Worldcon 76 announced the winners of the 1943 Retro Hugo Awards on August 16th. I continue to look at the 2018 finalists. Next up, Best Short Story.
“The Martian Obelisk” by Linda Nagata was also a finalist for the Sturgeon Award and won the Locus Award. This is Nagata’s first Hugo nomination.
“Fandom for Robots” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad was also a nominee for the Nebula, Sturgeon, and Locus awards. Prasad’s “A Series of Steaks” is a finalist for Best Novelette. She is one of this year’s nominees for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
“Welcome to Your Authentic Indian ExperienceTM” by Rebecca Roanhorse was the winner of the Nebula Award. It was also a finalist for the World Fantasy, Sturgeon, and Locus awards. She is one of this year’s nominees for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.
“Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon is the author’s third Hugo nomination. She’s won a Hugo for Best Graphic Story and another for Best Novelette. She is also a finalist under her pseudonym T. Kingfisher for the WSFS Award for Best Young Adult Book.
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand” by Fran Wilde was also a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy awards. Wilde has one previous Hugo nomination for Best Novelette.
“Carnival Nine” by Caroline M. Yoachim was also a finalist for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Locus awards. This is Yoachim’s first Hugo nomination.
I had read all these before the announcement of the finalists, but none of them were my own nominees. They were still impressive, making this one of the hardest categories to rank.
“The Martian Obelisk” and “Carnival Nine” were very touching, but didn’t move me as much as I expected. Both Roanhorse and Wilde’s stories were intense, tough, and important reads. Prasad’s “Fandom for Robots” was an absolute blast! Vernon continues to be a favorite who makes ordinary people fascinating and inspiring.
We have two previous finalists, two first-time finalists, and two Campbell Award nominees. Here’s how I ranked them on my final ballot:
- “Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon
- “Fandom for Robots” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad
- “Carnival Nine” by Caroline M. Yoachim
- “The Martian Obelisk” by Linda Nagata
- “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian ExperienceTM” by Rebecca Roanhorse
- “Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand” by Fran Wilde
Like the Best Novelette finalists, these are all online. Go read them, if you haven’t, and tell me what you think!
Laura's Library 