- Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
Good, but not as good as the first book. Perhaps it suffers from middle book syndrome. Even so, I enjoyed it, and I look forward to the third book eagerly. - The Dark Between the Stars, Kevin J. Anderson (Tor Books)
Egad, all the characters! You need a f-ing score card! 15% through the book, and it seems like a never ending series of character vignettes. I know SF is exposition heavy, but this is ridiculous. The characters start showing up in each other's vignettes at about the 20% mark, so I suppose that's where the story actually starts to move. The story doesn't really start moving until the 30% mark, and the pace is glacial. Part of the problem is that it's a galaxy-wide epic, so there's a lot of inertia to overcome. But it isn't really inspiring, and I almost have to force myself to read it.
The story doesn't really start to get moving until around the 70% mark, but then it rolls right along. This is definitely the first book of a series, and the story doesn't really end, it just kind of stops. It gets good toward the end, but wading through that first 70% takes work. I'm not sure this book motivates me to read the rest of the series. - The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Sarah Monette) (Tor Books)
This one is good! It's a court intrigue. The world building is outstanding. It goes deep into language and culture, and absolutely does justice to Tolkien's legacy. The concepts of "Elves" and "Goblins" are quite interesting as well. Best one of the year so far. My only real criticism of this one is that there isn't enough magic in it for a good fantasy. - Lines of Departure, Marko Kloos (47North) (removed)
I'd bet money that this came from the Sad Puppies slate. Typical military SF. The same kind of typical military SF that I've read at least a hundred times before. This could have been written in the 1950's. My yardstick for measuring this kind of novel is /Starship Troopers/, by RAH, and this one just doesn't measure up. It is a bug-hunt shoot 'em up as typical as they come. What's worse, the author seems to have a political axe to grind with civilian government even worse than RAH ever did. That said, it is a good read, and worthwhile for fans of military SF. It is not, however, Hugo material, IMHO.
Well, shit. It's been removed from consideration by it's author. - Skin Game, Jim Butcher (Roc Books)
This is as good as modern fantasy gets. It's a real page-turner. Fallen Angels, Faeries, magical beasts, wizards, villains that are more than a match for the hero forcing him to survive by wits and guile. This is my first foray into The Dresden Files, and I hope all the rest of them are this good. - The Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu, Ken Liu translator (Tor Books)
Replacement for /Lines Of Departure/.
Leading contender for the Hugo. The slice of Chinese history is very interesting. RAH said that a good author doesn't provide answers, he asks questions, and leads the reader to find his own answers. Liu has accomplished this extremely well. Very interesting treatment of the first contact conceit. Factions within factions. Very, very well developed central conflict, and conflicts within conflicts.
For me, this year's winner. Truth be told, I'll be happy if either this one, or Skin Game, or Ancillary Sword wins. - Big Boys Don’t Cry, Tom Kratman (Castalia House)
Yet more military SF from someone with an anti-government axe to grind. In this one the central character is an sentient main battle tank that figures out its real enemies are the humans who taught it to be a main battle tank, with a few detours to bash government. - “Flow”, Arlan Andrews, Sr. (Tor.com, 11-2014)
It's very good. Heavy on exposition, but I expect that in SF. This is definitely SF rather than fantasy. The worldbuilding is excellent, and really puts the reader in the picture. While this story does have a distinct beginning, middle, and end, it leaves the reader wanting more. This story is the beginning of Rist's adventure, and I very much want to read the rest! This one is second only to Plural, and a close second at that. - One Bright Star to Guide Them, John C. Wright (Castalia House)
Wright spends too much time telling the reader the story and not enough showing the reader the story. Two characters sitting in a room talking about things that happened offstage does not constitute showing the reader the story. Wright offers a kind of dark, noir version of C. S. Lewis, with dominionist ideology. - “Pale Realms of Shade”, John C. Wright (The Book of Feasts & Seasons, Castalia House)
The full title is "Easter Sunday: Pale Realms of Shade". -1 for making the story a pain to find in the table of contents. It's really good, but it's a bit too heavy on the Christian symbolism for me. But then that seems to be the theme of the anthology. - “The Plural of Helen of Troy”, John C. Wright (City Beyond Time: Tales of the Fall of Metachronopolis, Castalia House)
This would appear to be more a chapter in a larger work than a stand-alone story. Ah. It's the anchor story of an anthology. This one is really good. This one is worthy of Hugo consideration. It's also the first Castalia House story I've read that did not contain an obvious political axe being ground. Current leader. - “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Earth to Alluvium”, Gray Rinehart (Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show, 05-2014)
Very good. Human spirit triumphs over adversity, if only in death. Understanding an alien culture. Well crafted. - “Championship B’tok”, Edward M. Lerner (Analog, 09-2014)
I've liked the series this comes from since I first read it serialized in Analog several years ago. That said, this novelette is part of a series, not a completely crafted story that stands on its own, but part of a larger whole. - “The Journeyman: In the Stone House”, Michael F. Flynn (Analog, 06-2014)
Very good, very well crafted. Good central conflict and good side conflicts as well, which is hard to pull off in a novelette. It's part of a larger series but it stands on its own feet. Nothing happens offstage. Planetary civilization continuing centuries after the fall of an interstellar civilization. Post-apocalyptic, but it's post enough that society has degenerated all the way to a medieval culture and is starting its long, slow climb back up. I like the space opera story of Triple Sun better, but Journeyman is better crafted. - “The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale”, Rajnar Vajra (Analog, 07/08-2014)
This is SF at its best. Technology, problem solving, and triumph due to wits, guile, and thought. My only criticism is that the crucial solution to the problem happens offstage, but showing rather than telling the story would likely have made it much longer. Journeyman is a better crafted story but I enjoyed this one more.
Current leader. - “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”, John C. Wright (The Book of Feasts & Seasons, Castalia House)
At first I thought it was glurge. This belongs in a book of bible stories, not the Hugos. The only thing SF-ish about it is the mention of a galactic collision. How the hell did _this_ get nominated for a Hugo? Oh, that's right, Sad Puppies. - The Day The World Turned Upside Down, Thomas Olde Heufeldt
If I don't buy the premise then I won't buy the story. I don't buy the premise. It seems well crafted, and I don't have any real criticism of it except that I don't like it. - “On A Spiritual Plain”, Lou Antonelli (Sci Phi Journal #2, 11-2014)
Not much central conflict. It's a sort of man against nature story. - “The Parliament of Beasts and Birds”, John C. Wright (The Book of Feasts & Seasons, Castalia House)
<sigh> Another one from this religious collection. Yup. It's a retelling of the Pentecost myth. This isn't SF, but biblical allegory. The entire anthology is biblical allegory. But some would claim that the Bible is western civilization's most influential work of speculative fiction. - “A Single Samurai”, Steven Diamond (The Baen Big Book of Monsters, Baen Books)
Very good fantasy. Triumph of will even in death. Or, in this case, by death. Man against nature is the central conflict. - “Totaled”, Kary English (Galaxy’s Edge Magazine, 07-2014)
<sigh> Another ghost story. Or not.
Ugh. Political axe grinding about government death panels. Ah. Dead woman becomes cyborg. Emotional impact. It has the emotional impact of glurge but it's much better written. Current leader. - “Turncoat”, Steve Rzasa (Riding the Red Horse, Castalia House)
<sigh> I'm going to try to judge this one fairly, but looking at the editorial introduction and the rest of the anthology I have a feeling it's more political axe grinding by Castalia House.
I'm wrong. While this is military SF there is, surprisingly, no political axe grinding in it. Hybrid man against man and man against himself. An AI discovers his humanity.
-1 because Castalia House didn't clear it for the Hugo voter packet. I thought about not considering it because of this failure, but decided to do so anyway because Castalia House is new to the Hugo game. Well, it seems Castalia House did provide the anthology, but old Hugo put it into the wrong category for compression and distribution. - “The Hot Equations: Thermodynamics and Military SF”, Ken Burnside (Riding the Red Horse, Castalia House)
A very good discussion of the science part that would limit military SF in the near future, especially with reaction engines. It's written in a humorous style. Very good stuff. Should be required reading for anyone who wants to write military SF. Or any near-future SF for that matter. - Letters from Gardner, Lou Antonelli (The Merry Blacksmith Press)
Very good! I've only read the excerpt, but it reads a lot like Heinlein's /Expanded Universe/. - Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth, John C. Wright (Castalia House)
<sigh> Yet another adult convert to Christianity trying to explain to us why his Faith is the only way to go. No wonder his writing is so much like that of C. S. Lewis. I want to completely evaluate this one, but I'm not sure I have the energy to do it. I've only delved into the first of these essays, and so far it seems to be proof of the old saying that if your premises are flawed then your conclusions will be flawed even if the logic is flawless. But I'll persevere, and see if I can read the whole thing.
Gah! Just when I think he has something good going he ruins it by projecting his biases, prejudices, and ideology onto the entire world.
Nope. I can't do it. I can't make it through this collection of dreck. His relentless criticism of those of us who do not believe in the Abrahamic faiths is something I find offensive in that he tars all of us with his broad brush. I simply can't vote in favor of a collection of essays that will be so blatantly offensive to so much of fandom.
I've kept coming back to this collection, and it does have some saving graces, but they do not override the offensive parts.
That said, his essays on writing are excellent. It's when he writes on culture, religion, or politics that he loses it. There are some essays in this collection that if they were submitted by themselves would have a serious chance of winning a Hugo, but the entire collection, no. - “Why Science is Never Settled”, Tedd Roberts (Baen.com)
An excellent discussion of science, the scientific process, and the titular problem of why science is never "settled". Anyone who ever laments about scientists disagreeing on something, or that science has overturned its own consensus on something, should be required to read this essay. I like his discussion on the nature of the peer-review process, but egad, the typographical errors! Did nobody proof read this thing? - Wisdom from My Internet, Michael Z. Williamson (Patriarchy Press)
This isn't really SF, and it is at best remotely related. In fact I'd say it's only "related" because it's written by an SF writer. That said, it's hilarious. If you like snark then you will like this. Politically, he seems to be a rightie, but he doesn't spare the rod for the Right either. Even the stuff I disagree with is mostly funny. - Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal, written by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jake Wyatt, (Marvel Comics)
A good start to a new line. The only problem I really have with this one is that the story doesn't really have an ending, it just kind of stops. Teen misfit becomes superhero. - Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery, written by Kurtis J. Weibe, art by Roc Upchurch (Image Comics)
The dialog is very witty, but man, this one is gory. It's not much on plot. It's mostly witty banter, gory combat, and loving depictions of thick women with nice butts. The authors went out of their way to depict women with many body types, and one is lesbian. In fact, it's an interspecies lesbian relationship, and there are a couple of other interspecies couplings. - Saga Volume 3, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics))
Well, at least they got this one in the Hugo package. It suffers from middle book syndrome. The worldbuilding has been done in previous books, and this one does not completely stand on its own feet. There's a lot of the story for which you need to have read the previous volumes to get. You and me against the world kind of story line, with a little help from their friends. Interesting use of Esperanto. The author certainly isn't afraid to kill his characters. - Sex Criminals Volume 1: One Weird Trick, written by Matt Fraction, art by Chip Zdarsky (Image Comics)
Two people figure out they can stop time by having sex. Hilarity ensues. It stands on its own feet. Well developed central conflict as well as side conflicts. This is the one I like the best. It's interesting in that the central character is also the narrator. Leader. - The Zombie Nation Book #2: Reduce Reuse Reanimate, Carter Reid (The Zombie Nation)
They didn't include it in the Hugo package, and I'm not hunting it down. I hate zombie stories anyway. - Captain America: The Winter Soldier, screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, concept and story by Ed Brubaker, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Marvel Entertainment, Perception, Sony Pictures Imageworks)
- Edge of Tomorrow, screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, and John-Henry Butterworth, directed by Doug Liman (Village Roadshow, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, 3 Arts Entertainment; Viz Productions)
- Guardians of the Galaxy, written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman, directed by James Gunn (Marvel Studios, Moving Picture Company)
- Interstellar, screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, directed by Christopher Nolan (Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Lynda Obst Productions, Syncopy)
- The Lego Movie, written by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, LEGO System A/S, Vertigo Entertainment, Lin Pictures, Warner Bros. Animation (as Warner Animation Group))
- Doctor Who: “Listen”, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Douglas Mackinnon (BBC Television)
- The Flash: “Pilot”, teleplay by Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, story by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, directed by David Nutter (The CW) (Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television)
- Game of Thrones: “The Mountain and the Viper”, written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, directed by Alex Graves ((HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions)
- Grimm: “Once We Were Gods”, written by Alan DiFiore, directed by Steven DePaul (NBC) (GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, Universal TV)
- Orphan Black: “By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried”, ” written by Graham Manson, directed by John Fawcett (Temple Street Productions, Space/BBC America)
- Jennifer Brozek
- Vox Day
- Mike Resnick
- Edmund R. Schubert
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt
- Vox Day
- Sheila Gilbert
- Jim Minz
- Anne Sowards
- Toni Weisskopf
- Julie Dillon
- Jon Eno
- Nick Greenwood
- Alan Pollack
- Carter Reid
- Abyss & Apex, Wendy Delmater editor and publisher
- Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, Andromeda Spaceways Publishing Association Incorporated, 2014 editors David Kernot and Sue Bursztynski
- Beneath Ceaseless Skies, edited by Scott H. Andrews
- Lightspeed Magazine, edited by John Joseph Adams, Stefan Rudnicki, Rich Horton, Wendy N. Wagner, and Christie Yant
- Strange Horizons, Niall Harrison, editor-in-chief
- Black Gate, edited by John O’Neill
- Elitist Book Reviews, edited by Steven Diamond
- Journey Planet, edited by James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, Lynda E. Rucker, Pete Young, Colin Harris, and Helen J.Montgomery
- The Revenge of Hump Day, edited by Tim Bolgeo
- Tangent SF Online, edited by Dave Truesdale
- Adventures in SF Publishing, Brent Bower (Executive Producer), Kristi Charish, Timothy C. Ward & Moses Siregar III (Co-Hosts, Interviewers and Producers)
- Dungeon Crawlers Radio, Daniel Swenson (Producer/Host), Travis Alexander & Scott Tomlin (Hosts), Dale Newton (Host/Tech), Damien Swenson (Audio/Video Tech)
- Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)
- The Sci Phi Show, Jason Rennie
- Tea and Jeopardy, Emma Newman and Peter Newman
- Dave Freer
Sad Puppy. He does a pretty thorough statistical examination of ideological bias in the Hugo Awards, but I think he misses something. What if the ideological bias isn't in the Hugo Awards, or in the traditional publishing industry, but in fandom itself? His contention that Ann Leckie won the Hugo over Larry Correia because of ideological bias is, IMHO, completely off the mark. I can't speak as all Hugo voters, only for myself, but for _me_ Leckie won because she wrote a better book. That's why /Ancillary Justice/ won a Hugo. /Warbound/ was a close second, and the two of them were head-and-shoulders better than the rest of the field.
He makes some really good recommendations from his personal Golden Age of SF, which I'm going to have to pay more attention to after Hugo.
He has a pretty good piece of satire about #shirtstorm. - Amanda S. Green
She's pretty good when she's writing about writing or gaming, but loses it when she delves into politics. That seems to by typical of fan-bloggers, whether or not I agree with their politics. "Oh, poor me. I'm a patriotic libertarian, so I get dumped on by Fandom at every opportunity." (Isn't "patriotic libertarian" a contradiction in terms?) - Jeffro Johnson
OK, this is more of what I expect from a fan writer. He writes about the work, and about writing. He doesn't delve so deeply into all of the meta of fandom. <sigh> Until I looked up his actual blog, not just the packet summary. Plenty of sniping there. He's the only one to write about making peace with those with whom you disagree. - Laura J. Mixon
Did a thorough exposee on a particularly nasty piece of work who goes by the handle "Requires Hate". - Cedar Sanderson
She does make some good points. She has a really good piece on gender stereotyping. She wrote a good piece about bullying and #shirtstorm, and she did it without descending into nattering about ideological bias. - Ninni Aalto
- Brad W. Foster
- Elizabeth Leggett
- Spring Schoenhuth
- Steve Stiles
- Wesley Chu*
- Jason Cordova
- Kary English*
- Rolf Nelson
- Eric S. Raymond
- Alan Petrillo Since the Hugo ballot has closed, I suppose I can publish this now.
- Jay Ashworth You can re-unpublish it...
Best Novel (1827 nominating ballots)
Best Novella (1083 nominating ballots)
Hmmm... 4/5ths of the field to Castalia House? 3/5 to John C. Wright? I think I smell sad puppies.
Best Novelette (1031 nominating ballots)
Best Short Story (1174 nominating ballots)
Best Related Work (1150 nominating ballots)
Best Graphic Story (785 nominating ballots)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (1285 nominating ballots)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (938 nominating ballots)
Best Editor, Short Form (870 nominating ballots)
Best Editor, Long Form (712 nominating ballots)
Best Professional Artist (753 nominating ballots)
Best Semiprozine (660 nominating ballots)
Best Fanzine (576 nominating ballots)
Best Fancast (668 nominating ballots)
Best Fan Writer (777 nominating ballots)
Best Fan Artist (296 nominating ballots)
The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (851 nominating ballots)
Award
for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2013
or 2014, sponsored by Dell Magazines. (Not a Hugo Award, but
administered along with the Hugo Awards.)
*Finalists in their 2nd year of eligibility.
Man, this feels weird. This was only 5 years ago but it feels like a lifetime. I think this was also the last time I went into this depth on a Hugo ballot. Since 2016 I just haven't had the attention span or the down time.
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