A Great Hugo Finalist List, Even If I'm Not On It.

As it turns out, this was not my year to be a finalist for the Best Fan Writer Hugo Award. Me getting that nod was the darkest of dark horses, but I had been told be several people that I was getting nominations so there was that sliver of hope. Or dread, it was hard to tell.

This year, for the first time, the reveal was held in a public place with satellite gatherings at Eastercon in the UK and Norwestcon in Seattle. The presentation videos rolled with only minor technical glitches. The crowd at the 7 Stars Bar and Grill here in San Jose was having a great time, most of us there were people working for Worldcon. A lot of fun was had. As well as delicious bar food.

But even though my name wasn't on it, I was really happy with the list of finalists. Because for the most part, it doesn't look like me. We are seeing more women, more writers from Asia and Africa, more persons of color with a different perspective on what culture and technology mean and how to weave it into a fantastic setting. They are showing us new eyes to look through.

To me, that's what a really good story does. It makes me experience a different place or time through the eyes and mind of the characters. Sometimes that can be challenging, and I like that. Reading Steven Barnes' Lion's Blood made me angry. It made me furious. I wanted to through the book across the room. Because it showed a world where my ancestors were brought to North America as slaves. Reading the book was a struggle, but from that struggle, I gain a new perspective on history.

This is why I love reading authors who don't just show me a different world, they show me a different way of processing that world. Ann Leckie's Radch series broke my brain with the constant use of female pronouns by the first-person viewpoint character. I loved it! Challenge me in your writing! Make me question my assumptions! Show me not just a different word, but a different way of seeing the world.

That being said, I am thrilled by the amazing diversity of the ballot. Let's see what's what.

Best Novel

The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi (Tor)
New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
Provenance, by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
Raven Stratagem, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
Six Wakes, by Mur Lafferty (Orbit)
The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

I had to giggle. After the final collapse of the Sad/Rabid Puppies, what gets onto the list of finalists? Raven Stratagem, and out-and-out military space opera. Yoon Ha Lee has built a fascinating world, with big starships that blast each other to bits.

Handicapping this race? I think Scalzi and Jemisin are neck and neck.

Best Novella

All Systems Red, by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
“And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny, March/April 2017)
Binti: Home, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing)
The Black Tides of Heaven, by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
Down Among the Sticks and Bones, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)

I nominated “And Then There Were (N-One),” so that's my early favorite. Need to read a couple that I missed. Binti: Home should get a lot of votes.

Best Novelette

“Children of Thorns, Children of Water,” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny, July-August 2017)
“Extracurricular Activities,” by Yoon Ha Lee (Tor.com, February 15, 2017)
“The Secret Life of Bots,” by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, September 2017)
“A Series of Steaks,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld, January 2017)
“Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time,” by K.M. Szpara (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
“Wind Will Rove,” by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s, September/October 2017)

This is a category where I need to do my homework. “Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time,” is a fascinating story about a transgender vampire. Nice to see more queer fiction getting nods.

Best Short Story

“Carnival Nine,” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, May 2017)
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand,” by Fran Wilde (Uncanny, September 2017)
“Fandom for Robots,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny, September/October 2017)
“The Martian Obelisk,” by Linda Nagata (Tor.com, July 19, 2017)
“Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon, (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
“Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex, August 2017)

Another area where I will be doing some deep reading. But while good, Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand doesn't really move me. It's part of a movement to more abstract, almost Kafka-esque storytelling.

Best Related Work

Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate, by Zoe Quinn (PublicAffairs)
Iain M. Banks (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), by Paul Kincaid (University of Illinois Press)
A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, by Nat Segaloff (NESFA Press)
Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia E. Butler, edited by Alexandra Pierce and Mimi Mondal (Twelfth Planet Press)
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, by Ursula K. Le Guin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Sleeping with Monsters: Readings and Reactions in Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Liz Bourke (Aqueduct Press)

I really think Zoe Quinn has a lock here.

Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form

Blade Runner 2049, written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Alcon Entertainment / Bud Yorkin Productions / Torridon Films / Columbia Pictures)
Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Blumhouse Productions / Monkeypaw Productions / QC Entertainment)
The Shape of Water, written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, directed by Guillermo del Toro (TSG Entertainment / Double Dare You / Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson (Lucasfilm, Ltd.)
Thor: Ragnarok, written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost; directed by Taika Waititi (Marvel Studios)
Wonder Woman, screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, directed by Patty Jenkins (DC Films / Warner Brothers)

Strongest this category has been in years. I think Get Out has a chance.

I'll do the rest of the categories tomorrow, as well as the 1943 Retro Hugo nominations.