Hugos in Helsinki
August 14, 2017 11:59 AM Subscribe
Women swept nearly every category at the 2017 Hugo Awards - the annual SF award won an award of its own and managed to be largely free of the slating problems of recent years, whose instigators have largely moved on to the Dragon Awards. Worldcon, host of the Hugo Awrds, was without some controversy though, with the withdrawal of A Home for the Old (dropbox PDF) a planned LARP dealing with Alzheimer's disease.
Yay! Got to hang out with cstross, katullus, zarkonnen, daisyk, and two lapsed mefites ++++ This year's Worldcon was the first in history to stop selling membership on the first day!
posted by infini at 12:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by infini at 12:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [29 favorites]
Really strong bunch of winners this year, too!
Also, I got my copy of The Stone Sky today. Huzzah!
posted by kyrademon at 12:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also, I got my copy of The Stone Sky today. Huzzah!
posted by kyrademon at 12:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Obelisk Gate was really awfully good. I thought it was actually better than The Fifth Season, contra the usual second book struggles. With The Fifth Season, I got into it and read it really quickly, but then I kind of didn't care anymore, whereas I finished Obelisk Gate a few weeks ago and have been really anxious for the next one. I feel like the characters are developed in so much more depth in OG, and the day to day life of the community is used extremely effectively.
I kind of would have gone for A Taste of Honey for best novella, though.
posted by Frowner at 12:10 PM on August 14, 2017 [6 favorites]
I kind of would have gone for A Taste of Honey for best novella, though.
posted by Frowner at 12:10 PM on August 14, 2017 [6 favorites]
Some context, I think, for the LARP thing--I haven't heard much about this specifically but I suspect there are a lot of people in the US at least who don't know about this particular kind of game.
posted by Sequence at 12:10 PM on August 14, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Sequence at 12:10 PM on August 14, 2017 [7 favorites]
That's so great. I'm sort of the opposite, Frowner - I LOVED The Fifth Season, but have failed now on two attempts to really get into The Obelisk Gate. I think maybe too much time had passed between reading book one and book two, so I think I'll try re-reading at least the end of TFS and then try TOG again now that The Stone Sky is almost here.
posted by Rock Steady at 12:13 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 12:13 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
Also, in OG, Alabaster and some of the other really morally complicated characters are developed more, and that gives it a really unusual degrees of psychological realism for a fantasy novel. (Which is not to knock fantasy novels for lack of "realism" - fantasy as a genre does a lot of things and is "realistic" in complicated ways; it's not a genre where psychological realism is usually central, and that's fine. But srsly, OG is fantastic on this front.)
posted by Frowner at 12:14 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 12:14 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm happy Seanan McGuire won a Hugo for Every Heart a Doorway, but I really wanted her to win a Best Series Hugo for the October Daye Books. That's my favourite book series.
And... the future is female!!
posted by Pendragon at 12:14 PM on August 14, 2017 [7 favorites]
And... the future is female!!
posted by Pendragon at 12:14 PM on August 14, 2017 [7 favorites]
Some Interesting Facts:
This is the second year in a row that women have swept all four major writing awards.
This is the third time someone has won Best Novel two years in a row. The most recent time before this was Lois McMaster Bujold in 1991 and 1992.
This is the highest number of Ursulas ever to win a Hugo in a single year.
posted by kyrademon at 12:16 PM on August 14, 2017 [38 favorites]
This is the second year in a row that women have swept all four major writing awards.
This is the third time someone has won Best Novel two years in a row. The most recent time before this was Lois McMaster Bujold in 1991 and 1992.
This is the highest number of Ursulas ever to win a Hugo in a single year.
posted by kyrademon at 12:16 PM on August 14, 2017 [38 favorites]
In addition to the well-deserved winners in fiction, a special shout-out to the Fan Writer award winner Abigail Nussbaum, whose blog Asking the Wrong Questions contains some of the best critical writing being produced about the genre.
posted by informavore at 12:19 PM on August 14, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by informavore at 12:19 PM on August 14, 2017 [20 favorites]
I'm a bit sad that "Ballad of Black Tom" missed the win, because it was such a kick in the teeth. But very glad to see the E Pluribus Hugo is working as it should. If you want to get your stats nerdery on, there's a bunch of award voting data available.
posted by rmd1023 at 12:26 PM on August 14, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 12:26 PM on August 14, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'm so pleased for Ursula Vernon. "The Tomato Thief" is an excellent story, and she's one of my favorite people on Twitter. She has hella funny stories to tell about gardening, pets, and living in a small southern town.
posted by suelac at 12:27 PM on August 14, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by suelac at 12:27 PM on August 14, 2017 [6 favorites]
The generation of women named after Ursula Le Guin are all grown up and writing kickass fiction ^^
posted by radicalawyer at 12:29 PM on August 14, 2017 [27 favorites]
posted by radicalawyer at 12:29 PM on August 14, 2017 [27 favorites]
Chuck Tingle sadly didn't win a Hugo... again.
posted by Ashwagandha at 12:33 PM on August 14, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Ashwagandha at 12:33 PM on August 14, 2017 [10 favorites]
Hooray for Arrival!
posted by Gorgik at 12:48 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Gorgik at 12:48 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you're not following Camestros Felapton, you really should. Their coverage of the various flavors of Puppies*, the Hugos, and the general Keystone Kops nature of the right-wing nutjob parts of the industry and fandom is great. Their follow-up post to the one linked in the OP on the Dragon Awards dumbasses is a good example.
* Really, when you get right down to it, the differences are minimal at best. A quick glance at the postings of Correia or Torgerson or Hoyt or anyone else that helped run the Sad Puppies shows that they've all pretty much gone the way of the Rabids in terms of ideology. Nutty Nuggets, indeed.
posted by zombieflanders at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
* Really, when you get right down to it, the differences are minimal at best. A quick glance at the postings of Correia or Torgerson or Hoyt or anyone else that helped run the Sad Puppies shows that they've all pretty much gone the way of the Rabids in terms of ideology. Nutty Nuggets, indeed.
posted by zombieflanders at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is the highest number of Ursulas ever to win a Hugo in a single year.
And I am an enthusiastic fan of both, having discovered LeGuin through the mind-bending 1980 TV movie of "The Lathe of Heaven", and Vernon through her webcomic "Digger", "The most epic tale about a wombat", according to a blurb on the Omnibus Edition which is on my bookshelf next to an equally hefty volume of Bone. (Say, weren't we talking about wombats here the other day?)
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
And I am an enthusiastic fan of both, having discovered LeGuin through the mind-bending 1980 TV movie of "The Lathe of Heaven", and Vernon through her webcomic "Digger", "The most epic tale about a wombat", according to a blurb on the Omnibus Edition which is on my bookshelf next to an equally hefty volume of Bone. (Say, weren't we talking about wombats here the other day?)
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
My copy of Stone Sky shipped today and I'm waiting until vacation at the end of the month to start it, because I am a model of self-restraint.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:50 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
The generation of women named after Ursula Le Guin are all grown up and writing kickass fiction ^^
I had previously planned on inaugurating a personal annual celebration this year for St Ursula's Day — October 21st — which is Le Guin's birthday. Might have to add readings from her namesakes as part of the festivities. :)
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [11 favorites]
I had previously planned on inaugurating a personal annual celebration this year for St Ursula's Day — October 21st — which is Le Guin's birthday. Might have to add readings from her namesakes as part of the festivities. :)
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [11 favorites]
I thought "The Obelisk Gate" was as good as its predecessor. Together they're definitely one of the best SF/F series I've read in the last few years. Tough reading for a parent at times though.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 1:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
Chuck Tingle sadly didn't win a Hugo... again.
Pounded in the Butt by the Hugo Award Voters
posted by nubs at 1:17 PM on August 14, 2017 [26 favorites]
Pounded in the Butt by the Hugo Award Voters
posted by nubs at 1:17 PM on August 14, 2017 [26 favorites]
This was one of those years where I would have been super dang happy with most any of the nominees for best novel. They were all doing very different and interesting things.
posted by sgranade at 1:18 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sgranade at 1:18 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Per the nomination data 20 people nominated Oglaf.
posted by Artw at 1:34 PM on August 14, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:34 PM on August 14, 2017 [13 favorites]
I was a little disappointed in the novella win, because "Every Heart a Doorway" had *such* a great concept and setup, and then turned into such a dull murder mystery where everyone was a total idiot to make the plot work. I've seldom been so let down by the second half of a piece. I thought just about anything else on that list would have been more deserving, but maybe people were voting for the first part.
posted by tavella at 2:15 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by tavella at 2:15 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
Those who have read This Census Taker, how was it? I purchased it, but really haven't put much effort into getting into it. I see that it beat Last Days of New Paris in the nomination and was wondering if this is an indication I should put some effort into cracking it.
posted by Hactar at 2:16 PM on August 14, 2017
posted by Hactar at 2:16 PM on August 14, 2017
I liked This Census Taker quite a bit, but then, I generally like Mieville. Much of the novel is in his "language and its limitations" mode.
posted by thomas j wise at 2:43 PM on August 14, 2017
posted by thomas j wise at 2:43 PM on August 14, 2017
I hope the tears burn their stupid, puppy faces.
posted by lumpenprole at 2:47 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by lumpenprole at 2:47 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have spent this year reading heavily from Sci-fi/fantasy writers that are non-white or feature characters that are non-white and I was delighted to see a number of the titles I've read and enjoyed this year on the list for the Hugos.
Go diversity!!
posted by teleri025 at 3:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
Go diversity!!
posted by teleri025 at 3:08 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
I am really intrigued by this Alzheimer's themed LARP. I don't know much about this type of LARP, but my mother has Alzheimer's and I have a lot of other people in my personal and professional life with acquired cognitive impairments, some progressive. As my own memory decays I have been searching for art that gives meaning to this experience. The idea of an artistic and thoughtful role playing game about this subject seems very attractive to me, even if it would be sure to bring a lot of sadness if it is any good.
posted by latkes at 4:29 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by latkes at 4:29 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
I was really pleased Ada Palmer won Best New Writer because Too Like the Lightning was my vote for Best Novel. A friend of mine finally read it after much urging, then texted me that he was at first sad by how many threads it left dangling before he realized he still had The Seven Surrenders ahead of him. Crooked Timber hosted a wonderful seminar with essays and response essays and I cannot wait for her next book.
Ada Palmer previously 1 2 3 4 5
posted by palindromic at 5:21 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
Ada Palmer previously 1 2 3 4 5
posted by palindromic at 5:21 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
happy Seanan McGuire won a Hugo for Every Heart a Doorway, but I really wanted her to win a Best Series Hugo for the October Daye Books. That's my favourite book series.
Mine too, but nobody was gonna beat Bujold. I just wish we could have multiple winners in that category.
I wrote up a reader's guide to October Daye, I really need to find somewhere to post it someday.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:45 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
Mine too, but nobody was gonna beat Bujold. I just wish we could have multiple winners in that category.
I wrote up a reader's guide to October Daye, I really need to find somewhere to post it someday.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:45 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
I don't mind if the Toby books get a series award only when they are done instead of in the middle with every plot point still unfinished.
posted by jeather at 5:58 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jeather at 5:58 PM on August 14, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is a much better precis of what happened re the cancellation of A Home for the Old.
The concom really blew it, not just for bowing in to pressure to cancel it, but they also threw the author under the bus in doing so and elided their own involvement in INVITING the author to run it for WorldCon.
I am just back from playing a week long Nordic LARP (https://jall.us/), and I will be carrying that experience with me for the rest of my life. I have an entire new clade of chosen family from this experience, and have had a wonderful opportunity to meditate on my own queerness and my place in queer community from this. Note, if you read the article I've linked, some folks in the anti-AHftO tweet-storm also cast aspersions on JALL being , to paraphrase, teach the straights about queer suffering.
Fuck, no. 80% of us playing JALL last week identified as queer. And we brought a wide range of perspectives that we shared with each other and interrogated together respectfully. One of our participants actually lived through the time and place of JALL (1982 - 1984 queer community in and around NYC).
When I read about this and about how AHftO was approaching dementia, I did do a bit of a double take, much like when a dog cocks its head at you. But then I thought about how it would play out and I really, really want to play it. My father died from complications of his dementia earlier this year. I was the one who had to take responsibility for his care, take his car keys away and find him a place to be cared for. It's been rough couple of years, but I made it through and I actually have been thinking about how I would approach putting that into a game, myself (I write RPG stuff and play a ton of heavy games in both tabletop & LARP space).
posted by ursus_comiter at 6:05 PM on August 14, 2017 [12 favorites]
The concom really blew it, not just for bowing in to pressure to cancel it, but they also threw the author under the bus in doing so and elided their own involvement in INVITING the author to run it for WorldCon.
I am just back from playing a week long Nordic LARP (https://jall.us/), and I will be carrying that experience with me for the rest of my life. I have an entire new clade of chosen family from this experience, and have had a wonderful opportunity to meditate on my own queerness and my place in queer community from this. Note, if you read the article I've linked, some folks in the anti-AHftO tweet-storm also cast aspersions on JALL being , to paraphrase, teach the straights about queer suffering.
Fuck, no. 80% of us playing JALL last week identified as queer. And we brought a wide range of perspectives that we shared with each other and interrogated together respectfully. One of our participants actually lived through the time and place of JALL (1982 - 1984 queer community in and around NYC).
When I read about this and about how AHftO was approaching dementia, I did do a bit of a double take, much like when a dog cocks its head at you. But then I thought about how it would play out and I really, really want to play it. My father died from complications of his dementia earlier this year. I was the one who had to take responsibility for his care, take his car keys away and find him a place to be cared for. It's been rough couple of years, but I made it through and I actually have been thinking about how I would approach putting that into a game, myself (I write RPG stuff and play a ton of heavy games in both tabletop & LARP space).
posted by ursus_comiter at 6:05 PM on August 14, 2017 [12 favorites]
Also, I do support the call at the end of Jaako Stenros's essay to take care to write for outsiders in cases like this, so that Nordic play and other adjacent approaches are more explicable. It might have prevented this and also given folks outside of this world an opportunity to explore it.
posted by ursus_comiter at 6:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ursus_comiter at 6:09 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just wanted to chime in to say thank you to those who added context about Nordic LARP. A Home for the Old sounds powerful and moving.
posted by Emily's Fist at 6:44 PM on August 14, 2017
posted by Emily's Fist at 6:44 PM on August 14, 2017
The PDF contains the rules and outline of the game, though I suspect to fully price tigether how it would play you'd have to be better versed in LARP norms and culture than me. Nethertheless it seems like it would be a pretty interesting dramatic experience and while I understand why they withdrew it it seems like a real missed opportunity.
posted by Artw at 7:33 PM on August 14, 2017
posted by Artw at 7:33 PM on August 14, 2017
Yeah, wow, my initial reaction was to recoil from the idea of a dementia LARP, but after reading about Nordic LARPs I am cautiously intrigued and can totally see how it would be constructive, productive, and moving.
I think the term "LARP" in and of itself is part of my problem perception, since it calls up people in costumes with swords playing around, while "role-playing" (as some of the articles have it) sounds like a more serious and engaged sort of thing that could be done in therapy or in a drama workshop or (yes) for fun in costumes. Color me rebuked, educated, and curious. (Also reading the setup for this particular game the beginning made me be kinda "WHA?????" but the later bits made me be like, "Whoa, this is hardcore moving.")
Not sure if I'd want to play that particular Nordic LARP myself, just due to personal family experience, but I'd be very curious to read about other people's experience of it, and I'd be open to trying other ones myself.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:42 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think the term "LARP" in and of itself is part of my problem perception, since it calls up people in costumes with swords playing around, while "role-playing" (as some of the articles have it) sounds like a more serious and engaged sort of thing that could be done in therapy or in a drama workshop or (yes) for fun in costumes. Color me rebuked, educated, and curious. (Also reading the setup for this particular game the beginning made me be kinda "WHA?????" but the later bits made me be like, "Whoa, this is hardcore moving.")
Not sure if I'd want to play that particular Nordic LARP myself, just due to personal family experience, but I'd be very curious to read about other people's experience of it, and I'd be open to trying other ones myself.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:42 PM on August 14, 2017 [2 favorites]
I was really pleased Ada Palmer won Best New Writer because Too Like the Lightning was my vote for Best Novel. A friend of mine finally read it after much urging, then texted me that he was at first sad by how many threads it left dangling before he realized he still had The Seven Surrenders ahead of him.
The Terra Ignota books are some of the only books I've read that truly do justice to the word "provocative", in it's original meaning rather than the "reactionary bullshit we're pretending is edgy" sense it's more commonly used for these days.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:49 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Terra Ignota books are some of the only books I've read that truly do justice to the word "provocative", in it's original meaning rather than the "reactionary bullshit we're pretending is edgy" sense it's more commonly used for these days.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:49 PM on August 14, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think the term "LARP" in and of itself is part of my problem perception, since it calls up people in costumes with swords playing around, while "role-playing" (as some of the articles have it) sounds like a more serious and engaged sort of thing that could be done in therapy or in a drama workshop or (yes) for fun in costumes.
Yeah, calling it "improvisational acting" might work, too, if coupled with the right phrases about education and empathy.
posted by greermahoney at 7:55 PM on August 14, 2017
Yeah, I also liked all of the novels this year, though I ended up going with Ninefox Gambit for my vote - Too Like the Lightning ended up being too much setup for me, and Obelisk Gate seemed to have a mid-series problem (though I am really, really looking forward to the final book in the trilogy coming out tomorrow). Meanwhile, I was really impressed by how much I managed to think about and care about what was happening in Ninefox Gambit while simultaneously having no idea what some of the main concepts in the book even really were, exactly, because there was zero exposition ever.
The Census Taker was the only novella I couldn't really get into - I'm usually okay with Mieville, but it wasn't his best work and honestly, it was super awkward to read the poorly formatted pdf that came with the voter's packet. Every Heart a Doorway was a clear winner, but I also greatly enjoyed The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:24 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Census Taker was the only novella I couldn't really get into - I'm usually okay with Mieville, but it wasn't his best work and honestly, it was super awkward to read the poorly formatted pdf that came with the voter's packet. Every Heart a Doorway was a clear winner, but I also greatly enjoyed The Dream Quest of Vellitt Boe.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:24 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty bummed I didn't make it to Worldcon this year, but with other indefensible extravagances in my life it was just not going to happen this time around. It would have been fun to hang out. One of these decades...
posted by brennen at 9:44 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by brennen at 9:44 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Dublin 2019?
Couldn't make it to the Worldcon either, thanks to a combination of new work assignment and personal fsckery. Happy to see it so succesful though and doing so well with the Hugos.
Can't help think though that, Puppy wise, we have bigger troubles now to quote the Dead Kennedys. How many puppies were out buying tiki torches this weekend?
posted by MartinWisse at 11:06 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Couldn't make it to the Worldcon either, thanks to a combination of new work assignment and personal fsckery. Happy to see it so succesful though and doing so well with the Hugos.
Can't help think though that, Puppy wise, we have bigger troubles now to quote the Dead Kennedys. How many puppies were out buying tiki torches this weekend?
posted by MartinWisse at 11:06 PM on August 14, 2017 [1 favorite]
Parallels between minor SF kerfuffles & real world politics are both trite & true
posted by Artw at 11:30 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:30 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
I love how e-books have moved novellas back into a viable standalone bit of fiction again, accessible without a magazine subscription of buying a collection a few years later.
I haven't read the Seanan McGuire novella yet so I'm not complaining it won, but Ballad of Black Tom is by far the best bit of horror/SF I've read in the last year. (And the Bujold entry is skillfully done entertainment, if very light.)
posted by mark k at 11:31 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
I haven't read the Seanan McGuire novella yet so I'm not complaining it won, but Ballad of Black Tom is by far the best bit of horror/SF I've read in the last year. (And the Bujold entry is skillfully done entertainment, if very light.)
posted by mark k at 11:31 PM on August 14, 2017 [5 favorites]
I am currently trying to catch up on reading sci fi and fantasy written by women, a rich seam of reading that I have been remiss in exploring, as highlighted by previous Mefi posts. So far I have read Ann Leckie, N. K. Jemisin, Mary Robinette Kowal, Octavia Butler and Seanan McGuire. I didn't get anything positive out of the second October Daye novel, the hard boiled San Fransisco fairy detective shtick was too much for me and the whole book felt like an idea that warranted no more than a short story being drawn out for ever. I have many other feelings about the series that are beyond the scope of this discussion, but I don't feel like reading any more of them. Similar to my experience with the Harry Potter series, just the synopsis will be enough for me, or maybe jenfullmoon's reader's guide.
I am reading Kindred by Octiavia Butler at the moment, having enjoyed Bloodlines and Lilith's Brood. I have Lois McMaster Bujold, Susanna Clarke and Madeleine L'Engle lined up next!
posted by asok at 2:22 AM on August 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
I am reading Kindred by Octiavia Butler at the moment, having enjoyed Bloodlines and Lilith's Brood. I have Lois McMaster Bujold, Susanna Clarke and Madeleine L'Engle lined up next!
posted by asok at 2:22 AM on August 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
tavella: OH MY GOD THANK YOU. I too was really disappointed by how EHaD turned out. The first half spoke to my soul (as someone who has gone through similar experiences of "forcibly removed from amazing paradise land that feels like a fairytale") but before I got to really know everyone's feelings about it they're mostly dead. It's like having the Battle of Hogwarts halfway through Philosopher's Stone.
posted by divabat at 4:05 AM on August 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by divabat at 4:05 AM on August 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm happy that Obelisk Gate won, although I personnally would have voted for a close and common orbit, which I found all kinds of wonderful. It's the first year I've read most of the novels (all save cixin liu, as I haven't read the dark forest yet), and I found them all quite good.
posted by motdiem2 at 4:34 AM on August 15, 2017
posted by motdiem2 at 4:34 AM on August 15, 2017
For those who we disappointed with Every Heart a Doorway, I am happy to tell you that the prequel fixes the issue with the fascinating characters getting bumped of way too early. I picked it up recently and enjoyed it immensely. It doesn't have the issues that EHaD had and spending time with Jack and Jill before they ended up at the school was great, in part because seeing their transformations was fantastic. If you like McGuire's work, read Down Among the Sticks and Bones.
posted by Hactar at 5:43 AM on August 15, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Hactar at 5:43 AM on August 15, 2017 [3 favorites]
This was my first Worldcon. It was fabulous. One of the many surprises was how well produced and wonderful the Hugo Awards were. Having only watched videoclips of a few acceptance speeches I hadn't quite understood what a big show it was. Karen Lord was a fabulous toastmistress and the remarks by presenters and award-winners spanned from hilarious to heartfelt. I was in tears at Ada Palmer's acceptance speech and like many stood up to clap. Also, it was goddamn refreshing to be at an awards ceremony where women winners were the plurality.
The MeFites were wonderful, as always, and the rolling meetup which ran from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon was great. Meeting cstross, daisyk, dst, Sokka Shot First and Zarkonnen for the first time was wonderful, as was meeting old friends infini, Karendy and Man Dancer (the latter two being the lapsed MeFites mentioned above).
I went to a bunch of panels and a few kaffeeklatches and it was all top drawer. I spent an inordinate amount of time at the business meeting (as in, all the time that the business meeting was in session) and it was absolutely fascinating. I found it amazing to see the people who go every year, wherever it is in the world, to work on keeping Worldcon and the Hugo Awards running. These were the people who had to respond to the attack by the Sad and Rabid Puppies on the Hugo Awards. This was the first year in which the altered rules were in full effect and they proved to be an effective deterrent, though a few did manage to sneak onto a few ballots (around 10 nominations, none of whom got close to winning). That's a huge difference from the previous two years when a plurality of all nominees were part of the right-wing slates. This year felt like a return to normalcy, and the people in the business meeting had done the necessary work. I can't say I did very much, though some of the votes were close, and I did end up on the Hugo Awards study committee (itsatrap.gif flashed before my eyes as I volunteered).
For what it's worth, the other people at the business meeting mostly didn't strike me as particularly political, though there probably was a wide range of beliefs represented, but they were conservative in as much as they didn't want people to fuck with the process. It gave me hope to see just how much anger there was in that room any time the Sad and Rabid Puppies were mentioned or alluded to.
I find it so wonderful that an all volunteer society of fans has kept something as big and important as Worldcon and the Hugo Awards running since 1939 and 1953 respectively. Having been active in various literary communities for a couple of decades now, seeing something that not only survives year from year, but goes from strength to strength, running on principles of egalitarianism and democracy, is incredibly inspiring.
posted by Kattullus at 6:39 AM on August 15, 2017 [22 favorites]
The MeFites were wonderful, as always, and the rolling meetup which ran from Thursday evening until Sunday afternoon was great. Meeting cstross, daisyk, dst, Sokka Shot First and Zarkonnen for the first time was wonderful, as was meeting old friends infini, Karendy and Man Dancer (the latter two being the lapsed MeFites mentioned above).
I went to a bunch of panels and a few kaffeeklatches and it was all top drawer. I spent an inordinate amount of time at the business meeting (as in, all the time that the business meeting was in session) and it was absolutely fascinating. I found it amazing to see the people who go every year, wherever it is in the world, to work on keeping Worldcon and the Hugo Awards running. These were the people who had to respond to the attack by the Sad and Rabid Puppies on the Hugo Awards. This was the first year in which the altered rules were in full effect and they proved to be an effective deterrent, though a few did manage to sneak onto a few ballots (around 10 nominations, none of whom got close to winning). That's a huge difference from the previous two years when a plurality of all nominees were part of the right-wing slates. This year felt like a return to normalcy, and the people in the business meeting had done the necessary work. I can't say I did very much, though some of the votes were close, and I did end up on the Hugo Awards study committee (itsatrap.gif flashed before my eyes as I volunteered).
For what it's worth, the other people at the business meeting mostly didn't strike me as particularly political, though there probably was a wide range of beliefs represented, but they were conservative in as much as they didn't want people to fuck with the process. It gave me hope to see just how much anger there was in that room any time the Sad and Rabid Puppies were mentioned or alluded to.
I find it so wonderful that an all volunteer society of fans has kept something as big and important as Worldcon and the Hugo Awards running since 1939 and 1953 respectively. Having been active in various literary communities for a couple of decades now, seeing something that not only survives year from year, but goes from strength to strength, running on principles of egalitarianism and democracy, is incredibly inspiring.
posted by Kattullus at 6:39 AM on August 15, 2017 [22 favorites]
I read that a “Woman sweeps nearly every category” and I thought “Holy Cow! Why haven’t I heard about that book already.”
Reality was slightly less exciting, but still good.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:54 AM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Reality was slightly less exciting, but still good.
posted by blue_beetle at 6:54 AM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Someone over at File770 pointed this one out as one that they were suprised didn't cause offense. It actually sounds devastating.
posted by Artw at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2017
posted by Artw at 12:27 PM on August 15, 2017
Lot of the panels and other events are on the Worldcon youtube page
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:33 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:33 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
> "[Down Among the Sticks and Bones] doesn't have the issues that EHaD had ..."
I cannot agree with this statement, unfortunately.
posted by kyrademon at 3:06 PM on August 15, 2017
I cannot agree with this statement, unfortunately.
posted by kyrademon at 3:06 PM on August 15, 2017
I agree that EHaD was weaker in the second half, but I didn't think it ever got to the point of being bad, nor did it overwhelm how enjoyable the setting was. I can see where some people would feel differently though.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 4:39 PM on August 15, 2017
posted by vibratory manner of working at 4:39 PM on August 15, 2017
What The Dragon Awards Will Never Be
Holy shit, 51 finalists for best novel? And voting time of a month? I felt challenged trying to cram in most of the Hugo Nominees in a much longer time frame. What's the point of having a nomination period if there's just going to be an overwhelming amount of content at the end?
The murmurings I've heard about the dragon awards have been mostly from people who have withdrawn, so I somehow missed that part of it.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:56 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Holy shit, 51 finalists for best novel? And voting time of a month? I felt challenged trying to cram in most of the Hugo Nominees in a much longer time frame. What's the point of having a nomination period if there's just going to be an overwhelming amount of content at the end?
The murmurings I've heard about the dragon awards have been mostly from people who have withdrawn, so I somehow missed that part of it.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:56 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Upon further review, each category has a relatively manageable 7-8 novels included, it's just that the categories included are science fiction, fantasy/paranormal, young adult, military sci-fi/fantasy, alternate history, apocalyptic, and horror.
They also have separate categories for graphic novel and comic book.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:04 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
They also have separate categories for graphic novel and comic book.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:04 PM on August 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Okay, fine, I finished it: October Daye Reader's Guide.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:16 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:16 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
N.K. Jemisin’s ‘The Fifth Season’ Book To Be Developed As TV Series At TNT
posted by Artw at 6:23 PM on August 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:23 PM on August 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yay for the winners, and for fandom in general. And yay for me, because I've been saving Jemisin's trilogy to read once the final book is out, and now I get to read it all in a short period of time. (I did this with Leckie's Ancillary trilogy and really enjoyed the experience of not hopelessly forgetting worldbuilding/characters/background/plot in between books.)
Was the Young Adult award category ratified?
posted by mixedmetaphors at 6:44 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
Was the Young Adult award category ratified?
posted by mixedmetaphors at 6:44 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yes, a new award (not called a Hugo) will be given to the best YA novel beginning next year. The tentative name for the new award is the Lodestar.
posted by aredhel at 9:33 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by aredhel at 9:33 PM on August 16, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yay for the winners, and for fandom in general. And yay for me, because I've been saving Jemisin's trilogy to read once the final book is out, and now I get to read it all in a short period of time.
For those who missed it, the conclusion to N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy was released yesterday.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 10:19 PM on August 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
For those who missed it, the conclusion to N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy was released yesterday.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 10:19 PM on August 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
The award will be given next year, under the fairly generic name of Award for Best Young Adult Novel. This year's business meeting passed an amendment to name it the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Novel, but it can only take effect after it's been ratified by next year's business meeting. Given the crowd, there was a short discussion whether it was possible to circumvent the space-time continuum and name it retroactively next year, but it was decided that messing with the space-time continuum would probably have repercussions greater than the problem being fixed.
posted by Kattullus at 5:25 AM on August 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Kattullus at 5:25 AM on August 17, 2017 [2 favorites]
N. K. Jemisin’s New Contemporary Fantasy Trilogy Will “Mess with the Lovecraft Legacy”
posted by Artw at 6:59 PM on August 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:59 PM on August 18, 2017 [6 favorites]
If you're interested in the Hugo Awards, Nicholas Whyte, this year's Hugo administrator, wrote a two-part blogpost about the process from start to finish (parts 1 and 2).
posted by Kattullus at 4:52 PM on August 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Kattullus at 4:52 PM on August 19, 2017 [2 favorites]
Nnedi Okorafor visited Lovecraft's grave recentlyl. The current wave of Black authors visiting Lovecraft's territory could lead to a new energy resource if we can find a way to tap into the old racist spinning in his grave.
posted by rmd1023 at 10:09 AM on August 20, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 10:09 AM on August 20, 2017 [5 favorites]
Here's Ada Palmer's speech, which brought a large section of the crowd to tears:
posted by Kattullus at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thank you very much. I have a speech here but I actually can’t see it. I can think of no higher honor than having a welcome like this to this community. This… we all work so hard on other worlds, on creating them, on reading them, and discussing them, and while we do so we’re also working equally hard on this world and making it the best world we possibly can. I have a list with me of people to thank, but I can’t read it. These tears are three quarters joy, but one quarter pain. This speech wasn’t supposed to be about invisible disability, but I’m afraid it really has to be now. I have been living with invisible disability for many years and… and there are very cruel people in the world for which reason I have been for more than ten years not public about this, and I’m terrified to be at this point, but at this point I have to. I also know that there are many many more kind and warm and wonderful people in this world who are part of the team and being excellent people, so, if anyone out there is living with disability or loves someone who has, please never let that make you give up doing what you want or working towards making life more good or making the world a more fabulous place.And here's her blogpost explaining her disability in more detail.
posted by Kattullus at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
I met Ada a few years back and she's really fuckin good people.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:46 PM on August 20, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 3:46 PM on August 20, 2017 [3 favorites]
I have just finished The Stone Sky, the concluding third volume after Jemisin's Obelisk Gate. It is superb and has made Obelisk better in retrospect now that I see how it fits in the trilogy. If it doesn't win a Hugo next year, giving the trilogy three out of three, the competition will have been something special.
posted by tavegyl at 1:05 AM on August 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tavegyl at 1:05 AM on August 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm not quite to the end yet, but so far I completely agree. If anything beats TSS for the Hugo next year, it'll have to be literally the second coming of Christ in SFF novel form.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:25 AM on August 25, 2017
posted by tobascodagama at 5:25 AM on August 25, 2017
I'm not quite to the end yet, but so far I completely agree. If anything beats TSS for the Hugo next year, it'll have to be literally the second coming of Christ in SFF novel form.
It has a bravura ending.
If you are reading on the Kindle, make sure to read the acknowledgements which come after the glossary at the end.
posted by tavegyl at 6:59 AM on August 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
It has a bravura ending.
If you are reading on the Kindle, make sure to read the acknowledgements which come after the glossary at the end.
posted by tavegyl at 6:59 AM on August 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
In other news:
1. The whole Sads/Rabids thing seems mostly to have had the effect of raising the profiles of the Hugos and the Hugo-nominated writers, at least around here. My local SF bookstore had a Hugos shelf this year, and either it was much more centrally located and better signed than in past years or it was not something they've done in the past. (And yea verily, I bought three books.) A friend who isn't super into SF went through and read all the Hugo-nominated material available online. Another friend is reading all the Hugo nominees - she read SF often enough in the past, but not in a "systematically read all of this list" way. I bought a book that I would not have otherwise, to wit:
2. The Dream Quest of Vellit Boe. I liked the experience of reading it more than I liked the plot, which I felt was thin in both structure (not super important) and implication (felt like the big takeaway from the book was rather small). But for mood, setting and motion through landscape it was tops - I will certainly remember the experience of reading it for a long time, and I would definitely recommend it.
It was book-splurge weekend, so I bought that one, This Census Taker, The Stone Sky and an old paperback anthology of British fantasy from the eighties. I've been readying myself for The Stone Sky, which I think I'll start this weekend. I'm a bit bad at finishing trilogies, because anything I like well enough to read far into is something that I don't really want to end.
posted by Frowner at 3:28 PM on August 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
1. The whole Sads/Rabids thing seems mostly to have had the effect of raising the profiles of the Hugos and the Hugo-nominated writers, at least around here. My local SF bookstore had a Hugos shelf this year, and either it was much more centrally located and better signed than in past years or it was not something they've done in the past. (And yea verily, I bought three books.) A friend who isn't super into SF went through and read all the Hugo-nominated material available online. Another friend is reading all the Hugo nominees - she read SF often enough in the past, but not in a "systematically read all of this list" way. I bought a book that I would not have otherwise, to wit:
2. The Dream Quest of Vellit Boe. I liked the experience of reading it more than I liked the plot, which I felt was thin in both structure (not super important) and implication (felt like the big takeaway from the book was rather small). But for mood, setting and motion through landscape it was tops - I will certainly remember the experience of reading it for a long time, and I would definitely recommend it.
It was book-splurge weekend, so I bought that one, This Census Taker, The Stone Sky and an old paperback anthology of British fantasy from the eighties. I've been readying myself for The Stone Sky, which I think I'll start this weekend. I'm a bit bad at finishing trilogies, because anything I like well enough to read far into is something that I don't really want to end.
posted by Frowner at 3:28 PM on August 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
2017 Dragon Awards Are No Longer Puppy Awards
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on September 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on September 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cheah also claimed that, by leaving the awards, the authors were engaging in “classic social justice entryist tactics.”
What... what does this person think "entryist" means.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:19 PM on September 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
What... what does this person think "entryist" means.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:19 PM on September 5, 2017 [2 favorites]
"To Niemeier, this conflict is not merely literary, but also spiritual: he has argued that SJWs are actually being controlled by demons."
I was going to say that this was the most idiotic thing I'd seen a sad or rabid puppy claim, but once I gave it a moment's thought I realized that this was, at best, the 97th most idiotic thing I'd seen a sad or rabid puppy claim.
posted by Kattullus at 4:19 PM on September 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
I was going to say that this was the most idiotic thing I'd seen a sad or rabid puppy claim, but once I gave it a moment's thought I realized that this was, at best, the 97th most idiotic thing I'd seen a sad or rabid puppy claim.
posted by Kattullus at 4:19 PM on September 5, 2017 [4 favorites]
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posted by maxsparber at 12:03 PM on August 14, 2017 [33 favorites]