
[Edit: My post on the winners is here.]
My thoughts on the Hugo nominations from other years: 2005 nominations and winners; 2010 nominations and winners
