2023 Hugo Nominations

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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 April 30, 2023.  The finalists should be announced some time later in May.  The winners will be presented at the Chengdu Worldcon, currently scheduled for October 18-22, 2023.

This year I actually got my nominations in a whole week ahead of time.  Partly thanks to nominations closing later then usual.  But mainly because I had a family vacation starting in the last week of April and I wanted to have my ballot completed before I left.  Here is what I submitted:

BEST NOVEL

  • Babel, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)
  • Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (Tor)
  • The Mountain in the Sea, Ray Nayler (MCD)
  • The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
  • The Spear Cuts Through Water, Simon Jimenez (Del Rey)

BEST NOVELLA

  • All the Horses of Iceland, Sarah Tolmie (Tordotcom)
  • Even Though I Knew the End, C.L. Polk (Tordotcom)
  • High Times in the Low Parliament, Kelly Robson (Tordotcom)
  • Servant Mage, Kate Elliott (Tordotcom)
  • Spear, Nicola Griffith (Tordotcom)

BEST NOVELETTE

  • “Forte”, Samuel Chapman, Beneath Ceaseless Skies 358 (16 Jun 2022)
  • “Merry in Time”, Kathleen Jennings, Beneath Ceaseless Skies 352 (24 Mar 2022)
  • “The Prince of Salt and the Ocean’s Bargain”, Natalia Theodoridou, Uncanny 48 (Sep/Oct 2022)
  • “Two Hands, Wrapped in Gold”, S.B. Divya, Uncanny 46 (May/Jun 2022)
  • “Your Eyes, My Beacon: Being an Account of Several Misadventures and How I Found My Way Home”, C.L. Clark, Uncanny 46 (May/Jun 2022)

BEST SHORT STORY

  • “Lily, the Immortal”, Kylie Lee Baker, Uncanny 44 (Jan/Feb 2022)
  • “Plausible Realities, Improbable Dreams”, Isabel J. Kim, Lightspeed 141 (Feb 2022)
  • “Rabbit Test”, Samantha Mills, Uncanny 49 (Nov/Dec 2022)
  • “The First Promise We Break”, Risa Wolf, Apex 130 (Mar 2022)
  • “The Honest Fox, or, A Truth Shared is Not a Truth Lost”, P H Lee, Lightspeed 141 (Feb 2022)

BEST SERIES

  • Incryptid, Seanan McGuire, Spelunking Through Hell (DAW)
  • October Daye, Seanan McGuire, Be the Serpent (DAW)
  • The Locked Tomb, Tamsyn Muir, Nona the Ninth (Tordotcom)
  • The Mistborn Saga, Brandon Sanderson, The Lost Metal (Tor)
  • The Scholomance, Naomi Novik, The Golden Enclaves (Del Rey)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY

  • Eat the Rich, Sarah Gailey and Pius Bak (BOOM!)
  • Step by Bloody Step, Si Spurrier and Mathías Bergara (Image)
  • The Keeper, Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, and Marco Finnegan (Abrams)
  • The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Ram V and Filipe Andrade (BOOM!)
  • The Night Eaters, Book 1: She Eats the Night, Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Abrams)

BEST RELATED WORK

  • Bridging Worlds, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Jembefola)
  • Cosplay: A History, Andrew Liptak (Saga Press)
  • Fantasy: How It Works, Brian Attebery (Oxford University Press)
  • Story Matrices, Gillian Polack (Luna Press Publishing)
  • Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes, Rob Wilkins (Doubleday)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

  • Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
  • Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
  • Nope (Universal Pictures)
  • Prey (20th Century Studios)
  • The Northman (Focus Features)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM

  • Andor: “One Way Out” (Lucasfilm)
  • House of the Dragon: “The Lord of the Tides” (HBO)
  • Westworld: “Que Será, Será” (HBO)
  • The Peripheral: “The Doodad” (Amazon)
  • His Dark Materials: “The Botanic Garden” (BBC/HBO)

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM

  • Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner
  • John Joseph Adams
  • Neil Clarke
  • Scott H. Andrews
  • Sheree Renée Thomas

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM

  • Claire Eddy
  • David Pomerico
  • Lindsey Hall
  • Sarah Peed
  • Sean McDonald

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

  • Dan dos Santos
  • Greg Ruth
  • Magali Villenueve
  • Micah Epstein
  • Tommy Arnold

BEST SEMIPROZINE

  • Strange Horizons
  • Uncanny Magazine

BEST FANZINE

  • Camestros Felapton
  • Fantasy Book Critic
  • Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
  • The Wertzone
  • Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog

BEST FANCAST

  • Kalanadi
  • Kitty G
  • SFF180
  • The Coode Street Podcast

BEST FAN WRITER

  • Adam Whitehead
  • Arturo Serrano
  • Bonnie McDaniel
  • Camestros Felapton
  • Lis Carey

BEST FAN ARTIST

  • Alison Scott
  • Laya Rose
  • Marceline2174
  • Phoenix Data Art
  • Rosiethorns88

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

  • A Magic Steeped in Poison, Judy I. Lin (Feiwel & Friends)
  • Ballad & Dagger, Daniel José Older (Hyperion)
  • Rust in the Root, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)
  • The Luminaries, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen)
  • Together We Burn, Isabel Ibañez (Wednesday)

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER

  • Everina Maxwell
  • Isabel J. Kim
  • Judy I. Lin
  • Kylie Lee Baker
  • Xiran Jay Zhao

What were your favorites from 2022?

2022 Hugo Awards: My Final Ballot

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The winners of the 2022 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer will be announced one week from today at the Hugo Award Ceremony at Chicon 8 on September 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. CDT (UTC-5).  Here’s how I personally ranked the finalists:

Best Novel

  1. She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan (Tor / Mantle)
  2. A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine (Tor)
  3. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, by Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager / Hodder & Stoughton)
  4. Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki (Tor)
  5. Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (Ballantine / Del Rey)
  6. A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom / Orbit UK)

Best Novella

  1. A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
  2. Across the Green Grass Fields, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)
  3. Elder Race, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
  4. Fireheart Tiger, by Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom)
  5. The Past Is Red, by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)
  6. A Spindle Splintered, by Alix E. Harrow (Tordotcom)

Best Novelette

  1. “Colors of the Immortal Palette”, by Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
  2. “Bots of the Lost Ark”, by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021)
  3. “Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.”, by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, May/Jun 2021)
  4. L’Esprit de L’Escalier, by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)
  5. “That Story Isn’t the Story”, by John Wiswell (Uncanny Magazine, Nov/Dec 2021)
  6. “O2 Arena”, by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Galaxy’s Edge, Nov 2021)

Best Short Story

  1. “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
  2. “Mr. Death”, by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, Feb 2021)
  3. “Proof by Induction”, by José Pablo Iriarte (Uncanny Magazine, May/Jun 2021)
  4. “Tangles”, by Seanan McGuire (Magicthegathering.com: Magic Story, Sep 2021)
  5. “Unknown Number”, by Blue Neustifter (Twitter, Jul 2021)
  6. “The Sin of America”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)

Best Series

  1. Wayward Children, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)
  2. The Green Bone Saga, by Fonda Lee (Orbit)
  3. The Kingston Cycle, by C. L. Polk (Tordotcom)
  4. The World of the White Rat, by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) (Argyll Productions)
  5. Terra Ignota, by Ada Palmer (Tor Books)
  6. Merchant Princes, by Charles Stross (Tor UK / Tor)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

  1. Monstress, vol. 6: The Vow, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
  2. DIE, vol. 4: Bleed, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image)
  3. Once & Future, vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies, written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain (BOOM!)
  4. Lore Olympus, vol. 1, by Rachel Smythe (Del Rey)
  5. Far Sector, written by N.K. Jemisin, art by Jamal Campbell (DC)
  6. Strange Adventures, written by Tom King, art by Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner (DC)

Best Related Work

  1. Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985, edited by Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre (PM Press)
  2. True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, by Abraham Riesman (Crown)
  3. The Complete Debarkle: Saga of a Culture War, by Camestros Felapton (Camestros Felapton)
  4. Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism, by Elsa Sjunneson (Tiller Press)
  5. Never Say You Can’t Survive, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tordotcom)
  6. “How Twitter can ruin a life”, by Emily St. James (Vox, Jun 2021)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

  1. Dune, screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth; directed by Denis Villeneuve; based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert (Warner Bros / Legendary Entertainment)
  2. The Green Knight, written and directed by David Lowery (BRON Studios/A24)
  3. Space Sweepers, screenplay by Jo Sung-hee, Yookang Seo-ae, and Yoon Seung-min; directed by Jo Sung-hee (Bidangil Pictures)
  4. WandaVision, screenplay by Peter Cameron, Mackenzie Dohr, Laura Donney, Bobak Esfarjani, Megan McDonnell, Jac Schaeffer (created by and head writer), Cameron Squires, Gretchen Enders, Chuck Hayward; directed by Matt Shakman (Disney+)
  5. Encanto, screenplay by Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush; directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, screenplay by Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham; directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

  1. The Expanse: “Nemesis Games”, written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, and Naren Shankar; directed by Breck Eisner (Amazon Studios)
  2. Star Trek: Lower Decks: “wej Duj”, written by Kathryn Lyn, directed by Bob Suarez (CBS Eye Animation Productions)
  3. The Wheel of Time: “The Flame of Tar Valon”, written by Justine Juel Gillmer, directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield, based on The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (Amazon Studios)
  4. Loki: “The Nexus Event”, written by Eric Martin, directed by Kate Herron, created for television by Michael Waldron (Disney+)
  5. For All Mankind: “The Grey”, written by Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi; directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Tall Ship Productions/Sony Pictures Television)
  6. Arcane: “The Monster You Created”, written by Christian Linke and Alex Yee; story by Christian Linke, Alex Yee, Conor Sheehy, and Ash Brannon; directed by Pascal Charrue and Arnaud Delord (Netflix)

Best Editor, Short Form

  1. Sheree Renée Thomas
  2. Neil Clarke
  3. Jonathan Strahan
  4. Sheila Williams
  5. Mur Lafferty & S.B. Divya
  6. Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

Best Editor, Long Form

  1. Ruoxi Chen
  2. Brit Hvide
  3. Navah Wolfe
  4. Nivia Evans
  5. Sarah T. Guan
  6. Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Best Professional Artist

  1. Tommy Arnold
  2. Alyssa Winans
  3. Ashley Mackenzie
  4. Maurizio Manzieri
  5. Rovina Cai
  6. Will Staehle

Best Semiprozine

  1. Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing/poetry editor Chimedum Ohaegbu; nonfiction editor Elsa Sjunneson; podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
  2. Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
  3. Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Kwan-Ann Tan, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, Tom Borger, S. K. Campbell, Emma Celi, Zhui Ning Chang, Rita Chen, Tania Chen, Liz Christman, Emma-Grace Clarke, Linda H. Codega, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Belen Edwards, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Colette Grecco, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Amanda Jean, Jamie Johnson, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Kat Kourbeti, Catherine Krahe, Anna Krepinsky, Clayton Kroh, Natasha Leullier, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Sarah Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Juliana Pinho, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Abbey Schlanz, Elijah Rain Smith, Alyn Spector, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Sonia Sulaiman, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, and The Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
  4. FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L Wiggins; executive editor DaVaun Sanders; managing editor Eboni Dunbar; poetry editor B. Sharise Moore; reviews editor and social media manager Brent Lambert; art director L. D. Lewis; web editor Chavonne Brown; non-fiction editor Margeaux Weston; guest editors Summer Farah and Nadia Shammas; acquiring editors Kaleb Russell, Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Joshua Morley, Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, Danny Lore; technical assistant Nelson Rolon
  5. PodCastle, co-editors Jen R. Albert, C. L. Clark, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, and Eleanor R. Wood; assistant editors Summer Fletcher and Sofía Barker; audio producer Peter Adrian Behravesh; host Matt Dovey; and the entire PodCastle team
  6. Escape Pod, editors S.B. Divya, Mur Lafferty, and Valerie Valdes; assistant editors Benjamin C. Kinney and Premee Mohamed; guest editor Brent C. Lambert; hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart; audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team

Best Fanzine

  1. Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne
  2. Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
  3. Small Gods, Lee Moyer (Icon) and Seanan McGuire (Story)
  4. Journey Planet, edited by Erin Underwood, Jean Martin, Sara Felix, Vanessa Applegate, Chuck Serface, Errick Nunnally, Evan Reeves, Steven H Silver, James Bacon and Christopher J Garcia
  5. Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus; editor Janice L. Newman; associate writers Gwyn Conaway, Jason Sacks, and John Boston
  6. The Full Lid, by Alasdair Stuart and Marguerite Kenner

Best Fancast

  1. Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske, and Jennifer Mace
  2. Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Cass Morris, Rowenna Miller, and Marshall Ryan Maresca
  3. Hugo, Girl!, hosts Haley Zapal, Amy Salley, and Lori Anderson; producer/editor Kevin Anderson
  4. Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
  5. The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan producer
  6. Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders, produced by Veronica Simonetti

Best Fan Writer

  1. Cora Buhlert
  2. Paul Weimer
  3. Jason Sanford
  4. Chris M. Barkley
  5. Alex Brown
  6. Bitter Karella

Best Fan Artist

  1. Iain J. Clark
  2. Ariela Housman
  3. Sara Felix
  4. Nilah Magruder
  5. Lee Moyer
  6. Lorelei Esther

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)

  1. Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao (Penguin Teen / Rock the Boat)
  2. A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  3. The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey Books)
  4. Chaos on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer (Tor Teen)
  5. Redemptor, by Jordan Ifueko (Amulet Books / Hot Key Books)
  6. Victories Greater Than Death, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen / Titan)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo)

  1. Micaiah Johnson (2nd year of eligibility)
  2. Shelley Parker-Chan (1st year of eligibility)
  3. Xiran Jay Zhao (1st year of eligibility)
  4. Tracy Deonn (2nd year of eligibility)
  5. Everina Maxwell (1st year of eligibility)
  6. A.K. Larkwood (2nd year of eligibility)

Which finalists are you hoping to see take home shiny trophies?

2022 Hugo Voters Packet

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The 2022 Hugo Voters Packet is currently available to members of Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention, until close of voting on August 11th.  Many thanks to the finalists who have shared materials for the consideration of Hugo voters and to the Hugo administrators for putting it all together!

On the download page, each category has a ZIP file except for Best Fancast which has been divided into two parts due to size.  Inside each ZIP file is a table of contents in PDF format detailing the material provided for that category.  Note that updates were made after the original release in the following categories:  Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Editor: Short Form, Best Editor: Long Form, and Best Fancast (File 770 has the details).

In the following breakdown, I have noted the main items included next to each category name and added links where work is available online to everyone.  At the very bottom is a summary totaling all of these items.   I’m pleased to see most finalists provided information on their eligible work and in many cases the full work itself.  Of particular note is the complete nominated episode for one of the Short Form Best Dramatic Presentation finalists as well as work included for both Short and Long Form Best Editor categories.

Where I found formatting issues, I have put an asterisk next to the affected file types and added some notes on the problems.  These are typically caused by an automatic conversion from a fixed format (PDF) to a reflowable format (EPUB, MOBI).  In many cases, it’s just distracting.  In a few, they are rendered pretty much unreadable.

The books accessed through NetGalley links are DRM protected.  The easiest way to read these is with the NetGalley Shelf app for Android or iOS.  To read on Kindle devices or mobile apps, you will need to add your device’s email address to your NetGalley profile and set kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email to receive files from in your Amazon account.  The book will be available to download to any other Kindle device or mobile app logged into your Amazon account, but DRM will tie that copy to the device or app it is downloaded to.  To read on your computer or other ereaders and apps, choose the “Download Protected EPUB” option.  You will need to install Adobe Digital Editions and authorize it with an Adobe ID.  Here the DRM will allow you to read on any device or app authorized with the same Adobe ID.  Both these and the books accessed through the NetGalley Shelf app are set to expire 55 days after downloading.  If needed, you can download books again up until the archive date set by the publisher.  All are available until the voting deadline.  See NetGalley’s device guide for more details.

Please let me know if you find any errors or omissions.  For issues with the packet, email hugo-help@chicon.org.  Happy reading, watching, listening, and viewing!

BEST NOVEL (6 novels)

  • A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine (Tor)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, by Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager / Hodder & Stoughton)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Light From Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki (Tor)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom / Orbit UK)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also in Ruoxi Chen’s packet for Best Editor, Long Form (same EPUB, no MOBI, PDF with cover and without printer marks)
  • Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir (Ballantine / Del Rey)
    • full novel (watermarked PDF)
  • She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan (Tor / Mantle)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • same files also in Shelley Parker-Chan’s packet for the Astounding Award

BEST NOVELLA (6 novellas)

  • Across the Green Grass Fields, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • same files also available in Seanan McGuire’s packet for Best Series
  • Elder Race, by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*some ereaders may cut off paragraphs in the double-column “Nyr and Lynesse” chapter]
  • Fireheart Tiger, by Aliette de Bodard (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF]
  • The Past Is Red, by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • A Spindle Splintered, by Alix E. Harrow (Tordotcom)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

BEST NOVELETTE (6 novelettes)

  • “Bots of the Lost Ark”, by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, Jun 2021)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in Neil Clarke’s sampler for Best Editor, Short Form
  • “Colors of the Immortal Palette”, by Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
    • full novelette and author interview (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine
  • L’Esprit de L’Escalier, by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)
    • full novelette (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF]
  • “O2 Arena”, by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Galaxy’s Edge, Nov 2021)
    • full novelette (DOCX, EPUB, MOBI*, PDF) [*missing blank line between paragraphs]
  • “That Story Isn’t the Story”, by John Wiswell (Uncanny Magazine, Nov/Dec 2021)
    • full novelette and author interview (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine
  • “Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.”, by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, May/Jun 2021)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine

BEST SHORT STORY (6 short stories)

  • “Mr. Death”, by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, Feb 2021)
    • full short story (PDF)
  • “Proof by Induction”, by José Pablo Iriarte (Uncanny Magazine, May/Jun 2021)
    • full short story and author interview (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine
  • “The Sin of America”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine
  • “Tangles”, by Seanan McGuire (Magicthegathering.com: Magic Story, Sep 2021)
    • full short story (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*missing the 2 scene break indicators]
    • online story has illustrations
  • “Unknown Number”, by Blue Neustifter (Twitter, Jul 2021)
    • full short story (AZW3*, EPUB*, double-page PDF) [*converted from PDF]
    • online versions have text in addition to the screen images
  • “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Mar/Apr 2021)
    • full short story and author interview (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • also included in the Uncanny Magazine sampler for Best Semiprozine

BEST SERIES (5 novels, 1 novel excerpt, 1 novella)

  • The Green Bone Saga, by Fonda Lee (Orbit)
    • Jade City (book 1 of 3), novel excerpt, chapters 1-11 (watermarked PDF)
    • excerpt from Jade Legacy (book 3) included in Nivia Evans’ sampler for Best Editor, Long Form
  • The Kingston Cycle, by C. L. Polk (Tordotcom)
    • Soulstar (book 3 of 3), full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Merchant Princes, by Charles Stross (Tor UK / Tor)
    • The Family Trade (book 1 of 6 in original series), full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), includes excerpt from The Hidden Family (book 2)
    • Empire Games (book 1 of 3 in sequel series), full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Terra Ignota, by Ada Palmer (Tor Books)
    • Too Like the Lightning (book 1 of 4), full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), excerpt from Seven Surrenders (book 2) included in EPUB and MOBI formats
  • Wayward Children, by Seanan McGuire (Tordotcom)
    • Across the Green Grass Fields (novella 6 of 6 published by 2021), full novella (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), same files also included in Seanan McGuire’s packet for Best Novella
    • short story “Juice Like Wounds” set during In An Absent Dream (novella 4) available online
  • The World of the White Rat, by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon) (Argyll Productions)
    • Swordheart (book 3 of 6 published by 2021, currently a stand-alone book in this universe, published between the Clocktaur War duology and the 3 current books of The Saint of Steel sub-series), full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), cover art (JPG)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC (6 graphic novels, 1 graphic novel excerpt)

  • DIE, vol. 4: Bleed, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Stephanie Hans, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image)
    • full graphic novels as individual files, volumes 1-4 (PDF)
  • Far Sector, written by N.K. Jemisin, art by Jamal Campbell (DC)
    • not in packet
  • Lore Olympus, vol. 1, by Rachel Smythe (Del Rey)
    • graphic novel excerpt, episodes 1-6 with link to webcomic for the remaining episodes 7-25 which were collected as volume 1 (watermarked PDF)
  • Monstress, vol. 6: The Vow, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
    • full graphic novel (PDF)
  • Once & Future, vol. 3: The Parliament of Magpies, written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain (BOOM!)
    • full graphic novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Strange Adventures, written by Tom King, art by Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner (DC)
    • not in packet

BEST RELATED WORK (4 books, 1 book excerpt, 1 article)

  • Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism, by Elsa Sjunneson (Tiller Press)
    • book excerpt, chapter 14 (PDF)
  • The Complete Debarkle: Saga of a Culture War, by Camestros Felapton (Camestros Felapton)
    • full book (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • Read Me First (PDF)
  • Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985, edited by Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre (PM Press)
    • full book (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • “How Twitter can ruin a life”, by Emily St. James (Vox, Jun 2021)
    • full article (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF]
  • Never Say You Can’t Survive, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tordotcom)
    • full book (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, by Abraham Riesman (Crown)
    • full book (watermarked PDF)
    • NetGalley link in category table of contents to download full book (AZW3/MOBI, EPUB), includes photo gallery not in PDF, archive date: 31 Aug 2022

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM

  • Dune, screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth; directed by Denis Villeneuve; based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert (Warner Bros / Legendary Entertainment)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Encanto, screenplay by Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush; directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • The Green Knight, written and directed by David Lowery (BRON Studios/A24)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, screenplay by Dave Callaham, Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham; directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Space Sweepers, screenplay by Jo Sung-hee, Yookang Seo-ae, and Yoon Seung-min; directed by Jo Sung-hee (Bidangil Pictures)
    • images of writers (4 JPG files)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • WandaVision, screenplay by Peter Cameron, Mackenzie Dohr, Laura Donney, Bobak Esfarjani, Megan McDonnell, Jac Schaeffer (created by and head writer), Cameron Squires, Gretchen Enders, Chuck Hayward; directed by Matt Shakman (Disney+)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM (1 tv episode)

  • The Wheel of Time: “The Flame of Tar Valon,” written by Justine Juel Gillmer, directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield, based on The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (Amazon Studios)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • For All Mankind: “The Grey,” written by Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi; directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Tall Ship Productions/Sony Pictures Television)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Arcane: “The Monster You Created,” written by Christian Linke and Alex Yee; story by Christian Linke, Alex Yee, Conor Sheehy, and Ash Brannon; directed by Pascal Charrue and Arnaud Delord (Netflix)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • The Expanse: “Nemesis Games,” written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck, and Naren Shankar; directed by Breck Eisner (Amazon Studios)
    • images of writers (2 JPG files)
    • author bios (ODT, PDF)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Loki: “The Nexus Event,” written by Eric Martin, directed by Kate Herron, created for television by Michael Waldron (Disney+)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks: “wej Duj,” written by Kathryn Lyn, directed by Bob Suarez (CBS Eye Animation Productions)
    • full episode (watermarked MP4)
    • full script (watermarked PDF)
    • show images (3 JPG files)
    • link to IMDb listing in category table of contents

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM (2 anthologies, 2 magazine issues, 2 magazine samplers)

  • Neil Clarke
    • sampler with 12 short fiction works (1 novella, 2 novelettes, 9 short stories) from Clarkesworld Magazine (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), includes “Bots of the Lost Ark” which is also available separately in Suzanne Palmer’s packet for Best Novelette
  • Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki
  • Mur Lafferty & S.B. Divya
    • sampler with 7 short stories (3 original, 4 reprints) from Escape Pod (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • original story “Bright Lights Flying Beneath the Ocean” guest edited by Brent Lambert
      • reprint story “Sentient Being Blues” originally appeared in the Mar/Apr 2021 issue of Asimov’s edited by fellow finalist Sheila Williams
      • same files included in the Escape Pod packet for Best Semiprozine
    • 7 corresponding episodes from the Escape Pod podcast only available in their Best Semiprozine packet
  • Jonathan Strahan
    • list of short fiction works edited with links to the publisher’s listing or to the story itself where available (DOCX, PDF)
    • 3 of the novellas are available in the Best Novella packet (Fireheart Tiger, The Past Is Red, and A Spindle Splintered)
  • Sheree Renée Thomas
    • full November/December 2021 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction including 1 novella, 4 novelettes, and 6 short stories (EPUB, MOBI)
    • full anthology of Trouble the Waters co-edited with Pan Morigan and Troy L. Wiggins (EPUB, MOBI), cover art (JPG), not published until 2022
  • Sheila Williams

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM (4 novels, 12 novel excerpts)

  • Ruoxi Chen
    • list of novels edited and editing philosophy (PDF)
    • A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, full novel (EPUB, PDF)
      • also available in P. Djèlí Clark’s Best Novel packet (same EPUB, MOBI, PDF with printer marks and no cover)
      • Ruoxi Chen took over from Diana M. Pho
    • The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, full novel (EPUB, PDF)
    • Star Eater by Kerstin Hall, full novel (EPUB, PDF)
    • A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, full novel (EPUB, PDF)
  • Nivia Evans
    • list of novels edited and editing philosophy (DOCX, PDF)
    • sampler of 9 novel excerpts (watermarked PDF)
  • Sarah T. Guan
    • list of novels edited and editing philosophy (DOCX, PDF)
    • sampler of 3 novel excerpts (PDF)
    • excerpt of Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee included in fellow finalist Nivia Evans’ packet (Nivia Evans took over from Sarah Guan)
  • Brit Hvide
    • list of novels edited (DOCX, PDF)
  • Patrick Nielsen Hayden
    • list of works involved with and editing philosophy (DOCX, PDF)
  • Navah Wolfe
    • list of novels edited (DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (6 portfolios)

  • Tommy Arnold
    • 8 images as individual files (JPG)
    • link to artist website in category table of contents
  • Rovina Cai
    • portfolio of cover art and interior illustrations (PDF)
  • Ashley Mackenzie
    • 3 images as individual files (JPG)
    • link to artist website in category table of contents
  • Maurizio Manzieri
    • 4 images in 3 different ways (no caption, with caption, side-by-side of illustration and cover design) for a total of 12 individual files (JPG)
    • artist notes and website links (PDF, RTF)
  • Will Staehle
    • 4 images as individual files (PNG), “Canto” not released until 2022
  • Alyssa Winans
    • 3 images as individual files (JPG)
    • portfolio of same 3 images (PDF)

BEST SEMIPROZINE (5 magazine issues, 4 magazine samplers, 7 story podcasts)

  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
  • Escape Pod, editors S.B. Divya, Mur Lafferty, and Valerie Valdes; assistant editors Benjamin C. Kinney and Premee Mohamed; guest editor Brent C. Lambert; hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart; audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht; and the entire Escape Pod team
    • sampler with 3 original and 4 reprint short stories (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), same files included in Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya’s packet for Best Editor, Short Form
    • 7 corresponding podcast episodes as individual files (MP3), only in the Best Semiprozine packet
  • FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L Wiggins; executive editor DaVaun Sanders; managing editor Eboni Dunbar; poetry editor B. Sharise Moore; reviews editor and social media manager Brent Lambert; art director L. D. Lewis; web editor Chavonne Brown; non-fiction editor Margeaux Weston; guest editors Summer Farah and Nadia Shammas; acquiring editors Kaleb Russell, Rebecca McGee, Kerine Wint, Joshua Morley, Emmalia Harrington, Genine Tyson, Tonya R. Moore, Danny Lore; technical assistant Nelson Rolon
    • full Issue #17, Winter 2021 with 4 short stories and 3 poems (PDF)
    • full Issue #18, Spring 2021 with 4 short stories and 2 poems (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • full Issue #19: Sound and Color, Summer 2021 with 5 short stories, 2 poems, and 1 article (EPUB, PDF)
    • full Issue #20: Love, Death, and Androids, Autumn 2021 with 5 short stories, 2 poems, and 1 article (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • PodCastle, co-editors Jen R. Albert, C. L. Clark, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, and Eleanor R. Wood; assistant editors Summer Fletcher and Sofía Barker; audio producer Peter Adrian Behravesh; host Matt Dovey; and the entire PodCastle team
  • Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Kwan-Ann Tan, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, Tom Borger, S. K. Campbell, Emma Celi, Zhui Ning Chang, Rita Chen, Tania Chen, Liz Christman, Emma-Grace Clarke, Linda H. Codega, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Belen Edwards, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Colette Grecco, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Amanda Jean, Jamie Johnson, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Kat Kourbeti, Catherine Krahe, Anna Krepinsky, Clayton Kroh, Natasha Leullier, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Sarah Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Juliana Pinho, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Abbey Schlanz, Elijah Rain Smith, Alyn Spector, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Sonia Sulaiman, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, and The Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
    • sampler of 9 short fiction works (2 novelettes, 7 short stories), 11 poems, 16 articles, and 5 illustrations with artist bios (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Uncanny Magazine, publishers and editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas; managing/poetry editor Chimedum Ohaegbu; nonfiction editor Elsa Sjunneson; podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
    • sampler with 16 short fiction works (1 novella, 4 novelettes, 11 short stories), 10 articles, 8 poems, 6 author interviews, links to select podcasts, and a cover art gallery (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), includes the six Uncanny Magazine short fiction finalists which are also available separately in the Best Novelette and Best Short Story packets

BEST FANZINE (5 issues, 5 samplers)

  • The Full Lid, by Alasdair Stuart and Marguerite Kenner
  • Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus; editor Janice L. Newman; associate writers Gwyn Conaway, Jason Sacks, and John Boston
    • sampler with 20 articles (EPUB, MOBI, PDF), includes an article by Best Fan Writer finalist Cora Buhlert
  • Journey Planet, edited by Erin Underwood, Jean Martin, Sara Felix, Vanessa Applegate, Chuck Serface, Errick Nunnally, Evan Reeves, Steven H Silver, James Bacon, and Christopher J Garcia
    • full issues #57-#61 in a single document (PDF)
    • same 5 issues as individual files (EPUB*) [*converted from PDF with major issues]
    • individual issues in PDF format available at eFanzines.com/JourneyPlanet
  • Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
    • sampler with 9 articles (DOCX, PDF)
  • Small Gods, Lee Moyer (Icon) and Seanan McGuire (Story)
    • sampler of 6 articles with illustrations (EPUB, MOBI, double-page PDF)
    • Lee Moyer is also a finalist for Best Fan Artist
  • Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne

BEST FANCAST (42 podcast episodes)

PART 1

PART 2

  • Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders, produced by Veronica Simonetti

BEST FAN WRITER (6 samplers)

  • Chris M. Barkley
  • Bitter Karella
    • sampler of Midnight Pals writing (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF which is a series of page images]
  • Alex Brown
    • sampler of 9 articles in one document (PDF)
    • same 9 articles as individual files (PDF)
  • Cora Buhlert
    • sampler of 29 articles (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • another article by Cora Buhlert is available in the Best Fanzine packet for Galaxy Journey
  • Jason Sanford
  • Paul Weimer
    • sampler of 17 articles (AZW3*, EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF with minor issues]

BEST FAN ARTIST (6 portfolios)

  • Iain J. Clark
    • 5 images as individual files (JPG)
    • link to artist website in category table of contents
  • Lorelei Esther
    • portfolio of fan art (PDF)
  • Sara Felix
    • 4 images as individual files (PNG)
    • links to artist website and Instagram in category table of contents
  • Ariela Housman
    • portfolio of fan art (PDF)
    • same 4 images as individual files (JPG)
  • Nilah Magruder
    • 3 images as individual files (PNG)
  • Lee Moyer
    • portfolio of art from Best Fanzine finalist Small Gods (PDF)

LODESTAR AWARD (5 novels)

  • Chaos on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer (Tor Teen)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao (Penguin Teen / Rock the Boat)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • same files also in Xiran Jay Zhao’s packet for the Astounding Award
  • The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey Books)
    • novel excerpt, chapters 1-5 (watermarked PDF)
    • NetGalley link to request full novel (AZW3/MOBI, EPUB) in both excerpt and category table of contents, archive date: 4 Sep 2022
  • Redemptor, by Jordan Ifueko (Amulet Books / Hot Key Books)
    • full novel (watermarked PDF)
  • A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
    • not in packet
  • Victories Greater Than Death, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen / Titan)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

ASTOUNDING AWARD (6 novels, 1 short story)

  • Tracy Deonn (2nd year of eligibility)
    • Legendborn, full novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF with “**FOR HUGO VOTER USE ONLY**” at the bottom of each page) [*converted from PDF but cleaned up], cover image (JPG)
    • short story “Vergence” from the anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*converted from PDF but cleaned up], image of first page (JPG)
    • essay “Every King Arthur Retelling Is Fanfic About Who Gets to Be Legendary” (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF) [*missing blank line between paragraphs]
  • Micaiah Johnson (2nd year of eligibility)
    • The Space Between Worlds
      • novel excerpt, chapters 1-8 (watermarked PDF)
      • NetGalley link to request full novel (AZW3/MOBI, EPUB) in both excerpt and category table of contents, archive date: 4 Sep 2022
  • A.K. Larkwood (2nd year of eligibility)
    • The Unspoken Name, full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Everina Maxwell (1st year of eligibility)
    • Winter’s Orbit, full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Shelley Parker-Chan (1st year of eligibility)
    • She Who Became the Sun, full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • same files also in Shelley Parker-Chan’s packet for Best Novel
  • Xiran Jay Zhao (1st year of eligibility)
    • Iron Widow, full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • same files also in Xiran Jay Zhao’s packet for the Lodestar Award

SUMMARY (102 out of 114 finalists participating)

  • 23 novels
  • 13 novel excerpts
  • 6 novellas
  • 6 novelettes
  • 7 short stories
  • 6 graphic novels
  • 1 graphic novel excerpt
  • 4 non-fiction books
  • 1 non-fiction book excerpt
  • 1 non-fiction article
  • 1 tv episode
  • 2 anthologies
  • 7 magazine issues
  • 5 magazine samplers
  • 7 story podcasts
  • 12 artist portfolios
  • 5 fanzine issues
  • 5 fanzine samplers
  • 42 podcast episodes
  • 6 fan writing samplers

If you’ve scrolled all the way down to here, why not leave me a comment? 😉

2022 Hugo Nominations

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Nominations for the 2022 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer closed on Tuesday, March 15 at 11:59 pm PDT (UTC−07:00).  The finalists will be announced on Thursday, April 7 at 11 am EDT (UTC-04:00).  The winners will be presented at Chicon 8, currently scheduled for September 1-5, 2022.

I cut it pretty close this year receiving my final confirmation only about four and half hours before the deadline.  Between the late Hugo ceremony last year and being busy with other things, I didn’t get nearly as much looked at as I would have liked.  There are things that I see now I forgot and other changes I might have made with more time to consider.  Nevertheless, here is what I submitted:

Best Novel

  • A Marvellous Light, Freya Marske
  • Black Water Sister, Zen Cho
  • She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan
  • The Jasmine Throne, Tasha Suri

Best Novella

  • A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers

Best Novelette

Best Short Story

Best Series

  • Wayward Children, Seanan McGuire; Across the Green Grass Fields
  • Wild Cards, George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass; “Ripple Effects”, Laura J. Mixon

Best Graphic Story or Comic

  • After the Rain, Nnedi Okorafor, John Jennings, and David Brame
  • Far Sector, N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell

Best Related Work

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

  • Dune
  • I’m Your Man
  • The Witcher, Season 2

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

  • “A Place of Safety”, The Wheel of Time
  • “All Is Possible”, Star Trek: Discovery
  • “Nemesis Games”, The Expanse

Best Editor, Short Form

  • Arley Sorg and Christie Yant
  • Jason Sizemore
  • John Joseph Adams
  • Neil Clarke
  • Sheree Renée Thomas

Best Editor, Long Form

  • Anne Sowards
  • Diana Gill
  • Priyanka Krishnan
  • Ruoxi Chen

Best Professional Artist

  • Arantza Sestayo, illustrations for A Song of Ice and Fire 2022 Calendar
  • Magali Villeneuve, interior art for Assassin’s Quest, 25th Anniversary Illustrated Edition by Robin Hobb
  • Micah Epstein, cover art for The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
  • Rovina Cai, interior art for Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
  • Tran Nguyen, cover art for Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Best Semiprozine

  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies
  • Strange Horizons
  • Uncanny Magazine

Best Fanzine

  • Camestros Felapton
  • Fantasy Book Critic
  • Quick Sip Reviews
  • The Wertzone
  • Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog

Best Fancast

  • Kalanadi
  • Kitty G
  • SFF180

Best Fan Writer

Best Fan Artist

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

  • A Snake Falls to Earth, Darcie Little Badger

Astounding Award for Best New Writer

  • Aiden Thomas, Cemetery Boys
  • Micaiah Johnson, The Space Between Worlds
  • Shelley Parker-Chan, She Who Became the Sun
  • Simon Jimenez, The Vanished Birds
  • Tracy Deonn, Legendborn

What were your favorites from 2021?

2021 Hugo Winners

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The winners of the 2021 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer were presented on December 18 during a ceremony at DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention.

BEST NOVEL
 
Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tor.com)

I was a little surprised by this since it’s the fifth work in a series. On second thought, the earlier novellas have been winners too, and I can see this having the broadest appeal amongst the finalists. Everyone loves Murderbot! I ranked it fourth, but I’m still really happy for this win. It was a very strong category this year. I ranked my own nominee The City We Became first, and it placed second.

BEST NOVELLA
 
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tor.com)

This was one of my nominees, and my top choice in the final vote!

BEST NOVELETTE
 
Two Truths and a Lie, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)

This was a fantastically creepy story and my second choice here. My first choice and one of my own nominees was The Inaccessibility of Heaven which placed second.

BEST SHORT STORY
 
“Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)

This ended up fifth on my ballot although I did like the science fictional twist on Hansel and Gretel. I was still pleased by this win and happy to learn more about slime mold! (This was Kingfisher’s second win for the night. She is known for entertaining acceptance speeches and did not disappoint!) Again my first choice, Little Free Library, placed second.

BEST SERIES
 
The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells (Tor.com)

Here’s where I fully expected Murderbot to prevail! It was one of my nominees, and I ranked it second. I was hoping this might be October Daye’s year, but it placed third.

BEST RELATED WORK
 
Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley (FSG)

I never would have thought to nominate this, but it easily became my top choice as an impressive work of scholarship and artistry. I was stunned to find that I was quite in sync with other Hugo voters in this category this year. My first through third and fifth choices were the same, only flipping fourth and sixth places.

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC
 
Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Harry N. Abrams)

This was one of my own nominees although I ended up ranking it fourth. I’ve really enjoyed these adaptations of Butler’s books. My first choice and another of my nominees, Invisible Kingdom Vol. 2, placed sixth. At least it made it on the ballot, unlike the first volume last year.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM
 
The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Netflix / Skydance Media)

This was my second choice, and it’s got me interested in checking out the comic it’s based on. Again my top choice, Tenet, finished sixth.

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM
 
The Good Place: Whenever You’re Ready, written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group)

I liked this show, and this series finale was sweet and funny. But I still don’t get the appeal of it over many other excellent shows. It was my fourth choice. My top spot went to my own nominee The Expanse: Gaugamela which placed second.

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM

Ellen Datlow

Ellen Datlow was my top pick and one of my own nominees. I’m not normally a big fan of horror or dark fantasy, but when I see her name as editor, I know I can trust that I’ll probably really like it anyway. For example, the Best Novelette winner!

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM

Diana M. Pho

I ranked Diana Pho sixth, but all of the finalists here are excellent. In a bit of symmetry, my first choice and nominee, Nivia Evans, placed sixth.

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

Rovina Cai

Rovina Cai was my top choice. Many of the books I loved last year were made all the better by her art. Unbelievably, I forgot about this when nominating, but thankfully others took up my slack and she won.

BEST SEMIPROZINE
 
FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor DaVaun Sanders, managing editor Eboni Dunbar, poetry editor Brandon O’Brien, reviews and social media Brent Lambert, art director L. D. Lewis, and the FIYAH Team.

Somehow I ended up ranking FIYAH sixth. I guess it just goes to show how strong this category was this year. My top pick and one of my nominees was Uncanny which came in second, but I was still pleased to see FIYAH break their streak.

BEST FANZINE
 
nerds of a feather, flock together, ed. Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, The G, and Vance Kotrla

I’ve been nominating and voting for them for a few years now. I’m extremely pleased to see them win in their fifth time as finalists.

BEST FANCAST
 
The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, producer

This win has been an even longer time coming in their eighth time as finalists. I really enjoyed the “10 minutes with …” episodes they started doing early in the pandemic lockdown. I ranked them fifth, but only because I’m a fan of BookTube and podcasts with transcripts. My nominee and first choice was Rachel’s Kalanadi channel which placed sixth. At least another BookTuber made it up from the longlist and onto the ballot this year!

BEST FAN WRITER

Elsa Sjunneson

Elsa Sjunneson is an excellent writer, and this was her third time as a finalist. I ranked her fifth as I have some qualms about her work stretching the definition of fan writer. My first choice and nominee, Cora Buhlert, placed second.

BEST FAN ARTIST

Sara Felix

Sara Felix creates beautiful 2D and 3D art, and this was also her third time as a finalist. She was one of my nominees, but strangely I ended up ranking her sixth in the final vote. I guess in this case, my idea of fan art veers away from other Hugo voters. My first choice and another of my nominees, Iain J. Clark, placed fourth.

BEST VIDEO GAME

Hades (Publisher and Developer: Supergiant Games)

I didn’t participate in either nominating or voting in this category as video games have started giving me too much motion sickness in recent years. I was pleased to see this get a trial though and pleasantly surprised at how most of the game developers provided evaluation material for the Hugo Voters Packet. It will be interesting to see if this category moves forward.

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK (not a Hugo)
 
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)

I had every expectation of this winning. I enjoyed it a lot although I ranked it fourth after my own nominees. I also loved the first of what turned out to be two speeches from Kingfisher that night about slime mold! My top choice and one of those nominees was Deadly Education which placed second.

ASTOUNDING AWARD FOR THE BEST NEW WRITER, SPONSORED BY DELL MAGAZINES (not a Hugo)

Emily Tesh (2nd year of eligibility)

Emily Tesh was one of my nominees, but I ended up ranking her third. This was her second nomination and final year of eligibility so I was pleased to see her win. I was also happy to see the reappearance of the tiara and scepter which go with this award. Although she had someone else accept on her behalf so I hope she does eventually receive them. My top choice was Micaiah Johnson who placed second. This is her first year of eligibility so perhaps she will have another shot at it next year.

All in all a lovely ceremony with pleasing results! Astonishingly five of my top picks took home the prize and eight more finished second! How did your favorites do?

2021 Hugo Awards: My Final Ballot

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The 2021 Hugo Awards Ceremony takes place tonight at 9 pm EST (UTC -5) at DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention. A live stream will be available on their website. Results will also be announced via Twitter (@worldcon2021 and @TheHugoAwards). Here is how I personally ranked the finalists:

Best Novel

  1. The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  2. Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery / Saga Press)
  3. Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com)
  4. Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
  5. The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books)
  6. Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)

Best Novella

  1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tor.com)
  2. Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com)
  3. Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com)
  4. Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com)
  5. Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com)
  6. Finna, Nino Cipri (Tor.com)

Best Novelette

  1. “The Inaccessibility of Heaven”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2020)
  2. “Monster”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
  3. “Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)
  4. “Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine, May/June 2020)
  5. “Helicopter Story”, Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
  6. “The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl (PM Press))

Best Short Story

  1. “Little Free Library”, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com)
  2. “A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris))
  3. “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots – 2020, ed. David Steffen)
  4. “The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)
  5. “Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)
  6. “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020)

Best Series

  1. October Daye, Seanan McGuire (DAW)
  2. The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
  3. The Lady Astronaut Universe, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books/Audible/Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)
  4. The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)
  5. The Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager)
  6. The Interdependency, John Scalzi (Tor Books)

Best Related Work

  1. Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley (FSG)
  2. A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler, Lynell George (Angel City Press)
  3. FIYAHCON, L.D. Lewis–Director, Brent Lambert–Senior Programming Coordinator, Iori Kusano–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, Vida Cruz–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, and the Incredible FIYAHCON team
  4. CoNZealand Fringe, Claire Rousseau, C, Cassie Hart, Adri Joy, Marguerite Kenner, Cheryl Morgan, Alasdair Stuart
  5. The Last Bronycon: a fandom autopsy, Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)
  6. “George R.R. Martin Can Fuck Off Into the Sun, Or: The 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony (Rageblog Edition)”, Natalie Luhrs (Pretty Terrible, August 2020)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

  1. Invisible Kingdom, vol 2: Edge of Everything, Author: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Christian Ward (Dark Horse Comics)
  2. Monstress, vol. 5: Warchild, Author: Marjorie Liu, Artist: Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
  3. Once & Future vol. 1: The King Is Undead, written by Kieron Gillen, iIllustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, lettered by Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)
  4. Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Harry N. Abrams)
  5. DIE, Volume 2: Split the Party, written by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
  6. Ghost-Spider vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over, Author: Seanan McGuire, Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa and Rosi Kämpe (Marvel)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

  1. Tenet, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros./Syncopy)
  2. The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Netflix / Skydance Media)
  3. Soul, screenplay by Pete Docter, Mike Jones and Kemp Powers, directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, produced by Dana Murray (Pixar Animation Studios/ Walt Disney Pictures)
  4. Palm Springs, written by Andy Siara, directed by Max Barbakow (Limelight / Sun Entertainment Culture / The Lonely Island / Culmination Productions / Neon / Hulu / Amazon Prime)
  5. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), written by Christina Hodson, directed by Cathy Yan (Warner Bros.)
  6. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, written by Will Ferrell, Andrew Steele, directed by David Dobkin (European Broadcasting Union/Netflix)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

  1. The Expanse, “Gaugamela”, written by Dan Nowak, directed by Nick Gomez (Alcon Entertainment / Alcon Television Group / Amazon Studios / Hivemind / Just So)
  2. The Mandalorian, “Chapter 13: The Jedi”, written and directed by Dave Filoni (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+)
  3. The Mandalorian, “Chapter 16: The Rescue”, written by Jon Favreau, directed by Peyton Reed (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+)
  4. The Good Place, “Whenever You’re Ready”, written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group)
  5. Doctor Who, “Fugitive of the Judoon”, written by Vinay Patel and Chris Chibnall, directed by Nida Manzoor (BBC)
  6. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, “Heart” (parts 1 and 2), written by Josie Campbell and Noelle Stevenson, directed by Jen Bennett and Kiki Manrique (DreamWorks Animation Television / Netflix)

Best Editor, Short Form

  1. Ellen Datlow
  2. Sheila Williams
  3. Neil Clarke
  4. C.C. Finlay
  5. Jonathan Strahan
  6. Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya

Best Editor, Long Form

  1. Nivia Evans
  2. Sarah Guan
  3. Navah Wolfe
  4. Brit Hvide
  5. Sheila E. Gilbert
  6. Diana M. Pho

Best Professional Artist

  1. Rovina Cai
  2. Galen Dara
  3. Alyssa Winans
  4. Tommy Arnold
  5. Maurizio Manzieri
  6. John Picacio

Best Semiprozine

  1. Uncanny Magazine, editors in chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor: Chimedum Ohaegbu, non-fiction editor:  Elsa Sjunneson, podcast producers: Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky
  2. Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ed. Scott H. Andrews
  3. Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, S. K. Campbell, Zhui Ning Chang, Tania Chen, Joyce Chng, Liz Christman, Linda H. Codega, Kristian Wilson Colyard, Yelena Crane, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Arinn Dembo, Nathaniel Eakman, Belen Edwards, George Tom Elavathingal, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Colette Grecco, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Stephen Ira, Amanda Jean, Ai Jiang, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Anna Krepinsky, Kat Kourbeti, Clayton Kroh, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Catherine Krahe, Natasha Leullier, A.Z. Louise, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Emory Noakes, Sarah Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Vanessa Rose Phin, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Endria Richardson, Natalie Ritter, Abbey Schlanz, Clark Seanor, Elijah Rain Smith, Alyn Spector, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Kwan-Ann Tan, Luke Tolvaj, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, Fred G. Yost, staff members who prefer not to be named, and guest editor Libia Brenda with guest first reader Raquel González-Franco Alva for the Mexicanx special issue
  4. Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht and the entire Escape Pod team.
  5. PodCastle, editors, C.L. Clark and Jen R. Albert, assistant editor and host, Setsu Uzumé, producer Peter Adrian Behravesh, and the entire PodCastle team.
  6. FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor DaVaun Sanders, managing editor Eboni Dunbar, poetry editor Brandon O’Brien, reviews and social media Brent Lambert,  art director L. D. Lewis, and the FIYAH Team.

Best Fanzine

  1. nerds of a feather, flock together, ed. Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, The G, and Vance Kotrla
  2. Quick Sip Reviews, editor, Charles Payseur
  3. Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, ed. Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne
  4. Lady Business, editors. Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan.
  5. Journey Planet, edited by Michael Carroll, John Coxon, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Alissa McKersie, Errick Nunnally, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Chuck Serface, Steven H Silver, Paul Trimble, Erin Underwood, James Bacon, and Chris Garcia.
  6. The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart, edited by Marguerite Kenner

Best Fancast

  1. Kalanadi, produced and presented by Rachel
  2. Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced by Claire Rousseau
  3. Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace
  4. Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Rowenna Miller, Marshall Ryan Maresca and Cass Morris
  5. The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, producer
  6. The Skiffy and Fanty Show, produced by Shaun Duke and Jen Zink, presented by Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, Alex Acks, Paul Weimer, and David Annandale.

Best Fan Writer

  1. Cora Buhlert
  2. Charles Payseur
  3. Jason Sanford
  4. Paul Weimer
  5. Elsa Sjunneson
  6. Alasdair Stuart

Best Fan Artist

  1. Iain J. Clark
  2. Grace P. Fong
  3. Laya Rose
  4. Cyan Daly
  5. Maya Hahto
  6. Sara Felix

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)

  1. A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
  2. Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
  3. Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  4. A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)
  5. Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)
  6. Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)

Astounding Award for the Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo)

  1. Micaiah Johnson (1st year of eligibility)
  2. Simon Jimenez (1st year of eligibility)
  3. Emily Tesh (2nd year of eligibility)
  4. Jenn Lyons (2nd year of eligibility)
  5. A.K. Larkwood (1st year of eligibility)
  6. Lindsay Ellis (1st year of eligibility)

Which finalists are you hoping to see take home shiny trophies?

Updates to the 2021 Hugo Voters Packet

Published on by Laura1 Comment

On July 20th, DisCon III notified members that they had uploaded new or revised material to the Hugo Voters Packet in the following categories:

  • Best Novelette
  • Best Series
  • Best Editor, Short Form
  • Best Fancast
  • Best Video Game

Read on for the details on the files which have been changed or added. See my previous post for a breakdown of everything in the packet. An asterisk next to the file type indicates formatting issues. Let me know if there is anything I missed.

Best Novelette

  • “The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl, (PM Press))
    • REVISED: full novelette (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)

Best Series

  • The Lady Astronaut Universe, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books/Audible/Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction/Solaris)
    • REVISED: “The Lady Astronaut of Mars”, novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • REVISED: “Rockets Red”, short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • REVISED: “The Phobos Experience”, short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • REVISED: “We Interrupt This Broadcast”, short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

Best Editor, Short Form

  • Sheila Williams
    • REVISED: list of 2020 stories edited (EPUB, MOBI*, PDF)
    • REVISED: editing philosophy (EPUB, MOBI*, PDF)

Best Fancast

  • Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Rowenna Miller, Marshall Ryan Maresca and Cass Morris
    • REVISED: transcript for episode 30 (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

Best Video Game

  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Publisher: Square Enix)
    • NEW: information on requesting one of a limited amount of evaluation copies (PDF)

2021 Hugo Voters Packet

Published on by Laura4 Comments

The 2021 Hugo Voters Packet is currently available to members of DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention, until close of voting on November 19.  Many thanks to the finalists who have shared materials for the consideration of Hugo voters and to the Hugo administrators for putting it all together!

UPDATE:  On July 20th, DisCon III notified members that they had uploaded new or revised material to the Hugo Voters Packet.  See my Updates to the 2021 Hugo Voters Packet post for details.  The following list has been edited to reflect the changes as necessary.

(You might also want to take a look at JJ’s File 770 post on Where To Find The 2021 Hugo Award Finalists For Free Online.)

On the download page, each category has a PDF with a table of contents for the category and a ZIP file of the material provided for that category.  A copy of the PDF file is also inside the ZIP file.

In the following breakdown, I have noted the main items included next to each category name.  At the very bottom is a summary totalling all of these items.   I’m pleased to see most finalists provided information on their eligible work and in many cases the full work itself.  Of particular note are the packets for this year’s special Best Video Game category as well as both Long and Short Form Best Dramatic Presentation categories.

Where I found formatting issues, I have put an asterisk next to the affected file types.  These are typically caused by an automatic conversion from a fixed format (PDF) to a reflowable format (EPUB, MOBI).  In some cases, it’s just distracting.  In others, they are rendered pretty much unreadable.  (As an aside, can anyone suggest a reason for having documents with links to videos in EPUB and MOBI as well as PDF?)

The books accessed through NetGalley links are DRM protected.  The easiest way to read these is with the NetGalley Shelf app for Android or iOS if a publisher has enabled that option.  To read on Kindle devices or mobile apps, you will need to add your device’s email address to your NetGalley profile and set kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email to receive files from in your Amazon account.  The book will be available to download to any other Kindle device or mobile app logged into your Amazon account, but DRM will tie the book to the device or app it is downloaded to.  To read on your computer or other ereaders and apps, choose the “Download Protected EPUB/PDF” option.  You will need to install Adobe Digital Editions and authorize it with an Adobe ID.  Here the DRM will allow you to read on any device or app authorized with the same Adobe ID.  Both these and the books accessed through the NetGalley Shelf app are set to expire 55 days after downloading.  If needed, you can download books again up until the archive date set by the publisher.  The publishers do not appear to have taken the current voting deadline into consideration as the archive dates are in August (with one as early as August 1st).  So don’t wait too long!  See NetGalley’s device guide for more details.

Please let me know if you have questions or find any errors or omissions.  Happy reading, watching, listening, playing, and viewing!

BEST NOVEL (4 novels, 2 novel excerpts)

  • Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery / Saga Press / Solaris)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • front cover image (JPG)
    • complete cover for the trade paperback edition (PDF)
  • The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
    • 109 page excerpt (watermarked PDF)
  • Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
    • 82 page excerpt (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
    • Q&A with Susanna Clarke (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • front cover image (JPG)
    • author photo by Sarah Lee (JPG)
  • The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books / Solaris)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI)

BEST NOVELLA (6 novellas)

  • Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)
  • The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Finna, Nino Cipri (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)
  • Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com)
    • full novella (EPUB, MOBI)

BEST NOVELETTE (6 novelettes)

  • “Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine, May/June 2020)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • cover image (PNG)
  • “Helicopter Story”, Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • “The Inaccessibility of Heaven”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2020)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • cover image (PNG)
  • “Monster”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • “The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl, (PM Press))
    • full novelette (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • “Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)
    • full novelette (EPUB, MOBI)

BEST SHORT STORY (6 short stories)

  • “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020)
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • cover image (PNG)
  • “A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris))
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • “Little Free Library”, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com)
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI)
  • “The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF, PRC)
  • “Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)
    • full short story (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • cover image (PNG)
  • “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots – 2020, ed. David Steffen)
    • full short story (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)

BEST SERIES (21 novels, 1 novel excerpt, 8 novellas, 26 novelettes, 10 short stories)

  • The Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager)
    • The City of Brass (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
    • The Kingdom of Copper (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
    • The Empire of Gold (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
  • The Interdependency, John Scalzi (Tor Books)
    • uncorrected digital galley of The Collapsing Empire (EPUB, MOBI)
  • The Lady Astronaut Universe, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books/Audible/Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction/Solaris)
    • excerpt of the first twenty chapters from The Calculating Stars (EPUB, MOBI)
    • 6 short fiction works (1 novelette, 5 short stories) as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • note that The Relentless Moon (available in the Best Novel packet) is part of this series (PDF)
  • The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
    • All Systems Red (EPUB, MOBI)
    • Artificial Condition (EPUB, MOBI)
  • October Daye, Seanan McGuire (DAW)
    • books 1-14 as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • 36 short fiction works (6 novellas, 25 novelettes, 5 short stories) as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • incorrect note that Come Tumbling Down (available in the Best Novella packet) is part of this series (PDF)
  • The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)
    • The Poppy War (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
    • The Dragon Republic (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)
    • The Burning God (EPUB*, MOBI*, watermarked PDF)

BEST RELATED WORK (2 books, 1 article)

  • Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley (FSG)
    • full book (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
    • links to reviews, a virtual panel with the author, and an online reading (PDF)
  • CoNZealand Fringe, Claire Rousseau, C, Cassie Hart, Adri Joy, Marguerite Kenner, Cheryl Morgan, Alasdair Stuart
    • introduction, links to online videos, and panel transcriptions (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • FIYAHCON, L.D. Lewis–Director, Brent Lambert–Senior Programming Coordinator, Iori Kusano–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, Vida Cruz–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, and the Incredible FIYAHCON team
    • introduction and links to online content (PDF)
  • “George R.R. Martin Can Fuck Off Into the Sun, Or: The 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony (Rageblog Edition)”, Natalie Luhrs (Pretty Terrible, August 2020)
    • full article (PDF)
    • link to the original blog post is provided in the 2021 Best Related Work table of contents (PDF)
  • A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler, Lynell George (Angel City Press)
    • full book (double-page watermarked PDF)
  • The Last Bronycon: a fandom autopsy, Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)
    • link to the online video provided in the 2021 Best Related Work table of contents (PDF)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY OR COMIC (7 graphic novels)

  • DIE, Volume 2: Split the Party, written by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
    • full graphic novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
    • DIE, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • Ghost-Spider vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over, Author: Seanan McGuire, Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa and Rosi Kämpe (Marvel)
    • full graphic novel as follows:
      • interiors of issues #1-5 as individual files (PDF)
      • front and back covers of graphic novel (PDF)
      • inside front and inside back covers of graphic novel (PDF)
      • interstitial pages of graphic novel (PDF)
  • Invisible Kingdom, vol 2: Edge of Everything, Author: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Christian Ward (Dark Horse Comics)
    • full graphic novel (PDF)
  • Monstress, vol. 5: Warchild, Author: Marjorie Liu, Artist: Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
    • full graphic novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • Once & Future vol. 1: The King Is Undead, written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, lettered by Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)
    • full graphic novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
    • another copy of the full graphic novel with “NetGalley” added to the file name (PDF)
  • Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Harry N. Abrams)
    • full graphic novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, double-page PDF)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM (1 movie)

  • The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Netflix / Skydance Media)
    • password protected links to full movie and trailer provided in the 2021 Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form table of contents (PDF)
    • screenplay (PDF)
  • Palm Springs, written by Andy Siara, directed by Max Barbakow (Limelight / Sun Entertainment Culture / The Lonely Island / Culmination Productions / Neon / Hulu / Amazon Prime)
    • password protected link to trailer provided in the 2021 Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form table of contents (PDF)
    • shooting script (PDF)
  • Soul, screenplay by Pete Docter, Mike Jones and Kemp Powers, directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, produced by Dana Murray (Pixar Animation Studios/ Walt Disney Pictures)
    • password protected link to trailer provided in the 2021 Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form table of contents (PDF)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM (2 episodes)

  • Doctor Who, “Fugitive of the Judoon”, written by Vinay Patel and Chris Chibnall, directed by Nida Manzoor (BBC)
    • password protected link to full episode provided in the 2021 Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form table of contents (PDF)
  • The Expanse, “Gaugamela”, written by Dan Nowak, directed by Nick Gomez (Alcon Entertainment / Alcon Television Group / Amazon Studios / Hivemind / Just So)
    • password protected links to full episode and after show provided in the 2021 Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form table of contents (PDF)
    • writer bio (PDF)

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM (4 novellas, 34 novelettes, 47 short stories)

  • Neil Clarke
    • introduction and 10 short fiction works (6 novelettes, 4 short stories) from Clarkesworld Magazine (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Ellen Datlow
    • 11 short fiction works (8 novelettes, 3 short stories) from Tor.com as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • including Best Novelette “Two Truths and a Lie” by Sarah Pinsker (different files from those provided in the Best Novelette packet)
    • full novella of Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings (PDF)
    • full novella of Out of Body by Jeffrey Ford (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • all 18 short fiction works (1 novella, 5 novelettes, 12 short stories) from Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • “Cut Frame” by Gemma Files has minor formatting issues in all 3 formats
    • list of other work and editing philosophy (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya
    • introduction, 2 short stories (1 original, 1 reprint) from Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology, and 6 short stories (3 original, 3 reprints) from Escape Pod: The Original Science Fiction Podcast (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • 6 corresponding episodes from the Escape Pod podcast as individual files (MP3)
    • same files provided in the Best Semiprozine packet
  • Jonathan Strahan
    • blog post about general awards eligibility for 2020 work (PDF)
    • 3 short fiction works (1 novelette, 2 short stories) from Made to Order: Robots and Revolution (EPUB, MOBI)
      • including Best Short Story finalist “A Guide for Working Breeds” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (also available in the Best Short Story packet as a separate file)
    • full anthology of The Book of Dragons including 8 novelettes and 14 short stories (watermarked PDF)
  • Sheila Williams
    • full November/December 2020 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction including 1 novella, 6 novelettes, and 4 short stories (PDF)
    • list of 2020 stories edited (EPUB, MOBI*, PDF)
    • editing philosophy (EPUB, MOBI*, PDF)

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM (15 novel excerpts)

  • Nivia Evans
    • list of novels edited and editing philosophy (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Sheila E. Gilbert
    • introduction, list of novels edited, and 14 novel excerpts (PDF)
  • Sarah Guan
    • editing philosophy and list of novels edited (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • 111 page excerpt from The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk (watermarked PDF)
  • Brit Hvide
    • list of novels edited and editing philosophy (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Diana M. Pho
    • list of novels edited (plus one short fiction work) with author testimonials and editing approach (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • Navah Wolfe
    • list of novels edited (DOCX, EPUB, MOBI)

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST (6 portfolios)

  • Tommy Arnold
    • 5 individual image files (JPG)
  • Rovina Cai
    • portfolio of cover art and/or interior illustrations from 4 books (PDF)
  • Galen Dara
    • 6 individual image files (JPG)
      • only 2 images are from 2020 works (“Baba Yaga and the Seven Hills”, “The Time Traveler’s Advice to the Lovelorn”), other 4 are from 2021 or as-yet-unpublished works
  • Maurizio Manzieri
    • website links and list of 2020 work (RTF)
    • folder containing 5 individual files of illustrations with captions (JPG)
    • folder containing 5 individual files of same illustrations without captions (JPG)
    • folder containing 5 individual files of same illustrations side-by-side with their cover design (JPG)
  • John Picacio
    • portfolio of 3 illustrations with and without titles (PDF)
  • Alyssa Winans
    • portfolio of 4 illustrations (PDF)
    • same portfolio divided into 4 individual files (JPG)

BEST SEMIPROZINE (1 novella, 7 novelettes, 62 short stories, 28 poems, 31 articles)

  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
    • full Issue #300 (26 Mar 2020) including 1 novella, 2 novelettes, and 2 short stories (EPUB, MOBI, PDF, PRC)
  • Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht, and the entire Escape Pod team
    • introduction, 2 short stories (1 original, 1 reprint) from Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Anthology, and 6 short stories (3 original, 3 reprints) from Escape Pod: The Original Science Fiction Podcast (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • first 2 stories included from the anthology should only be used to evaluate Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya for Best Editor, Short Form
    • 6 corresponding episodes from the Escape Pod podcast as individual files (MP3)
    • same files provided in the Best Editor, Short Form packet
  • FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor DaVaun Sanders, managing editor Eboni Dunbar, poetry editor Brandon O’Brien, reviews and social media Brent Lambert, art director L. D. Lewis, and the FIYAH Team
    • cover letter (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
    • full issues #13-16 as individual files including 1 novelette, 16 short stories, and 9 poems (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • PodCastle, editors C.L. Clark and Jen R. Albert, assistant editor and host Setsu Uzumé, producer Peter Adrian Behravesh, and the entire PodCastle team
    • introduction, 7 original short stories, 2 reprint short stories, and 1 reprint novelette (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • 10 corresponding podcasts as individual files (MP3)
  • Uncanny Magazine, editors in chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor: Chimedum Ohaegbu, non-fiction editor: Elsa Sjunneson, podcast producers: Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky
    • introduction, 3 novelettes, 17 short stories, 13 articles, 9 poems, links to podcasts, and a cover collage (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • including 2 Best Novelette and 2 Best Short Story finalists (also available in their category packets as separate files)
    • cover image (PNG)
  • Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, S. K. Campbell, Zhui Ning Chang, Rita Chen, Tania Chen, Joyce Chng, Liz Christman, Linda H. Codega, Kristian Wilson Colyard, Yelena Crane, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Arinn Dembo, Nathaniel Eakman, Belen Edwards, George Tom Elavathingal, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Colette Grecco, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Stephen Ira, Amanda Jean, Ai Jiang, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Anna Krepinsky, Kat Kourbeti, Clayton Kroh, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Catherine Krahe, Natasha Leullier, A.Z. Louise, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Emory Noakes, Sara Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Vanessa Rose Phin, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Endria Richardson, Natalie Ritter, Abbey Schlanz, Clark Seanor, Elijah Rain Smith, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Kwan-Ann Tan, Luke Tolvaj, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, Fred G. Yost, staff members who prefer not to be named, and guest editor Libia Brenda with guest first reader Raquel González-Franco Alva for the Mexicanx special issue
    • introduction, 10 short stories, 10 poems, 18 articles, and examples of original cover art (5 different device versions of EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

BEST FANZINE (27 issues, 51 articles)

  • The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart, edited by Marguerite Kenner
    • introduction and 19 newsletters (PDF)
    • same introduction and 19 newsletters as individual files (PDF)
    • an additional 7th August issue is included in Alasdair Stuart’s Best Fan Writer packet
  • Journey Planet, edited by Michael Carroll, John Coxon, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Alissa McKersie, Errick Nunnally, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Chuck Serface, Steven H Silver, Paul Trimble, Erin Underwood, James Bacon, and Chris Garcia
    • issues 49-56 as individual files (PDF)
  • Lady Business, editors Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan
    • sampler with 15 articles (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, The G, and Vance Kotrla
    • introduction and 26 articles (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • Paul Weimer’s review of A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers also appears in his Best Fan Writer packet
  • Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
    • introduction and 10 articles (PDF)
      • “2020 Year-In-Review” article is also included in Charles Payseur’s Best Fan Writer packet
  • Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, editors Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne
    • list of links to selected blog posts (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

BEST FANCAST (24 podcasts)

  • Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace
    • 4 podcasts as individual files (MP3)
    • corresponding transcripts as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced by Claire Rousseau
    • link to a playlist of featured videos (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, producer
    • 13 podcasts as individual files (MP3)
  • Kalanadi, produced and presented by Rachel
    • link to channel and a 2020 highlights playlist (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • The Skiffy and Fanty Show, produced by Shaun Duke and Jen Zink, presented by Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, Alex Acks, Paul Weimer, and David Annandale
    • introduction and list of podcasts included in the packet (PDF)
    • 3 podcasts as individual files (MP3)
  • Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Rowenna Miller, Marshall Ryan Maresca and Cass Morris
    • introduction and list of podcast included in the packet (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
    • 4 podcasts as individual files (MP3)
    • corresponding transcripts as individual files (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

BEST FAN WRITER (10 issues, 72 articles)

  • Cora Buhlert
    • introduction, 26 articles, and a linked list of all 2020 work (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Charles Payseur
    • introduction and 10 articles (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
      • “2020 Year-In-Review” article is also included in Quick Sip Reviews‘ Best Fanzine packet
  • Jason Sanford
    • introduction and 11 articles (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Elsa Sjunneson
    • introduction and links to a selection of online fan writing (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • one of the linked articles is also available in Uncanny Magazine‘s Best Semiprozine packet (“Imagining Place: Worldbuilding As”)
  • Alasdair Stuart
    • introduction, 10 issues of The Full Lid, and 11 articles (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
      • all issues of The Full Lid except the 7th August issue are also included in The Full Lid‘s Best Fanzine packet
  • Paul Weimer
    • sampler of 14 articles (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
      • review of A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers also appears in nerds of a feather, flock together‘s Best Fanzine packet (2 more of his reviews can be found there as well)

BEST FAN ARTIST (6 portfolios)

  • Iain J. Clark
    • 6 individual image files (JPG)
  • Cyan Daly
    • 3 individual image files (1 JPEG, 2 PNG)
  • Sara Felix
    • 6 individual image files (PNG)
  • Grace P. Fong
    • 4 individual image files (PNG)
      • 6 files included, but 2 are identical copies
  • Maya Hahto
    • introduction with 8 illustrations (PDF)
  • Laya Rose
    • portfolio with 20 illustrations (PDF)
    • 20 individual image files (JPG)
    • 1 illustration in the portfolio is not available as an individual image and vice versa

BEST VIDEO GAME (3 games)

  • Blaseball (Publisher and Developer: The Game Band)
    • introduction with links to online game and more information (PDF)
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake (Publisher: Square Enix)
    • information on requesting one of a limited amount of evaluation copies (PDF)
    • introduction with links to videos and more information (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Hades (Publisher and Developer: Supergiant Games)
    • information on requesting one of a limited amount of evaluation copies (PDF)
    • password protected links to trailers provided in the 2021 Best Video Game table of contents (PDF)
  • The Last of Us: Part II (Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Developer: Naughty Dog)
    • links to trailers and official website (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
    • password protected links to the same trailers provided in the 2021 Best Video Game table of contents (PDF)
    • 28 individual screenshot image files (JPG)
  • Spiritfarer (Publisher and Developer: Thunder Lotus)
    • information on requesting one of a limited amount of evaluation copies (PDF)
    • introduction and synopsis (PDF)
    • 4 individual screenshot image files (PNG)
    • password protected link to trailer provided in the 2021 Best Video Game table of contents (PDF)

LODESTAR AWARD (5 novels, 1 novel excerpt)

  • Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)
    • full novel (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
    • 163 page excerpt (watermarked PDF) with NetGalley link to request DRM protected full novel (AZW3, EPUB)
  • Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
    • 110 page excerpt (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
    • full novel with “**FOR HUGO VOTER USE ONLY**” at the bottom of each page (EPUB*, MOBI*, PDF)
  • Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)
    • NetGalley information and link (EPUB, MOBI, PDF) to download DRM protected uncorrected proof of full novel (AZW3*, PDF)
  • A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)
    • full novel (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

ASTOUNDING AWARD (4 novels, 2 novel excerpts, 1 novella, 1 novella excerpt)

  • Lindsay Ellis (1st year of eligibility)
    • Axiom’s End (PDF)
  • Simon Jimenez (1st year of eligibility)
    • 143 page excerpt of The Vanished Birds (watermarked PDF) with NetGalley link to request DRM protected uncorrected proof of full novel (AZW3, EPUB)
  • Micaiah Johnson (1st year of eligibility)
    • 126 page excerpt of The Space Between Worlds (watermarked PDF) with NetGalley link to request DRM protected full novel (AZW3, EPUB)
  • A.K. Larkwood (1st year of eligibility)
    • excerpt of the first thirteen chapters from The Unspoken Name (EPUB)
  • Jenn Lyons (2nd year of eligibility)
    • The Ruin of Kings (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
      • both EPUB and MOBI formats contain a short excerpt from The Name of All Things
  • Emily Tesh (2nd year of eligibility)
    • Silver in the Wood (EPUB)
      • contains a short excerpt from Drowned Country

SUMMARY (111 out of 120 finalists participating)

  • 34 novels
  • 21 novel excerpts
  • 20 novellas
  • 1 novella excerpt
  • 70 novelettes
  • 114 short stories
  • 2 books
  • 7 graphic novels
  • 1 movie
  • 2 episodes
  • 12 portfolios
  • 28 poems
  • 153 articles
  • 28 issues
  • 24 podcasts
  • 3 games

2021 Hugo Nominations

Published on by LauraLeave a comment

Nominations for the 2021 Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer closed on Friday, March 19 at 11:59 pm PDT (UTC−07:00). I finished my ballot with about 12 hours to spare! The finalists will be announced on Tuesday, April 13 at 11:00 am EDT (UTC−04:00). The winners will be presented at DisCon III, now scheduled for December 15-19, 2021. Here are my choices:

Best Novel

  • Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
  • The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • The Once and Future Witches, Alix E. Harrow (Redhook)
  • Phoenix Extravagant, Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
  • Unconquerable Sun, Kate Elliott (Tor)

Best Novella

  • The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
  • Eyetooth, Chris Willrich, Beneath Ceaseless Skies 314 (8 Oct 2020)
  • Nine Words for Loneliness in the Language of the Uma’u, M.L. Clark, Clarkesworld 165 (Jun 2020)
  • Of Them All, Leah Cypess, Fantasy & Science Fiction Sep/Oct 2020
  • Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey (Tordotcom)

Best Novelette

Best Short Story

Best Series

  • The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher
  • The Folk of the Air, Holly Black
  • The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells
  • The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson
  • Wild Cards, George R.R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass

Best Related Work

  • The Art of NASA: The Illustrations that Sold the Missions, Piers Bizony (Motorbooks)
  • Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space, Amanda Laduc (Coach House)
  • Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration, Jesse Kowalski (Abbeville Press)
  • The Heroine’s Journey, Gail Carriger (self-published)
  • The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-Earth, John Garth (Princeton)

Best Graphic Story

  • Fangs, Sarah Andersen (Andrews McMeel)
  • Invisible Kingdom, Vol 2: Edge of Everything, G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward (Berger Books)
  • The Magicians: New Class, Lev Grossman, Lilah Sturges, and Pius Bak (Archaia)
  • Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
  • Once & Future, Vol 1: The King Is Undead, Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora (BOOM! Studios)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

  • Beastars, Season 1
  • The Invisible Man
  • Sputnik
  • The Vast of Night
  • Wolfwalkers

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

  • The Expanse, Gaugamela
  • The Magicians, Oops!…I Did It Again
  • The Mandalorian, Chapter 13: The Jedi
  • Star Trek: Picard, The Impossible Box
  • Westworld, The Winter Line

Best Editor, Short Form

  • Scott H. Andrews
  • Neil Clarke
  • Ellen Datlow
  • C.C. Finlay
  • Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas

Best Editor, Long Form

  • Nivia Evans
  • Brit Hvide
  • Joe Monti
  • Miriam Weinberg

Best Professional Artist

  • Sam Hogg
  • Sija Hong
  • Paul Lewin
  • Maurizio Manzieri
  • Magali Villeneuve

Best Semiprozine

  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies
  • Strange Horizons
  • Uncanny

Best Fanzine

  • Camestros Felapton
  • nerds of a feather, flock together
  • Quick Sip Reviews
  • Rocket Stack Rank
  • The Wertzone

Best Fancast

  • Kalanadi
  • Kitty G
  • SFF180

Best Fan Writer

  • Cora Buhlert
  • JJ at File770
  • Adri Joy
  • Bonnie McDaniel
  • Adam Whitehead

Best Fan Artist

  • Iain J Clark
  • Kolarp Em
  • Sara Felix
  • Jessica Liu
  • Laya Rose

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

  • A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
  • Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  • How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, Holly Black (Little, Brown)
  • Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
  • Race to the Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Disney Hyperion)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer

  • Tracy Deonn
  • Andrew Dykstal
  • Mackenzie Kincaid
  • Emily Tesh
  • Christine Tyler

There is also a special Hugo category this year for Best Video Game, but I did not submit any nominations for it. What were your favorites from 2020?

2020 Hugos: Best Short Story

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CoNZealand’s virtual Worldcon is now in full swing, and the 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony will be shown online at 11 am on August 1st NZST (UTC +12, 7 pm on July 31st EDT).  Today I’m taking a closer look at the finalists for Best Short Story.  I had read all but one of these before the finalists were announced.  While none made my own ballot, I think they are all strong stories, if rather grim.

“And Now His Lordship Is Laughing” by Shiv Ramdas was also a finalist for the Nebula Award.  This is Ramdas’ first Hugo nomination.

A powerful man forces a seemingly powerless old woman to make him one of her magical dolls to give to his wife.  My favorite part of this story is the opening scene between grandmother and grandson as she crafts a doll for him with his assistance.  It makes the ending extremely bitter sweet.

“As the Last I May Know” is S.L. Huang’s first Hugo nomination.

In order to prevent the country’s leader from unconsidered use of a weapon of mass destruction, the launch code is implanted in the body of a child.  The story really fleshes out the the child herself, the teacher who has raised her for this task, and the leader who would have to kill her and makes the relationships between them very believable.

“Blood Is Another Word for Hunger” by Rivers Solomon is also a finalist for the World Fantasy Award.  Solomon is on the ballot this year in the Best Novella category as well.  They were nominated twice for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer (formerly known as the John W. Campbell Award).

A slave girl murders the family of women who owned her creating a rift which allows another long-dead girl to be reborn through her.  The story is surreal and brutal, but ultimately ends with hope of building a new life.

“A Catalog of Storms” by Fran Wilde was also a finalist for the Nebula and the Locus awards.  Wilde is on the ballot this year as a finalist for the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book as well.  She has two previous Hugo nominations for her short fiction.

A young woman watches her older sister leave home against their mother’s wishes to join the weathermen who have the ability to fight the storms that plague their community and eventually become part of the storms themselves.  She hides her own potential talent and desire to follow her sister’s path.  At the risk of sounding like I’m being punny, the story has a fitting nebulous and atmospheric quality.

“Do Not Look Back, My Lion” by Alix E. Harrow was also nominated for the Nebula, the Locus, the World Fantasy, and the Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press awards.  Harrow is last year’s winner in this category and is also on this year’s ballot for Best Novel.

A healer is tired of watching her revered warrior wife and their children seek glory in the endless battles for their country.  The extensive world-building here almost begs to be expanded into a novel or more, and I’d definitely read that.

“Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island” by Nibedita Sen was also nominated for the Nebula Award.  Sen is on the ballot as a finalist for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer as well.

This was the only story here I had not read before the finalists were announced.  Structured just as the title indicates, the story trusts the reader to deduce the truth about these women from these tantalizing suggestions.  The writing deftly shifts in style to mimic each type of resource, and it is impressive how much is conveyed in such a short piece.

We have three first-time finalists and three authors familiar to Hugo voters.  My favorite story here went easily in the first spot, but the remaining five were extremely hard to rank.  It came down to how much I connected with each one.  Here’s what I decided on:

  1. “Do Not Look Back, My Lion”, by Alix E. Harrow (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, January 2019)
  2. “As the Last I May Know”, by S.L. Huang (Tor.com, 23 October 2019)
  3. “And Now His Lordship Is Laughing”, by Shiv Ramdas (Strange Horizons, 9 September 2019)
  4. “Blood Is Another Word for Hunger”, by Rivers Solomon (Tor.com, 24 July 2019)
  5. “A Catalog of Storms”, by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2019)
  6. “Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island”, by Nibedita Sen (Nightmare Magazine, May 2019)

Will last year’s winner defend her title?  Or will it go to someone completely new here?  What do you think?