thoughts on the 2014 Hugo winners
Aug. 18th, 2014 12:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormsewerSo, the Hugo Awards ceremony was yesterday. Nothing really horrible won, so that's nice.
Ancillary Justice won best novel, which is as expected and was my only #1 fiction pick to win.
Stross's "Equoid" won best novella, which might just be the combination of fractured voting blocks and the home-field advantage. I love Stross, but I really want to see Valente win a Hugo for her fiction. Stross has won several times, and I really don't think this piece is as deserving. Oh well.
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" won best novella, which, despite Kowal's status as favored punching bag for the conservative faction in fandom, is actually something of a bridge between the two worlds. It hits the nostalgia for a bygone age of optimism and space exploration that the old guard loves, yet has an intelligent and active woman as the main character.
"The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere" won best short story, which is fine, and definitely a victory for the progressive faction. I can't say I felt really strongly about any of the nominees in this category.
All the short fiction winners were published on Tor.com, so that's quite a victory for them.
I was glad to see XKCD, Julie Dillon, Gravity, and Sofia Samatar win. To some it might have been a surprise that Game of Thrones beat out Doctor Who for best short-form dramatic presentation in London, but not for me. Three of the five nominees were Doctor Who, which made it easy for the Whovians to become divided against themselves and allow the Westerosi to snatch up the slack. And it is an iconic episode.
Ancillary Justice won best novel, which is as expected and was my only #1 fiction pick to win.
Stross's "Equoid" won best novella, which might just be the combination of fractured voting blocks and the home-field advantage. I love Stross, but I really want to see Valente win a Hugo for her fiction. Stross has won several times, and I really don't think this piece is as deserving. Oh well.
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" won best novella, which, despite Kowal's status as favored punching bag for the conservative faction in fandom, is actually something of a bridge between the two worlds. It hits the nostalgia for a bygone age of optimism and space exploration that the old guard loves, yet has an intelligent and active woman as the main character.
"The Water that Falls on You from Nowhere" won best short story, which is fine, and definitely a victory for the progressive faction. I can't say I felt really strongly about any of the nominees in this category.
All the short fiction winners were published on Tor.com, so that's quite a victory for them.
I was glad to see XKCD, Julie Dillon, Gravity, and Sofia Samatar win. To some it might have been a surprise that Game of Thrones beat out Doctor Who for best short-form dramatic presentation in London, but not for me. Three of the five nominees were Doctor Who, which made it easy for the Whovians to become divided against themselves and allow the Westerosi to snatch up the slack. And it is an iconic episode.
