There, done. I have voted for this year’s Hugo Awards with 4 hours to spare!
The novel category is the biggie, and I wanted to ensure that I actually could make a reasonable determination of what I liked. This involved some mammoth reading sessions, and I listened to two of the books via Audible while biking to work and back over the last couple of weeks. So, without further ado, here’s how it broke down for me (pasting the confirmation email from the renosf site, for authenticity):
Best Novel
(2) Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Ballantine Spectra)
(4) Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
(1) The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)
(5) Feed by Mira Grant (Orbit)
(3) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
( ) No Award
I really enjoyed The Dervish House. It felt — just a touch, mind you — like Foucalt’s Pendulum, one of my all-time favourites, and the setting felt so real. I’ve heard some complaints about Connie Willis’ outing, mostly complaining about length, but I think every word belongs. The harrowing feeling of it is superb. I really enjoyed Jemisin’s book, and I’m glad that I listened to it, as I would have been stumbling over the names otherwise. Cryoburn was solid, but I preferred the books ahead of it. Sorry. Feed was fun, but there were certain elements that completely through me out of the story on several occasions. Ok for a read, but not for an award. I listened to this one too, and the narration had me thinking continuously of Dead Like Me, down to the viewpoint character being a young woman named George.
Well, that’s it. I look forward to seeing how everyone does, and I wish I could actually be in Reno, but two trips to Nevada in one month is a bit much, and I don’t think my lovely and pregnant wife would appreciate it… Oh well, there’s always Chicago!