Laura’s Library

2024 Hugo Finalists: Editor, Pro Artist, and Semiprozine

Published on Sunday, April 21, 2024Sunday, April 21, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Voting opened yesterday for the Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding awards, and it will close at 20:17 GMT on 20 July, the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing to the exact minute.

Previously I took a look at this year’s finalists for novel, short fiction, and series. Next I looked at graphic story, related work, dramatic presentation, and game finalists. Today I’m looking at the editor, pro artist, and semiprozine finalists.

Best Editor Short Form

Scott H. Andrews
Neil Clarke
刘维佳 (Liu Weijia)
Jonathan Strahan
Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
杨枫 (Yang Feng)

Scott H. Andrews and Neil Clarke were both on my own ballot. Scott H. Andrews is the editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Neil Clarke is the editor of Clarkesworld including one of the Best Novelette finalists and one of the Best Short Story finalists. Jonathan Strahan was the editor for a dozen Tor.com stories, two anthologies, and two Tordotcom novellas. The Thomases’ are the editors of Uncanny including two Best Novelette finalists and two Best Short Story finalists. Yang Feng is the editor of the Chinese edition of Galaxy’s Edge including one Best Short Story finalist and the declined Best Novelette finalist. She is also a finalist in Best Related Work. I believe Liu Weijia may be an editor at China’s Science Fiction World magazine.

Best Editor Long Form

Ruoxi Chen
Lindsey Hall
Lee Harris
Kelly Lonesome
David Thomas Moore
姚海军 (Yao Haijun)

Ruoxi Chen and Lee Harris were on my ballot. Ruoxi Chen is an editor at Tordotcom. She edited Best Novel finalist Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh and Nebula finalist The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang. Lindsey Hall is an editor at Tor and edited Nebula finalist The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. Lee Harris is an editor at Tordotcom. He edited Best Novel finalist Witch King by Marsha Wells as well as the novel for which she declined nomination, System Collapse. Kelly Lonesome is an editor for Tor Nightfire. David Thomas Moore is an editor for Solaris. Yao Haijun is a returning Chinese finalist from this category last year. Natasha Bardon received enough votes to make the final ballot but declined the nomination.

Best Professional Artist

Micaela Alcaino
Rovina Cai
Galen Dara
Dan Dos Santos
Tristan Elwell
Alyssa Winans

Micaela Alcaino is the cover artist for the UK edition of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Rovina Cai did the interior art for Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Galen Dara is the cover artist for Traitor of Redwinter by Ed McDonald. Dan Dos Santos was on my own ballot, and he is the cover artist for Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. Tristan Elwell did the US cover art for Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Alyssa Winans is the cover artist for Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo.

Best Semiprozine

Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes; assistant editors Benjamin C. Kinney, Premee Mohamed and Kevin Wabaunsee; hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart; producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team
FIYAH Literary Magazine, publisher and executive editor DaVaun Sanders, poetry editor B. Sharise Moore, special projects manager L. D. Lewis, art director Christian Ivey, acquiring editors Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Joshua Morley, Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, sponsor coordinator Nelson Rolon
GigaNotoSaurus, editor LaShawn M. Wanak, associate editors Mia Tsai and Edgard Wentz, along with the GNS Slushreaders Team
khōréō, produced by Aleksandra Hill, Zhui Ning Chang, Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Rowan Morrison, Sachiko Ragosta, Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Melissa Ren, Elaine Ho, Lilivette Domínguez, Jei D. Marcade, Jeané Ridges, Isaree Thatchaichawalit, Danai Christopoulou, M. L. Krishnan, Ysabella Maglanque, Aaron Voigt, Adil Mian, Alexandra Millatmal, E. Broderick, K. S. Walker, Katarzyna Nowacka, Katie McIvor, Kelsea Yu, Marie Croke, Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Phoebe Low, S. R. Westvik, Sara S. Messenger
Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; nonfiction editor Meg Elison; podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky.

As I expected, Uncanny makes its ninth consecutive appearance on the ballot. It has been nominated every year since it became eligible in 2016 and won seven times out of those eight previous nominations. Editors-in-chief, Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, are also co-finalists for Best Editor Short Form. Strange Horizons makes its twelfth consecutive appearance with zero wins. It was the only thing on my ballot in this category, and I am really hoping this is their year. Escape Pod returns for the sixth time. FIYAH also makes its sixth appearance and is the only semiprozine to break Uncanny’s streak by winning in 2021. GigaNotoSaurus was previously nominated in 2017, and khōréō also makes its second appearance returning from last year.

I’ll be back again soon with my initial thoughts on the remaining finalists. What do you think of these finalists? Did your favorites make the list?

2024 Hugo Finalists: Graphic Story, Related Work, Dramatic Presentation, and Game

Published on Thursday, April 18, 2024Friday, April 26, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Previously I took a look at this year’s Hugo finalists for novel, short fiction, and series. Now I’m finally back to look at graphic story, related work, dramatic presentation, and game finalists.

Best Graphic Story or Comic

Bea Wolf, written by Zach Weinersmith, art by Boulet (First Second)
Saga, Vol. 11 written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Shubeik Lubeik, Deena Mohamed (Pantheon); as Your Wish Is My Command (Granta)
三体漫画：第一部 / The Three Body Problem, Part One, adapted from the novels by 刘慈欣 (Liu Cixin), written by 蔡劲 (Cai Jin),戈闻頔 (Ge Wendi), and 薄暮 (Bo Mu), art by 草祭九日东 (Caojijiuridong) (Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House)
The Witches of World War II written by Paul Cornell, art by Valeria Burzo (TKO Studios LLC)
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, art by Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott (DC Comics)

Surprising that there is only one repeat finalist from a series, although I do enjoy Saga and was planning to read the latest volume at some point. I’m glad to see another Chinese finalist, an adaptation of Lin Cixin’s Hugo-winning novel, The Three Body Problem. Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons was on my own ballot. I look forward to reading the remaining three which all look good.

Best Related Work

All These Worlds: Reviews & Essays by Niall Harrison (Briardene Books)
中国科幻口述史, 第二卷, 第三卷，(Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, vols 2 and 3) ed. 杨枫 / Yang Feng (8-Light Minutes Culture & Chengdu Time Press)
A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith (Penguin Press; Particular Books)
The Culture: The Drawings, by Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
雨果X访谈 (Discover X), presented by 王雅婷 (Tina Wong)
A Traveller in Time: The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller, by Maureen Kincaid Speller, edited by Nina Allan (Luna Press Publishing)

All These Worlds, A City on Mars, and A Traveller in Time were all my own nominees. Zach Weinersmith, co-author of A City on Mars, is also a finalist (with artist Boulet) in Best Graphic Story. Volume 1 of Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History was a finalist last year. The Culture: The Drawings is a collection of annotated illustrations from Iain M. Banks’ personal notebooks on his series of books in the Culture setting. Discover X is a series of video interviews done for the 2023 Chengdu Worldcon. It also received enough votes to make the ballot in Best Fancast but was declared ineligible in that category because it is a professional production. Bigolas Dickolas Wolfwood declined a finalist spot for their promotional tweets about This Is How You Lose the Time War.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Barbie, screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, directed by Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Studios)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures)
Nimona, screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Annapurna Animations)
Poor Things, screenplay by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Element Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment / Avi Arad Productions / Lord Miller / Pascal Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation)
流浪地球2 / The Wandering Earth II, based on the novel by 刘慈欣 Liu Cixin, screenplay by 杨治学 Yang Zhixue, 郭帆 / Frant Gwo, 龚格尔 Gong Geer, and 叶濡畅 Ye Ruchang, script consultant 王红卫 Wang Hongwei, directed by 郭帆 / Frant Gwo (中影创意（北京）电影有限公司 / CFC Pictures Ltd, 郭帆（北京）影业有限公司 / G!Film (Beijing) Studio Co. Ltd, 北京登峰国际文化传播有限公司 / Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co, Ltd, 中国电影股份有限公司 / China Film Co. Ltd)

Barbie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were on my ballot. Nimona and Poor Things were both already on my watch list. The Wandering Earth II is available through my library on hoopla with English sub-titles. I understand that it is a prequel so watching the first one isn’t necessary. Barbie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Nimona, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are all also finalists for the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who: “The Giggle”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Chanya Button (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)
Loki: “Glorious Purpose”, screenplay by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron and Katharyn Blair, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Marvel / Disney+)
The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists”, written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Jonathan Frakes (CBS / Paramount+)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Subspace Rhapsody”, written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Dermott Downs (CBS / Paramount+)
Doctor Who: “Wild Blue Yonder”, written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Tom Kingsley (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television)

This category looks like old times with two episodes of Doctor Who and two episodes of a Star Trek show. An episode of Loki was previously nominated back in 2022. “Long, Long Time” from The Last of Us is also a finalist for the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation. I haven’t seen any of these yet although I was already planning to watch season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Therefore, obviously, nothing here was on my ballot.

Best Game or Interactive Work

Alan Wake 2, developed by Remedy Entertainment, published by Epic Games
Baldur’s Gate 3, produced by Larian Studios
Chants of Sennaar, developed by Rundisc, published by Focus Entertainment
DREDGE, developed by Black Salt Games, published by Team17
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, produced by Nintendo
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, developed by Respawn Entertainment, published by Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games

I’m happy for those that have been working to get this category on the Hugo ballot. I am a tiny bit disappointed that there isn’t anything here besides video games since the category was intentionally left open to any type of game. But I can hardly complain since I didn’t nominate anything myself. Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Chants of Sennaar, and DREDGE are all also finalists for the Nebula Award for Game Writing.

I’ll be back again with more of my initial thoughts on the finalists as I go through them. What do you think of these finalists? Did your favorites make the list?

The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard

Published on Sunday, April 14, 2024 by Laura1 Comment

This is an update to a post I did when The Universe of Xuya was previously a finalist for the Best Series Hugo in 2019.

The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard is one of the Best Series finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards. As this point, there are two novels and 33 pieces of short fiction (4 novellas, 13 novelettes, and 16 short stories). Since the main connection between them is the setting, they can pretty much be read independently and in any order. Take a look at the author’s webpage about the series for suggestions on where to start and background information.

First, here are the stories included on that page (in the order listed there) with publication info and award recognition received:

“The Jaguar House, in Shadow”, novelette, originally published in Asimov’s, Jul 2010; podcast available at StarShipSofa, No. 200 (audio only); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; finalist for the Hugo and Nebula awards
“Fleeing Tezcatlipoca”, novelette, in Space and Time, issue 111 (Summer 2010)
“The Lost Xuya Bride”, novelette, originally published in Interzone, issue 213 (Nov/Dec 2007); available online at the author’s website
“Butterfly, Falling at Dawn” (pdf), novelette, originally published in Interzone, issue 219 (Nov/Dec 2008); available online at International Speculative Fiction, 12 May 2015; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
“Starsong”, short story, originally published in Asimov’s, Aug 2012; available online at Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show, issue 48 (Nov 2015)
“Shipbirth”, short story, in Asimov’s, Feb 2011; Nebula Award finalist
“The Shipmaker”, short story, originally published in Interzone, issue 231 (Nov/Dec 2010); available online at Clarkesworld, issue 124 (Jan 2017); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois; BSFA Award winner
“Ship’s Brother”, short story, originally published in Interzone, issue 241 (Jul/Aug 2012); available online at Clarkesworld, issue 88 (Jan 2014); included in The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: Stories of the Xuya Universe collection (free ebook publicly available from the author’s Patreon); included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
“Two Sisters in Exile”, short story, originally published in Solaris Rising 1.5, edited by Ian Whates (Solaris 2012); available online at Clarkesworld, issue 153 (Jun 2019); included in Year’s Best SF 18, edited by David G. Hartwell
“Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight”, short story, originally published in Clarkesworld, issue 100 (Jan 2015); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection and The Very Best of the Best: 35 Years of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, both edited by Gardner Dozois; BSFA Award winner, finalist for the Eugie and Locus awards
“In Blue Lily’s Wake”, novelette, originally published in Meeting Infinity, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Solaris 2015); available online at Uncanny, issue 22 (May/Jun 2018); included in The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 1, edited by Neil Clarke
“Crossing the Midday Gate”, novelette, originally published in To Shape the Dark, edited by Athena Andreadis (Candlemark & Gleam 2016); available online at Lightspeed, issue 89 (Oct 2017)
“A Salvaging of Ghosts”, short story, originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, issue 195 (Mar 17, 2016); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Eleven, edited by Jonathan Strahan; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois; finalist for the Locus and WSFA Small Press awards
“Pearl”, novelette, originally published in The Starlit Wood, edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe (Saga 2016); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 2, edited by Neil Clarke; Locus Award finalist
“The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun”, short story, originally published in Cosmic Powers, edited by John Joseph Adams (Saga 2017); available online at Uncanny, issue 27 (Mar/Apr 2019); included in The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: Stories of the Xuya Universe collection (free ebook publicly available from the author’s Patreon); included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fifth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls, novella, originally published in Asimov’s, Oct/Nov 2015; reprinted as a standalone book (JABberwocky Literary Agency 2017); included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Third Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois; Locus Award finalist
“Scattered Along the River of Heaven”, short story, originally published in Clarkesworld, issue 64 (Jan 2012); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy: 2013 Edition, edited by Rich Horton; finalist for the Sturgeon and Locus awards
“Immersion”, short story, originally published in Clarkesworld, issue 69 (Jun 2012); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Seven, edited by Jonathan Strahan; winner of the Nebula and Locus awards; finalist for the BSFA, Hugo, and Sturgeon awards
On a Red Station, Drifting, novella, originally published as a limited edition hardcover (Immersion Press 2012), now available in ebook and paperback (self-published); finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards
“The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile”, short story, originally published in Subterranean Press Magazine, Spring 2014; included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Second Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
“The Weight of a Blessing”, short story, in Clarkesworld, issue 78 (Mar 2013)
“Memorials”, novelette, originally published in Asimov’s, Jan 2014; reprinted in Apex, issue 85 (Jun 2016); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; Locus Award finalist
“The Waiting Stars”, novelette, originally published in The Other Half of the Sky, edited by Athena Andreadis and Kay Holt (Candlemark & Gleam 2013); available online at the author’s website (also in epub and mobi); available online at Lightspeed, issue 70 (Mar 2016); available online at Clarkesworld, issue 129 (Jun 2017); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; included in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois; Nebula Award winner, finalist for the Hugo and Locus awards
“A Slow Unfurling of Truth”, novelette, originally published in Carbide Tipped Pens, edited by Ben Bova and Eric Choi (Tor 2014); reprinted in Shoreline of Infinity, issue 11 (Spring 2018)
“The Frost on Jade Buds”, novelette, originally published in Solaris Rising 3, edited by Ian Whates (Solaris 2014); included in The Dragon that Flew out of the Sun: Stories of the Xuya Universe collection (free ebook publicly available from the author’s Patreon)
“A Hundred and Seventy Storms”, short story, in Uncanny, issue 11 (Jul/Aug 2016)
The Tea Master and the Detective, novella, originally published as a limited edition hardcover (Subterranean Press 2018), now available in ebook (Subterranean Press / JABberwocky Literary Agency 2018) and paperback (JABberwocky Literary Agency 2019); winner of the Nebula and British Fantasy awards; finalist for the Hugo, Locus, and World Fantasy awards
Seven of Infinities, novella, originally published as a limited edition hardcover (Subterranean Press 2020), also available in ebook (Subterranean Press / JABberwocky Literary Agency 2020) and paperback (JABberwocky Literary Agency 2021); Locus Award finalist
“Rescue Party”, novelette, originally published in Mission Critical, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Solaris 2019); included in The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 5, edited by Neil Clarke
“The Breath of War”, short story, originally published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, issue 142 (Mar 6, 2014); included in the Of Wars, and Memories, and Starlight collection; Nebula Award finalist

The following works (in order of publication) are not included on her series page but are labeled as part of the Xuya Universe elsewhere on her website:

“First Presentation”, short story, in Chasing Shadows, edited by David Brin and Stephen W. Potts (Tor 2017)
“A Game of Three Generals”, short story, in Extrasolar, edited by Nick Gevers (PS Publishing 2017), also available as an ebook
“Mulberry and Owl”, novelette, originally published in Uncanny, issue 42 (Sep/Oct 2021); included in The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume 7, edited by Neil Clarke; Locus Awards finalist
The Red Scholar’s Wake, novel, available in hardcover (Gollancz 2022), ebook (Gollancz / JABberwocky Literary Agency 2022), and paperback (JABberwocky Literary Agency 2022 / Gollancz 2023); finalist for the BSFA, Clarke, and Locus awards
A Fire Born of Exile, novel, available in hardcover (Gollancz 2023), ebook (Gollancz / JABberwocky Literary Agency 2023), and paperback (JABberwocky Literary Agency 2023 / Gollancz 2024)

With many of the stories online, there’s quite a bit of available reading even without anything that may be included in the voters packet. Have you read any of these? Which ones do you recommend?

2024 Hugo Finalists: Novel, Short Fiction, and Series

Published on Monday, April 1, 2024Tuesday, April 9, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

The finalists for the 2024 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer were announced on Friday, March 29. The winners will be presented on Sunday, August 11, at Glasgow 2024, a Worldcon for Our Futures. Today I’m looking at the novel, short fiction, and series finalists.

Best Novel

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager UK)
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (Tor, Tor UK)
Translation State by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK)
Witch King by Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

Some Desperate Glory, Translation State, and Witch King were my own nominees. I was pretty certain Translation State would be a finalist. The Saint of Bright Doors, Translation State, and Witch King are Nebula finalists. The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi was the only one which did not make the Locus Recommended Reading List, but I’ve heard others recommend it. I was already planning to read the three that weren’t on my ballot. Martha Wells declined the nomination for System Collapse just as she did for its Nebula nomination. 天帆 (Cosmo Wings) by 江波 (Jiang Bo) was ruled ineligible because it was published in 2024.

Best Novella

“Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet”, He Xi / 人生不相见, 何夕, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older (Tordotcom)
Rose/House by Arkady Martine (Subterranean)
“Seeds of Mercury”, Wang Jinkang / 水星播种, 王晋康, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, Titan UK)

The Mimicking of Known Successes and Rose/House were on my ballot, and I was already planning to read Mammoths at the Gates and Thornhedge. Mammoths at the Gates, The Mimicking of Known Successes, and Thornhedge are also Nebula finalists. All four of the original English language works were on the Locus Recommended Reading List. I’m happy to see some Chinese finalists. I didn’t know if the Chinese fans who were eligible to nominate as members of last year’s Chengdu Worldcon would do so. I will wait to see if the Adventures in Space anthology is included in the Hugo voter packet. If not, the ebook is only five dollars.

Best Novelette

I AM AI by Ai Jiang (Shortwave)
“Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition”, Gu Shi /〈2181序曲〉再版导言, 顾适 translated by Emily Jin (Clarkesworld, February 2023)
“Ivy, Angelica, Bay” by C.L. Polk (Tor.com 8 December 2023)
“On the Fox Roads” by Nghi Vo (Tor.com 31 October 2023)
“One Man’s Treasure” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)
“The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2023)

All of these except I AM AI are available online. I AM AI is available at hoopla which I have access to through my library. “Ivy, Angelica, Bay” and “The Year Without Sunshine” were on my ballot. I have already read “Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition” and “One Man’s Treasure” as well. Nghi Vo is also on the ballot for Best Novella. I AM AI and “The Year Without Sunshine” are Nebula finalists. Everything except for “Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition” appeared on the Locus Recommended Reading List. 极北之地 (“The Far North”) by 海漄 (Hai Ya) received enough votes to be on the ballot, but the author declined the nomination. Hai Ya was the winner of the 2023 Best Novelette Hugo. They were also a potential finalist in the 2023 Best Short Story category, but the story was marked as ineligible with no explanation.

Best Short Story

“Answerless Journey”, Han Song / 没有答案的航程, 韩松, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023)
“How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub” by P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny Magazine, January-February 2023)
“The Mausoleum’s Children” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, May-June 2023)
“The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Magazine, October 2023)
美食三品 (“Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”), 宝树 / Baoshu (银河边缘013：黑域密室 / Galaxy’s Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain)

“Answerless Journey” is from the same Adventures in Space anthology that two of the novellas are from. I hope that an English translation will be provided for the other Chinese story. The four original English language stories are available online. I have read all of them except for “The Sound of Children Screaming”. I enjoyed all three, especially Naomi Kritzer’s story, but they didn’t make my personal ballot. Naomi Kritzer is also on the ballot for Best Novelette. “Better Living Through Algorithms” and “The Sound of Children Screaming” are both Nebula finalists. The only one of these four that was not on the Locus Recommended Reading List was “Better Living Through Algorithms”.

Best Series

The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie (Orbit US, Orbit UK)
The Last Binding by Freya Marske (Tordotcom, Tor UK)
The Laundry Files by Charles Stross (Tordotcom, Orbit UK)
October Daye by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
The Universe of Xuya by Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz; JABberwocky Literary Agency; Subterranean Press; Uncanny Magazine; et al.)

The Laundry Files and The Universe of Xuya were previously finalists in 2019. This is the fifth time that October Daye has been a finalist. The Last Binding, October Daye, and The Universe of Xuya were on my ballot. Imperial Radch should have been on my ballot, but somehow I didn’t think of it even though Best Novel finalist Translation State was one of my own nominees. I’m glad other people picked up my slack. Aliette de Bodard is also a finalist for Best Short Story although that story isn’t part of this series. I’ve read some of The Laundry Files from the last time it was a finalist. I look forward to The Final Architecture because I’ve really liked the other works I’ve read by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I’m also glad to see him get another chance at a Hugo that is untainted by the circumstances which affected his 2023 win.

I’ll be back with more of my initial thoughts on the finalists as I go through them. What do you think of these finalists? Did your favorites make the list?

My 2024 Hugo Nominations: Fan and Not-a-Hugo Categories

Published on Thursday, March 28, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Monday I shared my Hugo nominations for novel, short fiction, and series. Tuesday I talked about my picks for graphic story, related work, and dramatic presentation. Yesterday I looked at my choices in the editor, pro artist, and semiprozine categories. Today I’m wrapping up with the fan categories and the two awards which are voted on in conjunction with the Hugos.

BEST FANZINE

Camestros Felapton
Fantasy Book Critic
nerds of a feather, flock together
The Wertzone
Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog

Yes, to me a blog is a fanzine. Camestros Felapton has been a finalist for Best Fan Writer and Best Related Work. In addition to fannish news and reviews, his blog hosts a weekly open thread which acts a little like a fanzine letter column. Fantasy Book Critic is a group of book reviewers covering both traditionally published and self-published work. They are judges in Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off. Nerds of a feather is, of course, a six-time finalist and the 2021 winner in this category. They continue great work with both old and new contributors. The Wertzone is the long-running blog of 2020 fan writer finalist Adam Whitehead. He covers pretty much everything SFF: books, movies, tv shows, and games. The Hugo Book Club Blog is a three-time finalist in this category. They discuss previous Hugo finalists and consider potential future finalists.

BEST FANCAST

Kalanadi
Kitty G Books
SFF180
The Coode Street Podcast

I am not a regular podcast listener with the exception of Coode Street hosted by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe. They have been nominated a total of ten times in this category (every year but two since the category’s inception) winning in 2021. They continue to have great interviews and discussions. My other three nominees are all YouTube (BookTube) channels because I find it a lot easier to watch than just listen. Rachel’s Kalanadi has been a finalist twice previously. She actually stopped producing videos partway through 2023, but I felt there was still enough Hugo-worthy content to give her one last nomination. (She continues to be one of the rotating hosts of a monthly BookTube Stitch & Bitch live show.) Kitty G Books reviews mostly fantasy books including self-published and YA. She occasionally does kid book recommendations as well thanks to her two-year-old son. Thomas M. Wagner’s SFF180 celebrated its tenth anniversary last year. His channel features reviews of both new and classic SFF as well as the Monday Mailbag where he opens packages of new and upcoming books sent to him by publishers. He also does three massive videos of anticipated book releases in the upcoming year, one each for science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

BEST FAN WRITER

Abigail Nussbaum
Bonnie McDaniel
Maria Haskins
Marissa Lingen
Rich Horton

Since I could undoubtedly fill up this category with just the contributors at nerds of a feather and still have trouble narrowing it down to five, I decided not to do any overlap between my fan writer and fanzine nominations this year. Abigail Nussbaum has been a fan writer finalist twice and won once. Her reviews are insightful and in-depth. She also brings things to my attention that I don’t see covered elsewhere (at least until she mentioned it.) I’ve come to trust Bonnie McDaniel’s reviews as her taste seems to align fairly well with mine. Maria Haskins and Marissa Lingen are both SFF authors themselves as well as reviewers. Maria Haskins does a monthly round-up of recommended short fiction. Marissa Lingen does regular round-ups on pretty much everything she reads including long, short, and non-fiction along with some separate, longer reviews on individual works. Rich Horton is an anthologist and a long-time Locus reviewer. On his own blog, he reviews both classic SFF and newer work.

BEST FAN ARTIST

Alison Scott
Iain J Clark
Laya Rose
Marceline (@Marceline2174)
Sara Felix

I don’t often actually listen to Octothorpe (As I said above, just not really a podcast listener, sorry!), but I love seeing Alison Scott’s episode art. It’s just really cute and fun. She was a finalist for the first time in this category last year. Iain J Clark has been a fan artist finalist for the past four years. His work appeared in 2023 issues of the fanzines Salon Futura and Journey Planet. Laya Rose has been a fan artist finalist twice. She continues to post fan art based on some of my favorite works. Marceline was on last year’s Hugo longlist for fan artist. (And fan artist was one category where the 2023 nomination stats appear to be un-fucked with.) They caught my attention on Instagram with fan art based on Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb series. They also have original character art of a lesbian vampire and werewolf couple. Sara Felix has been a fan artist finalist four times with a win in 2021. She created art during 2023 for conventions and fanzines including Glasgow 2024 and Journey Planet.

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

Divine Rivals, Rebecca Ross (Wednesday)
Last Canto of the Dead, Daniel José Older (Hyperion)
The Stolen Heir, Holly Black (Little, Brown)
To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)
Unraveller, Frances Hardinge (Abrams)

Divine Rivals and To Shape a Dragon’s Breath have both gotten a lot of attention, and I believe they live up to the hype. Last Canto of the Dead is a sequel to Ballad & Dagger which I nominated last year. The Stolen Heir is the first book in a duology set in the same world as Holly Black’s previous Lodestar finalists, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. (Now that I think of it, that is something else I could have nominated for the Best Series Hugo.) Unraveller had a 2022 publication date in the UK but was not released in the US until 2023. I was surprised not to see it on last year’s ballot since Frances Hardinge has also been a Lodestar finalist twice before. Hopefully, it will get a second chance this year.

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER

Angela Liu
Judy I. Lin
Kelsey Hutton
Naseem Jamnia
R.T. Ester

I believe all of these writers are in their second year of eligibility. Angela Liu, Kelsey Hutton, and R.T. Ester impressed me with their short fiction. Judy I. Lin is the author of The Book of Tea duology. I nominated her last year for the Astounding Award and also nominated the first book in her duology, A Magic Steeped in Poison, for the Lodestar Award. Naseem Jamnia is the author of The Bruising of Qilwa and was a finalist for the Astounding Award last year.

Looking forward to the finalist announcement at 3pm GMT (UTC +0) tomorrow March 29th! What are you hoping to see on the ballot?

My 2024 Hugo Nominations: Editor, Pro Artist, and Semiprozine

Published on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Monday I shared my Hugo nominations for novel, short fiction, and series. Yesterday I talked about my picks for graphic story, related work, and dramatic presentation. Today I’m looking at my choices in the editor, pro artist, and semiprozine categories.

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM

Arley Sorg and Christie Yant
Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner
Neil Clarke
Scott H. Andrews
Sheree Renée Thomas

These are the editors of some of my favorite and most frequently read SFF magazines. Arley Sorg and Christie Yant were co-editors of Fantasy Magazine which published its last issue in October 2023. Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner were co-editors of the first three of Apex Magazine’s six regular issues last year. (Lesley Conner continues as sole editor-in-chief of the magazine while Jason Sizemore focuses on Apex Books.) Neil Clarke is, of course, editor of Clarkesworld and winner in this category for the past two years after nine previous nominations. Scott H. Andrews is the editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies and received his first nomination in this category last year. He recused Beneath Ceaseless Skies from further consideration for Best Semiprozine after its tenth consecutive nomination in that category in 2022. Last, but certainly not least, Sheree Renée Thomas is the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction which began its 75th year of publication at the end of last year.

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM

Jenni Hill
Lee Harris
Miriam Weinberg
Priyanka Krishnan
Ruoxi Chen

These are the editors of my Best Novel nominees. Priyanka Krishnan and Jenni Hill edited Translation State by Ann Leckie. Lee Harris edited Witch King by Martha Wells. Miriam Weinberg edited Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Ruoxi Chen edited both Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh and The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang.

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

Cynthia Sheppard
Dan dos Santos
Greg Ruth
Tommy Arnold
Tran Nguyen

These are the pro artists whose work stood out for me last year. Cynthia Sheppard did the cover art for Witch King by Martha Wells. Dan dos Santos did the cover art for Warrior of the Wind by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. Greg Ruth did the cover art for Like Thunder by Nnedi Okorafor. Tommy Arnold did the cover art for The Faithless by C.L. Clark. And Tran Nguyen did the cover art for The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu.

BEST SEMIPROZINE

Strange Horizons

There are three semiprozines that I regularly read and enjoy: Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, and Uncanny Magazine. As I mentioned above, Beneath Ceaseless Skies is no longer accepting nominations. While Uncanny continues to be great, it has been nominated every single year that it has been eligible and won seven times out of those eight nominations. On the other hand, Strange Horizons has been nominated for the past eleven consecutive years now and never won. I really want this to finally be Strange Horizons’ year, and I’m pretty sure Uncanny will manage to be on the ballot without my help anyway.

See you tomorrow with the rest of my choices! What were your favorites in these categories?

My 2024 Hugo Nominations: Graphic Story, Related Work, and Dramatic Presentation

Published on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Yesterday I shared my Hugo nominations for the first five categories, and today I’m looking at the next five. I didn’t get as much read or watched as I would have liked partly because of the distraction from the issues with last year’s Hugos which were revealed right before nominations opened for this year. I had to remind myself that looking for award worthy stuff and deciding what to nominate is really the fun part that no later drama can really take away. Here are some more of my favorites from what I did get to:

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC

Batman – One Bad Day: Catwoman, G. Willow Wilson and Jamie McKelvie (DC Comics)
Earthdivers Vol. 1: Kill Columbus, Stephen Graham Jones and Davide Gianfelice (IDW)
Love Everlasting Vol. 1, Tom King and Elsa Charretier (Image)
The Last Count of Monte Cristo, Ayize Jama-Everett and Tristan Roach (Abrams)
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott (DC Comics)

While I continue to enjoy the series that have gotten repeat nominations (and some repeat wins) for this category, I try to look just a little further afield for my nominations. Some of the creators here are still familiar names. If we see something beyond the usual suspects on the ballot, I think Wonder Woman Historia is the most likely one of these.

BEST RELATED WORK

A City on Mars, Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith (Penguin)
A Traveller in Time, Maureen Kincaid Speller (Luna Press)
All These Worlds, Niall Harrison (Briardene)
Fear of Seeing: A Poetics of Chinese Science Fiction, Mingwei Song (Columbia University Press)
Follow Me: Religion in Fantasy and Science Fiction, Francesca T Barbini (Luna Press)

I always like reading SFF related non-fiction books. I was particularly excited for the review collections A Traveller in Time and All These Worlds, and I especially hope to see Maureen Kincaid Speller’s make the ballot.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

Asteroid City (Focus Features)
Barbie (Warner Bros.)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount)
LOLA (Cowtown Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)

LOLA was one of three movies which received eligibility extensions at last year’s WSFS Business Meeting. I usually try to take a look at the works which receive these extensions if they seem interesting and I am able to access them. I suspect you may have heard of my other nominations. I’ll be very surprised if Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, sequel to Hugo winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, isn’t on the ballot.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM

“Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore”, The Mandalorian (Lucasfilm)
“Fight or Flight”, Carnival Row (Amazon Studios)
“Part Five: Shadow Warrior”, Ahsoka (Lucasfilm)
“The Last Generation”, Star Trek: Picard (CBS Studios)
“What Was Meant to Be”, The Wheel of Time (Amazon Studios)

I imagine that most of the things which are likely to be on the ballot here are shows I haven’t seen yet. In particular, I haven’t watched The Last of Us, and I’ve heard a lot of talk about the episode “Long, Long Time”. I never played the video game and zombie apocalypse is not my cup of tea. But it seems like I should give the show a try anyway.

BEST GAME OR INTERACTIVE WORK

No nominations from me for this category since I haven’t a clue. I’m still looking forward to finding out what makes the ballot here. The special category which was run in 2021 was for Best Video Game, but this new ongoing category is for any type of game or interactive work. I’ll be curious to see if any outside-the-box sort of things get nominated.

See you tomorrow with more of my picks. What were your favorites in these categories?

My 2024 Hugo Nominations: Novel, Short Fiction, and Series

Published on Monday, March 25, 2024Friday, March 29, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

Nominations for this year’s Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer closed on March 9, 2024. The finalists will be announced Friday, March 29, at Levitation, the UK National Convention (Eastercon), taking place in Telford, UK. The announcement is scheduled for 3 pm GMT (UTC +0) immediately following their opening ceremony. Details of the final ballot process will be announced during April. The awards will be presented at a ceremony taking place on Sunday evening, August 11, during Glasgow 2024, the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). They are also planning to provide free online streaming of the ceremony.

While I got most of my nominations in the evening before nominations closed, I was able to fill in some more that morning and received my final confirmation about 10 minutes before voting closed at 11 am in my time zone. Here is what I submitted for the first five categories:

BEST NOVEL

Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (Tordotcom)
Starling House, Alix E. Harrow (Tor)
The Water Outlaws, S.L. Huang (Tordotcom)
Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit)
Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

All of these were books I was really looking forward to before they came out, and all of them lived up to my high expectations. I feel like Translation State is the most likely to make the ballot, but I was pleased to see Witch King and The Water Outlaws were also Nebula finalists.

BEST NOVELLA

Rose/House, Arkady Martine (Subterranean)
The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom)
The Lies of the Ajungo, Moses Ose Utomi (Tordotcom)
The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older (Tordotcom)
The Navigating Fox, Christopher Rowe (Tordotcom)

Out of these, I think The Mimicking of Known Successes is getting the most attention, although The Crane Husband also got a Nebula nomination.

BEST NOVELETTE

“Ivy, Angelica, Bay”, C.L. Polk (Tor.com, 8 Dec 2023)
“John Hollowback and the Witch”, Amal El-Mohtar (The Book of Witches, Jonathan Strahan, Harper Voyager)
“Saturday’s Song”, Wole Talabi (Lightspeed 156, May 2023)
“The Year Without Sunshine”, Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny 55, Nov/Dec 23)
“What the Mountain Takes, What the Journey Offers”, Jae Steinbacher (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 374, 26 Jan 2023)

I managed to pick two more Nebula finalists here: “Saturday’s Song” and “The Year Without Sunshine”. I could see Naomi Kritzer making an appearance either in this category or for her short story Nebula finalist “Better Living Through Algorithms”.

BEST SHORT STORY

“A Name is a Plea and a Prophecy”, Gabrielle Emem Harry (Strange Horizons, 14 Aug 2023)
“Brincando Charcos (Jumping Puddles)”, Ben Francisco (Strange Horizons, 30 Oct 23)
“Constant Ivan and Clever Natalya”, M.A. Carrick (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 373, 12 Jan 2023)
“Fandom for Witches”, Ruoxi Chen (Fantasy 96, Oct 2023)
“The Big Glass Box and the Boys Inside”, Isabel J. Kim (Apex 135, Jan 2023)

No overlap with the Nebula ballot for me here. I would like to see last year’s Astounding Award finalist Isabel J. Kim make the ballot. She also had a couple Clarkesworld stories that I heard people mention nominating.

BEST SERIES

InCryptid, Seanan McGuire (Backpacking Through Bedlam)
October Daye, Seanan McGuire (Sleep No More / The Innocent Sleep)
The Craft Sequence, Max Gladstone (Dead Country)
The Last Binding, Freya Marske (A Power Unbound)
The Universe of Xuya, Aliette de Bodard (A Fire Born of Exile)

Yes, I nominated four previous finalists which have enough new material to be eligible again. I think they are all still worthy. Although, if I had thought of it, I would probably have nominated Ann Leckie’s Imperial Radch series instead of both of Seanan McGuire’s series. I’ve heard quite a few people mention The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky, but I haven’t read that yet.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more of my choices. What were your favorites in these categories?

2024 Nebula Awards Finalists

Published on Saturday, March 16, 2024 by LauraLeave a comment

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced the 59th Annual Nebula Awards finalists for works published in 2023. I’m pleased to see some of my Hugo nominees as well as one of my Astounding and one of my Lodestar nominees.

Nebula Award for Novel

The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
The Water Outlaws, S.L. Huang (Tordotcom; Solaris UK)
Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK)
Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, Wole Talabi (DAW, Gollancz)
Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

The Water Outlaws, Translation State, and Witch King were on my Hugo Award ballot. I’ve heard great things about the other three and would be happy to see any of them as Hugo finalists as well. Martha Wells declined a nomination for System Collapse. She has previously declined recent nominations for the Murderbot Diaries as they have already received multiple accolades.

Nebula Award for Novella

The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom)
“Linghun”, Ai Jiang (Linghun)
Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee (Tordotcom)
The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older (Tordotcom)
Mammoths at the Gates, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

From here I had The Crane Husband and The Mimicking of Known Successes on my Hugo ballot. The novellas from T. Kingfisher, Fonda Lee, and Nghi Vo are all ones I want to read. I’ll have to add Ai Jiang’s to my list as I’ve enjoyed the other stories I’ve read by her.

Nebula Award for Novelette

“A Short Biography of a Conscious Chair”, Renan Bernardo (Samovar 2/23)
I Am AI, Ai Jiang (Shortwave)
“The Year Without Sunshine”, Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny 11-12/23)
“Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon”, Angela Liu (Clarkesworld 6/23)
“Saturday’s Song”, Wole Talabi (Lightspeed 5/23)
“Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 9-10/23)

Ai Jiang makes her second appearance on this ballot. Another two of my Hugo nominees show up here: “The Year Without Sunshine” and “Saturday’s Song”. I nominated Angela Liu for the Astounding Award although I haven’t read this particular story yet. I also haven’t gotten to Eugenia Triantafyllou’s story although I’ve really liked other stories by her. Finally, Renan Bernardo’s story is very touching and was translated from Portuguese by the author. (The original language version can be found in that same issue of Samovar as well.)

Nebula Award for Short Story

“Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont”, P.A. Cornell (Fantasy 10/23)
“Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200”, R.S.A Garcia (Uncanny 7-8/23)
“Window Boy”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 8/23)
“The Sound of Children Screaming”, Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare 10/23)
“Better Living Through Algorithms”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 5/23)
“Bad Doors”, John Wiswell (Uncanny 1-2/23)

Naomi Kritzer gets a second nod here. Her story was a favorite although I didn’t nominate this one. On the other hand, John Wiswell’s story didn’t work for me even though I normally find his stories very charming. The remaining Clarkesworld, Fantasy, and Uncanny stories are still waiting on my ereader. Not being a big horror fan, I seldom read Nightmare, but maybe I’ll make an exception for this finalist.

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)
The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern, J. Dianne Dotson (Android)
Liberty’s Daughter, Naomi Kritzer (Fairwood)
The Ghost Job, Greg van Eekhout (Harper)

Naomi Kritzer appears here for a third time. I haven’t read this book, but I recognize the Seastead setting from a series of stories published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. I nominated To Shape a Dragon’s Breath for the Lodestar Award. I hadn’t previously seen the other two books, but I’m far from the target audience so that’s unsurprising.

Nebula Award for Game Writing

The Bread Must Rise, Stewart C Baker, James Beamon (Choice of Games)
Alan Wake II, Sam Lake, Clay Murphy, Tyler Burton Smith, Sinikka Annala (Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games Publishing)
Ninefox Gambit: Machineries of Empire Roleplaying Game, Yoon Ha Lee, Marie Brennan (Android)
Dredge, Joel Mason (Black Salt Games, Team 17)
Chants of Sennaar, Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment)
Baldur’s Gate 3, Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corcoran, Kevin VanOrd, Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruairí Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney, Swen Vincke (Larian Studios)

Not much to say here since I’m not a gamer. I did love Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire books which the Ninefox Gambit RPG is based on, and Marie Brennan is another favorite author. I will still be interested in seeing if there is any overlap with the new Best Game or Interactive Work Hugo Award.

Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Nimona, Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Keith Bunin, Nate Stevenson (Annapurna Animation, Annapurna Pictures)
The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (HBOMax)
Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros., Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio, Chris McKay (Paramount Pictures, Entertainment One, Allspark Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad Productions)
The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli, Toho Company)

Barbie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were on my Hugo ballot. I haven’t seen the others yet.

Winners will be present at a ceremony on June 8th at 8pm Pacific Time during the Nebula Conference in Pasadena, California. What do you think of these finalists? Did you nominate any of them for a Hugo?

2023 Hugo Awards: Final Voting Statistics

Published on Sunday, December 3, 2023 by LauraLeave a comment

The final voting statistics for the 2023 Hugo Awards, Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and Astounding Award for Best New Writer are now available from The Hugo Awards website and File 770. Statistics from the nomination stage are still forthcoming.

Here is how the finalists placed: