So it did, so it did. Not to get involved in the brouhaha – I was largely staying out of it in the Time Before, and have no urge to wade into it now – but Full Frontal Nerdity (Best Graphic Story nominee) is an extremely good – consistently, too – webcomic. Naomi Novik’s Uprooted (Best Novel nominee) was brilliant: I even bought a digital copy for my sister-in-law. Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric’s Demon (Best Novella nominee)… :flat stare: what part of ‘Lois McMaster Bujold’ was unclear? Toni Weisskopf should get two Hugos, with the second one having an apology engraved on it*. And I think that Andy Weir is unquestionably eligible for the John Campbell award. Campbell would have reincarnated himself for the chance to publish The Martian, if only such a thing were permissible.
So. That’s interesting, yah?
Moe Lane
*I don’t care where you stood on last year’s Hugo controversy: there was absolutely no reason to insult Weisskopf like that. She was absolutely qualified for consideration for Best Editor – Long Form, and everybody in the industry knows it. That’s my line in the sand: if you’re not a little ashamed of at least that one, then shame on you.
I didn’t care for Uprooted.
It was well written and the setting was great, but I had a hard time buying the characters, and it just wasn’t much *fun*.
.
I mean, seriously. If you discover you can alter the very fabric of reality, and your first thought is of the negative ways this will impact your single friendship, then there’s something seriously wrong with you.
Just a bit of joy, an occasional sense of “Gee Whizz! Isn’t this COOL?” would have made the story so much more entertaining.
.
Which isn’t to say I don’t appreciate a good sense of foreboding. (And she does it well.)
But if you keep hitting the same note over and over, it just becomes noise.
Campbell would have reincarnated himself for the chance to publish The Martian, if only such a thing were permissible.
Succinctly put, and absolutely right.
I hope the movie version of The Martian wins a Hugo, too. But I think there are too many Star Wars fans out there for that to happen.
(Fearless prediction: Ghostbusters 2016 will not be on the Hugo shortlist.)
I dunno, kinda depends on Vox and his minions…
The only part a bout Bujold that was unclear was the Scalzi beat her out a couple of years ago with a well-marketed bit of fanfic.
Say what you will about the Puppies, Baen the publisher, and before that Baen the man, has been consistently treated shabbily by Hugo voters. It *almost* looks like a conspiracy.
This is the Hugos! They are to important to tolerate wrongthought! Part facetious, part not. Yes, I’m a Puppy supporter; how could you tell? 😉
Oh, the insult to Weisskopf was intentional – she has the temerity to publish the fiction that the wrongfans having wrongfun enjoy. The Hugos will be reaping what they sowed for a few more years at least…
If they had any capacity for shame, they wouldn’t have tried to give wooden *ssh*l*s to the wrongfan nominees.
Hey’ expectations had some decent web graphic novels, no doubt. But I have yet to see anything to compare with the quality of Girl Genius
PS238 and the now completed Nodwick are every bit as good a storyline as Girl Genius, although GG has great artwork. Snow By Night started great, but has lost energy over the last two years.