james_nicoll ([info]james_nicoll) wrote,
@ 2008-08-09 23:29:00
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Hugo Winners
This is a bit long. Reactions and maybe an expanded list to show the nominees tomorrow.



Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

Best Novella: "All Seated on the Ground" by Connie Willis

Best Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang

Best Short Story: "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear

Best Professional Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell

[OK, one quick reaction: I think this is a first. Hartwell is now the first book editor to win this award (short discussion of why this can be considered the same as the old Best Editor here, so convincing as to preclude all further discussion on that point) without being dead the second time that he won it)

Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who, "Blink"

Best Related Book: Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, by Jeff Prucher

Best Semiprozine: Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Green Trombi

Best Professional Artist: Stephan Martiniere

Best Fan Artist: Brad Foster

Best Fan Writer: John Scalzi

Best Fanzine: File 770, edited by Mike Glyer



Nicked from treddytrafalgar, who got it from Cheryl's Musings.

(26 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]mmcirvin
2008-08-10 03:43 am UTC (link)
I see one entry here that's going to revive a long-running argument.

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[info]roseembolism
2008-08-10 10:21 pm UTC (link)
Which one is that? Bear in mind long-running fan arguments tend to go in one ear and out the other for me.

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[info]mmcirvin
2008-08-10 03:51 am UTC (link)
...The only one I actually have a personal opinion about is Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.

If episodes by the same writer on the same show won three times in a row, I would in most cases suspect that something apart from actual quality may be involved, especially given the way TV fandom works. However, here I make an exception: the award was correctly given at least the first and third times (I'm less sure about the second).

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[info]heron61
2008-08-10 06:35 am UTC (link)
I completely agree.

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[info]daev
2008-08-10 05:04 am UTC (link)
Best Novella: "All Seated on the Ground" by Connie Willis

AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

I had never used No Award before that dreck showed up on the Hugo ballot.

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[info]mjlayman
2008-08-11 12:15 am UTC (link)
While I thought it ought to win.

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[info]heron61
2008-08-10 06:35 am UTC (link)
It looks good except for Stardust. Robert De Niro did an excellent job as Captain Shakespeare, but the rest of the film (and cast) were utterly & completely devoid of all life and all interest. OTOH, Blink was brilliant.

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[info]dewline
2008-08-10 02:43 pm UTC (link)
"Blink" is definitely award-worthy.

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[info]mishalak
2008-08-12 04:27 am UTC (link)
It was the best of a weak bunch though. I mean what would you have ranked higher? The Golden Compass? Heroes? Harry Potter? Enchanted? None of these were great immortal fiction.

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[info]agharta75
2008-08-10 09:33 am UTC (link)
I see _Helix_ somehow managed to beat No Award.

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[info]frostfox
2008-08-10 10:24 am UTC (link)
No Langford! The sky is falling!
I came second, so did Plokta, Patrick NH and Paul C's Dr Who story, so I'm in good company.

'Blink' was indeed wonderful, took me right back to my childhood of watching Dr Who with my Dad and being scared by giant maggots, shop dummies and daemons.

FF

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[info]ailsaek
2008-08-10 02:55 pm UTC (link)
Yup. I shouted when I saw that. Does that mean Scalzi will now take it for the next few decades, and that we have now switched to a new numbered fandom?

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[info]jeffreyab
2008-08-10 03:05 pm UTC (link)
It was reported that Scalzi said in his speech that people should vote for some of the other wonderful writers next year.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]stevendj
2008-08-11 12:06 am UTC (link)
He also said in his kaffeeklatsch that if he won the Fan Writer Hugo, and was nominated again next year, that he would refuse the nomination.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]firstfrost
2008-08-10 02:17 pm UTC (link)
Should "short discussion of why this can be considered the same as the old Best Editor here" have a link?

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[info]james_nicoll
2008-08-10 02:47 pm UTC (link)
No, the arguments involved are so obvious and convincing that they need no actual expession.

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[info]firstfrost
2008-08-10 02:49 pm UTC (link)
Oh! In the space between "here" and the comma.

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Actually I don't think I will be commenting much
[info]james_nicoll
2008-08-10 03:55 pm UTC (link)
Because once again, I am out of touch with SF or at least this subset:

Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

I have not read this.


Best Novella: "All Seated on the Ground" by Connie Willis

Or this.


Best Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang

This I've read (a couple of times) but I retain only the haziest of memories about it. I think it was set in the past, right? Cue that old essay about how past-oriented current SF from the US is right now.


Best Short Story: "Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear

I did not read this.


Best Professional Editor, Long Form: David G. Hartwell

I am familiar with both Mr. Hartwell's work and the retinal burns one can pick up from looking at his vests.


Best Professional Editor, Short Form: Gordon Van Gelder

I literally cannot recall the last time I picked up a copy of any of the big three but I am sure it's more than a decade now.


Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust

Huh. Really? Well, if a Gaiman had to win, at least it wasn't Beowulf.


Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who, "Blink"

Unsurprising choice on the part of the voters.


Best Related Book: Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, by Jeff Prucher

I have not read this.


Best Semiprozine: Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Green Trombi

I only check this online.


Best Professional Artist: Stephan Martiniere

I am not familiar with their work.


Best Fan Artist: Brad Foster

I am not familiar with their work.


Best Fan Writer: John Scalzi

I await the howls of outrage over the claim that a filthy pro [1] can also be a fan writer, and also a general repudiation of the work of John Venn.

Best Fanzine: File 770, edited by Mike Glyer

Something else with which I am not familiar. Note that saying "I am not familiar with this" is not the same as saying "This is awful and the people involved should be beaten with sticks."


1: I use this in its technical sense and reserve the right to mock anyone who leaps in to object without knowing the term's history.

(Reply to this) (Thread)
Re: Actually I don't think I will be commenting much
[info]mjlayman
2008-08-11 12:18 am UTC (link)
Okay, I'm surprised you don't know of File 770. It's been around forever. I thought things went pretty well except for the Chabon, which I knew would probably win.

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Re: Actually I don't think I will be commenting much
[info]james_nicoll
2008-08-11 12:47 pm UTC (link)
Lots of things have been around a long time without me being able to keep up with them all. I believe this will DOOM WESTERN CIVILIZATION!

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: Actually I don't think I will be commenting much
[info]mishalak
2008-08-12 06:32 pm UTC (link)
I was quite pleased that Chabon won, myself. I liked the novel a great deal better than any of the others nominated. There may be other novels from the previous year that I liked better, but I usually don't read books until I see them on a library shelf. Often years after they're published or when they get nominated for something.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: Actually I don't think I will be commenting much
[info]nelc
2008-08-12 09:09 pm UTC (link)
Stephan Martinìere has a nice gallery online.

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[info]mjlayman
2008-08-11 12:35 am UTC (link)
And having read the detailed election .pdf, I think there aren't enough people who have seen/read Shaun Tan's work.

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[info]mishalak
2008-08-12 06:30 pm UTC (link)
Quite possibly. But I don't know why that would be the case in this internet era. I knew very little about all the nominated artists, but before I voted I researched them all and ranked them according to how I responded to their work. I don't recall exactly where I ranked him, but I know for sure that it was above John Harris and Bob Eggleton.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]mjlayman
2008-08-12 08:24 pm UTC (link)
Were his books available online? I think The Arrival is really stupendous.

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[info]mayakda
2008-08-11 12:52 pm UTC (link)
I think the Stardust movie was good; I wish The Golden Compass was better (as a movie) though.

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