Hugo Voting Time
OK, so Hugo voting is now open. So is the Locus Poll. I should have some thoughts, despite the fact that I still have a whole lot of books that I want to read.
Novels
The book that I would love to see on the ballot but won’t be is We are all Ghosts in the Forest by Lorraine Wilson. It is genuinely innovative, beautifully written, and full of heart. But most Hugo voters will not have read it. Thanks to support from another UK contributor, it is on the Locus Recommended Reading List. Hopefully that will help.
The best 2024 novel I have read this far is Space Oddity. I am, of course, a die-hard Cat Valente fan. You may have a different opinion, but you are wrong, unless you are suggesting The Book of Love by Kelly Link which is also wonderful.
Another book that has been very popular is Malka Older’s The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles. You might think that it is a novella, but Locus has decided that it is a novel so that is how it will get treated for award purposes. See also The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P Djèlí Clark, though that might not make my list.
I still need to read Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer, Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson and at least one of the very many novels that Adrian Tchaikovsky had out last year. I’d love to vote for Mike Carey’s Echo of Worlds, but sequels rarely win anything.
Novellas
Two of my favourite novellas of the year have been bumped into the novel category, but there is still a lot of choice. What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher and The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo are both automatic picks, being part of favourite series. There is a new Wayward Children book from Seanan McGuire that I haven’t read yet (and another for this year).
In stand-alones, I was very impressed by The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohammed. I was surprised to find that Ray Nayler’s The Tusks of Extinction is a novella and will seek it out. Aliette de Bodard has a couple of new books that I haven’t read yet as well.
Sophia Samatar’s The Practice, The Horizon and The Chain is probably the best of the bunch. I shall be disappointed if it doesn’t win some awards.
Short Stories and Novelettes
As usual, I have read almost nothing, and will read almost nothing until the short lists come out. Then I will hate them all. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke is worth voting for, though.
Semiprozine
This may not be on your radar, but I would encourage you to take a look at Alex Pierce’s Speculative Insight. It would be great to have a non-fiction magazine on the ballot.
Dramatic Presentations
This year’s crop of movies has been pretty meh, but I shall be voting for Dune 2 because it is beautiful and has a superb soundtrack.
In contrast we have had two amazing animated TV series from the Star Trek team. I very much hope to see both Prodigy: Season 2 and Lower Decks: Season 4 on the ballot, though exactly how and what episodes if they are in Short I do not know.
Eligibility
I do not expect to be on any award ballots this year, but just for completeness’ sake here is the list:
– Short Story: “More Trouble Than She’s Worth” from Fight Like a Girl 2 (Clark/Hall)
– Fanzine: Salon Futura
– Fan Writer: me.
More importantly I want you to all write in The Green Man’s War for Fantasy Novel in the Locus Poll, because Juliet deserves the recognition and no one at Locus will listen to me on this subject.