Hugo recommendations
I've been meaning for months to blog about specific works and people I'm going to nominate for the Hugos, and I've even got a couple of half-finished entries in progress, but we've once again come down to the final week before nominations are due, and so I think it's time I put together a post listing some recommendations without worrying about giving details.
This is not a complete list of everyone and everything I'll be nominating; just the ones on my list so far. For example, I still haven't read about a third of the 2013 Strange Horizons stories, including one that's on the Nebula ballot; I'll be finishing reading those soon. Oh, and I should note that I have a direct or indirect vested interest in some of these.
In each category, works are listed in alphabetical order by author's last name, or by title.
Best Novel
As I've noted elsewhere, I almost never read books in time to nominate them. This year, oddly, I've read four, all by people I know to some degree, and liked all of them enough to nominate them. (But one is technically a novella; see below.)
- When We Wake, by Karen Healey
- Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
- Gooseberry Bluff Community College of Magic, by David J. Schwartz
Best Novella
- The Stars Change, by Mary Anne Mohanraj
Best Short Story
- “Tim Tebow in the CFL: A memoir,” by Jon Bois
- “Inventory,” by Carmen Maria Machado
- “A Secret Map of Shanghai,” by Victor Fernando R. Ocampo
- “Selkie Stories Are for Losers,” by Sofia Samatar
Best Related Work
- Queers Dig Time Lords, ed Sigrid Ellis and Michael Damian Thomas
Best Graphic Story
Hmm, I seem to have seven here. Will have to pick five of these.
- Captain Marvel Vol 2: Down, by Kelly Sue Deconnick et alia
- Clockwork Game, by Jane Irwin (not exactly sf, but close enough imo)
- “Princess Princess,” by Strangely Katie
- Darths & Droids: Episode IV: A New Generation, by David Morgan-Mar et alia
- Strong Female Protagonist part 3, by Brennan Lee Mulligan and Molly Ostertag
- xkcd: “Time,” by Randall Munroe
- A Stray in the Woods, by Alison Wilgus
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Another one where I have to narrow it down.
- Frozen
- Gravity
- Her
- Hunger Games: Catching Fire
- Iron Man 3
- Orphan Black, season 1
- Star Trek Into Darkness
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
- “Pilot” (Agents of SHIELD, episode 1)
- “The Challenge” (Leonard Nimoy vs Zachary Quinto, in a great 3-minute Audi ad)
- “Natural Selection” (Orphan Black, episode 1)
Best Editor Short Form
Hmm. I haven't checked with the SH editors about their nomination preferences, and I haven't decided who else to nominate yet.
Best Professional Artist
I'm not entirely clear on whether all of these artists are eligible in this category, nor on whether all of the samples I'm linking to are from 2013. See also Justin Landon on Gender Parity and Cover Art for some other links.
- Charlie Bowater. Samples: Necropolis (but this might be 2014?); Opal; Sketch XXIII; Tithe.
- Jonas De Ro. (I think at least a couple of those are from 2013.)
- Julie Dillon. Samples: The Ministry of Changes; Desert Dragon; Ancient Discovery; Beginnings
- Kekai Kotaki. Not sure of dates on samples.
- Karla Ortiz. Samples: Homecoming; Ashayt; Order of Deacons.
Best Semiprozine
- Strange Horizons (Note: Pro by SFWA definition, semipro by Hugo definition.)
Best Fan Writer
- K. Tempest Bradford
- Nic of Eve's Alexandria (whose last name doesn't seem to be on the site, so I'm leaving it out here)
- N.K. Jemisin
- Foz Meadows
- Abigail Nussbaum