Campbell Nominees (Best New Writer w/ 2 year eligibility)E. Lily Yu "Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees", "Transfiguration of Maria Luisa Ortega", "The Lamp at the Turning" Yu is good at short stories. Each of these was engaging and interesting. I would like to see a longer work by her.
Mur Lafferty "An Argument Against Louis Pasteur" An amusing tale of food poisoning and egos.
Brad R. Torgersen "Exanastasis" This was...okay. A story about second chances.
I ran out of time and couldn't get to these two. Redemption in Indigo in particular looks like it would be very interesting to read.
Stina Leicht Blood and Honey: The Fey and the Fallen Book 1 (novel)
From Goodreads.com: Liam never knew who his father was. The town of Derry had always assumed that he was the bastard of a protestant — his mother never spoke of him, and Liam assumed he was dead. But when the war between the fallen and the fey began to heat up, Liam and his family are pulled into a conflict that they didn't know existed.
A centuries old conflict between supernatural forces seems to mirror the political divisions in 1970's era Ireland, and Liam is thrown headlong into both conflicts! Only the direct intervention of Liam's real father, and a secret catholic order dedicated to fighting "The Fallen" can save Liam... from the mundane and supernatural forces around him, and from the darkness that lurks within him.
Karen Lord Redemption in Indigo (novel)
From Goodreads.com: Karen Lord’s debut novel is an intricately woven tale of adventure, magic, and the power of the human spirit. Paama’s husband is a fool and a glutton. Bad enough that he followed her to her parents’ home in the village of Makendha—now he’s disgraced himself by murdering livestock and stealing corn. When Paama leaves him for good, she attracts the attention of the undying ones—the djombi— who present her with a gift: the Chaos Stick, which allows her to manipulate the subtle forces of the world. Unfortunately, a wrathful djombi with indigo skin believes this power should be his and his alone.
Bursting with humor and rich in fantastic detail, Redemption in Indigo is a clever, contemporary fairy tale that introduces readers to a dynamic new voice in Caribbean literature. Lord’s world of spider tricksters and indigo immortals is inspired in part by a Senegalese folk tale—but Paama’s adventures are fresh, surprising, and utterly original.
Novel:
Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor)
Deadline by Mira Grant (Orbit)
Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey)
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)
Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (didn't read)
Novella Nominees:
Countdown by Mira Grant (Orbit)“The Ice Owl” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, November/December 2011)
“Kiss Me Twice” by Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov's, June 2011)
“The Man Who Bridged the Mist” by Kij Johnson (Asimov's, September/October 2011)
“The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” by Ken Liu (Panverse 3)
Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld / WSFA)
Novelette Nominees
“The Copenhagen Interpretation” by Paul Cornell (Asimov's, July 2011)
“Fields of Gold” by Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse Four)
“Ray of Light” by Brad R. Torgersen (Analog, December 2011)
“Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)
“What We Found” by Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September/October 2011)
Short Story Nominees
“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld, April 2011)
“The Homecoming” by Mike Resnick (Asimov's, April/May 2011)
“Movement” by Nancy Fulda (Asimov's, March 2011)
“The Paper Menagerie” by Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2011)“Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue” by John Scalzi (Tor.com)
Did I mention I'm burnt out? This is all I'm going to vote on. There several other categories including Best Dramatic Presentation Long Form, Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form, Best Editor Long Form, Best Editor Short Form Best Artist, Best Graphic Novel, Bestest Fan, Bestest Fanzine, Bestest Fan Artist, Best Semiprozine, Best Related Work, Best Alien, Best Planet...no, not really on the last two, but it sure seems that way. Too many categories in my opinion. They should drop the Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form because it's always Dr. Who. Seriously. I swear for the last several years 3 or 4 of the nominees are Dr. Who episodes.
Watch the blog come Labor Day weekend. I'll post the results live from Chicon 7: the 70th World Science Fiction Convention!
1 comment:
As I recall, the short form category was created specifically so that Buffy could get a Hugo. These days it's all Doctor Who, with maybe some Torchwood thrown in. I don't watch either show, and always vote no award in that category because I don't approve of splitting the category in the first place.
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