Kate and I got our Hugo nomination ballots in the mail yesterday (as members of the 2007 Worldcon, we get the right to nominate works for the 2008 Hugo Awards). The nomination deadline isn't until March 1st, but this still seems like a good time to ask:
What should I be nominating for the 2008 Hugo Awards?
I usually use the Locus Recommended Reading issue as a template to remind myself what's eligible, but that won't be out for a while, and I've got this blog just sitting here, begging to be used. So, leave your suggestions in the comments.
Given last year's kerfuffle over the lack of female nominees, I'd be particularly interested in suggestions of works by women, to avoid repeating that unpleasantness. I don't promise to nominate any of them-- I won't nominate anything I haven't read, or didn't enjoy-- but suggestions of works I might be overlooking would be helpful. I'm willing to read at least some suggested works, provided they're readily available, and I have time.
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I wonder if you could nominate The Yiddish Policeman's Union as an alternate history...it's sorta SFnal in that way, no?
Anyway, I'd definitely nominate The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Doorstop fantasy, first part of a trilogy, exceedingly well-written, stories within stories... it just fits. Unfortunately,the author isn't female, but oh well.
Shelter by Susan Palwick. I read it based on Jo Walton's recommendation, and I concur with her description of it.
Of course the Michael Chabon novel is eligible. Why on earth wouldn't it be?
First, the Hugo administrators don't second-guess voters on whether something is "properly" fantasy or SF. If the voters say it is, it is.
Second, alternately-history has long been considered a fully paid-up subgenre of SF. Philip K. Dick's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE won the Hugo in 1963.
If you want to take a look at some great short fiction head over to http://www.clarkesworldmagazine.com/
They already have some of their stuff selected in a few Best of 2007 anthologies.
"Given last year's kerfuffle over the lack of female nominees, I'd be particularly interested in suggestions of works by women, to avoid repeating that unpleasantness."
By all means. Everything must be done to avoid unpleasantness. Let's stuff the ballot box.
Everything must be done to avoid unpleasantness. Let's stuff the ballot box.
As I said, I have no intention of nominating works that I haven't read or didn't enjoy. I considered nominating Jo Walton's Farthing last year, for example, but didn't.
It's entirely possible, though, that I may have overlooked worthy works by female authors in a systematic way for some unconscious reason (for example, because my reading tastes skew toward subjects covered more frequently by male authors, or because female-authored books are packaged or marketed differently). I'm happy to take suggestions that would help me correct for that.
I really enjoyed Sherwood Smith's The Fox. However, that is book two in her current trilogy, and I would advise reading book one, Inda first.
Also, Robin Hobb finished up her soldier son trilogy with Renegade Magic. Once again, though, I wouldn't recommend reading it without reading the first two (of which the second definitely suffers from middle book syndrome).
Halting State, by Charles Stross.
We have a whole pile of recommendation lists here, and links to other people's lists as well. Hopefully you'll find them useful.
"Robin Hobb finished up her soldier son trilogy with Renegade Magic"
Is the last book worth reading? I liked the first one, but thought the second was rather bad.
Why would that be something worthy of correction? Your tastes are your tastes.