Month: December 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?