Hugo Award Voter's Guide

The following is my evaluation of the Hugo Award nominees for 2021, eligibility year 2020. I'm seeing how this stacks up against my Hugo Award recommendations from back in March, and it holds up fairly well, considering it was my first go-round. But now I have something I've never had before to evaluate nominees - a Hugo Awards Packet! It's fascinating looking into the deep background for all of these. Here's my take on everything:

Astounding Award for Best New Writer

• Lindsay Ellis (1st year of eligibility)*
• Simon Jimenez (1st year of eligibility)-
• Micaiah Johnson (1st year of eligibility)-
• A.K. Larkwood (1st year of eligibility)
• Jenn Lyons (2nd year of eligibility)
• Emily Tesh (2nd year of eligibility)

I had to give this one a long, long look. Larkwood, Lyons and Tesh have all written great works, but they are great works of fantasy, and so fall prey to my admitted pro-sci-fi bias. For me, that leaves Ellis, Jiminez, and Johnson.

Lindsay Ellis has been the subject of controversy, but I dealt with that in an earlier blog post, so I think she's just fine. As for her book, it is a delightful look at a First Contact situation, depicted with all the snark and spitfire of Ellis herself. I was impressed by how detailed her depiction of alien culture was. It's no small feat to build a world that multi-layered. You can read my earlier review of her book here.

Simon Jiminez is also someone whose book I dealt with earlier. He's written a book which uses beautiful language and descriptions. For this alone, many reviewers are championing his work as the best new work out there. But I strongly disagree. As pretty as his writing is, it begins with a huge detour, goes off on multiple other detours, and then leaves a gigantic plot hole in the middle. He deserves some accolades, but not an award. Oh, hell no. Read my review of his book here.

That leads us to Micaiah Johnson. His book, The Space Between Worlds, is a fantastic book about parallel worlds, and the consequences of travel between them. The protagonist is a rebel, a lesbian, a misfit, and most importantly, an imposter, as the real world-traveler, her doppelganger from a different universe, died at her feet, and she - opportunistic person that she is - took that opportunity to take her place. It's a pretty good world with a unique set-up. But the final battle makes little sense. It doesn't follow what the protagonist would seem to fight for. And the technology of this future-world, amazing though it is, has lost other technologies, particularly guns. A single pistol with ammunition becomes a key bargaining chip in the latter part of the book - something I find remarkably unrealistic.

So, the Hugo Award should go to Lindsey Ellis, in my opinion.

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

• Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)
• A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
• Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
• Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions) *
  

This one is short. I picked A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking for the Nebula and the Locus. I was right both times, and I see no reason to alter my pick for the Hugo.

Best Video Game

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Publisher and Developer: Nintendo)
• Blaseball (Publisher and Developer: The Game Band)
• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Publisher Square Enix)
• Hades (Publisher and Developer: Supergiant Games) *
  
• The Last of Us: Part II (Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Developer: Naughty Dog)
• Spiritfarer (Publisher and Developer: Thunder Lotus)

Boy, do I not know much about video games. I strongly feel the Hugos should address the fact that much quality sci fi writing happens for gaming, but so far, that award structure has not been set up. In the meantime, I'm going with the same game that won the Locus Award - Hades.

Best Fan Artist

• Iain J. Clark *2
  
• Cyan Daly6
• Sara Felix *3
  
• Grace P. Fong **1
  
• Maya Hahto 4
  
• Laya Rose5

When I first began to evaluate the fan art category, I came up with a different list on who should occupy my first, second, and third choices. But after looking over the Hugo packet, and seeing the actual works the artists were nominated for, I re-evaluated.

Of the works that qualified the nominees for this year, Grace Fong's work stands out as the best. There's good cultural representation with Iain Clark's works, as well as those of Sara Felix, but Fong's are amazing. Maya Hahto's skill as an illustrator is clear-cut, but she's up against some quality work this time.

Best Fan Writer

• Cora Buhlert
• Charles Payseur
• Jason Sanford *
  
• Elsa Sjunneson
• Alasdair Stuart *
• Paul Weimer

This category is tricky. There isn't a single nominee here that doesn't deserve to win, and each nominee has a significant following. I give a brief description of each below:

Cora Buhlert is a workaholic who reviews as much as she can get her hands on. She also publishes some of her own work - much of it in German (which I appreciate). Her blog is a tour de force of sci fi reviews and news, and it must take her a colossal amount of work to put all that together.

Charles Payseur is even more hard-working. He posts reviews regularly to his blog, Quick Sips, each and every week, on the dot, and those reviews spread out over just about every sci fi magazine, short story, novel and movie you could care to name. Because he keeps it quick and short, it's easy to digest, and one can be quickly informed in a short amount of time. Quick Sips is one of my favorite resources.

Jason Sanford does reviews as well, but also includes special reports and essays, many of them surprisingly impactful. His essay about how Harlan Ellison jerked around many authors with his procrastination in publishing Last Dangerous Visions was truly insightful. He is regularly published in the biggest sci fi and fantasy prozines and is an established name. He could easily be considered a pro writer.

Elsa Sjunneson is perhaps the most intriguing nominee in this category. She is deaf/blind, yet can see well enough to write some of the most amazing essays on the subject of science fiction, many of them dealing with the subject of disability within the genre. She's a professor and a historian, and her book, Being Seen: One Deafblind Soman's Fight To End Ableism, has just recently been released.

Alasdair Stuart is another workaholic who tries so very hard to keep his readers informed as to what's going on. His weekly newsletters are informative, but filled with links to url's so long that they do distract from the news he's trying to convey. Nevertheless, he's a well-established fan personality, a regular guest on Mur Lafferty's podcasts, and recognized by all at conventions.

Paul Weimer is a book reviewer for the prestigious Tor.com. A good review from him can build a career. A bad review can destroy one.

All these fan writers are amazing, but in the end, I have to go with the hardest worker in the bunch. That would appear to be Charles Payseur, not only because his output is so voluminous, but that work is also easy to absorb. He outpaces Cora Buhlert just a bit, and Alisdair Stuart's output, though good, is not as easy to take in. either Buhlert or Stuart would then become my #2 choice, if Elsa Sjunneson weren't there.

SUCH a talent-packed group! It's a shame only one will win.

Best Fancast

• Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace **
  
• Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced by Claire Rousseau
  
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, producer *
  
• Kalanadi, produced and presented by Rachel
• The Skiffy and Fanty show, produced by Shaun Duke and Jen Zink, presented by Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, Alex Acks, Paul Weimer, and David Annandale. *
  
• Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Rowenna Miller, Marshall Ryan Maresca and Cass Morris *
  

I know my podcasts! And those podcasts that discuss science fiction works are especially fun for me. Here's my take on each of these:

Be The Serpent is a fantasy-focused podcast that discusses the art of writing a story, world-building, and various other aspects of the genre. I find it a remarkably good source for tips and the format is very relaxing.

Claire Rousseau has been doing YouTube videos about the Hugos for years, along with videos featuring her reviews of various books, graphic novels, and maybe a bit of romance or YA thrown in. Based in the UK, she clearly has a passion for the genre, and it shows.

The Coode Street Podcast doesn't just talk about science fiction and fantasy, it sometimes delves into sci fi and fantasy history, and that's something truly special.

Kalanadi by Rachel is another YouTube channel in a similar vein to Claire Rousseau's work, though she focuses a little less on conventions and concentrates mostly on books. She's cute. VERY cute. Yet somehow she's also very shy. That combination contributes greatly to her success.

The Skiffy and Fanty show is reasonably fun, plus impressive interviews with big-name people. It's that access to primo sci fi names which has truly impressed me, but the frequency and quality of the podcasts has tapered off in 2021.

And last but not least, Worldbuilding for Masochists is exactly what it sounds like in that it asks oneself, "Why do we do this to ourselves?" Its discussion about the process of writing is truly helpful, but occasionally veers off into freelance discussions of contemporary genre books and movies.

Of all these, I have to go with the Skiffy and Fanty show. It got started in 2020 as a result of the Covid lockdown, and right away established itself as an amazing podcast. Good sound quality, excellent guests. And while it's true that its production has trailed of in 2021, the nomination comes for the 2020 work, which was top-notch.

Best Fanzine

• The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart, edited by Marguerite Kenner
• Journey Planet, edited by Michael Carroll, John Coxon, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Alissa McKersie, Errick Nunnally, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Chuck Serface, Steven H Silver, Paul Trimble, Erin Underwood, James Bacon, and Chris Garcia.
• Lady Business, editors. Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan.
• nerds of a feather, flock together, ed. Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, The G, and Vance Kotrla
  
• Quick Sip Reviews, editor, Charles Payseur
  
• Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, ed. Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne

It's not surprising to find some of the best fan writer nominees also listed here. Alasdair Stuart and Charles Payseur are particularly not surprising. I say a little bit about each here:

The Full Lid is a weekly newsletter, always informative, but also always packed with so many html links that it does distract from what the newsletter is about. Useful to get, though.

Journey Planet is an interesting fanzine, as it has interviews published as .mp3 files, and actual .pdf downloads of the fanzine itself. Content can be a bit tangential, though.

Lady Business has been a contributor of key feminist science fiction commentary and reviews. Their spreadsheets with potential Hugo nominees has aided Hugo voters for years. I also have a soft spot for Lady Business because they discuss what's going on at Wiscon - the only feminist science fiction convention, and that does this Wisconsin boy proud.

Nerds of a feather, flock together provides numerous articles which not only review works, but educate fans regarding fandom, if they wish to become knowledgeable. It has been of immense help to me in my personal researches.

Quick Sip Reviews, I've already talked about, somewhat. Charles Payseur gives weekly news in wonderfully digestible format.

Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog is a good-ol'-fashioned blog which deals with reviews and news, but it goes a bit beyond that, too. In its Hugo Awards Packet, it highlights the opinion pieces regarding logistics in sci fi, what constitutes the "Canon," and many other interesting topics.

Of all these, I have to go with 'nerds of a feather.' In the end, it gave me more useful information than all the others combined. Runner-up goes to Lady Business, with Quick Sip coming a close third.

Best Semiprozine

• Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ed. Scott H. Andrews
• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht and the entire Escape Pod team.
• FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor DaVaun Sanders, managing editor Eboni Dunbar, poetry editor Brandon O’Brien, reviews and social media Brent Lambert, art director L. D. Lewis, and the FIYAH Team.
• PodCastle, editors, C.L. Clark and Jen R. Albert, assistant editor and host, Setsu Uzumé, producer Peter Adrian Behravesh, and the entire PodCastle team.
• Uncanny Magazine, editors in chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor: Chimedum Ohaegbu, non-fiction editor: Elsa Sjunneson, podcast producers: Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky **
  
• Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, S. K. Campbell, Zhui Ning Chang, Rita Chen, Tania Chen, Joyce Chng, Liz Christman, Linda H. Codega, Kristian Wilson Colyard, Yelena Crane, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Arinn Dembo, Nathaniel Eakman, Belen Edwards, George Tom Elavathingal, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Colette Grecco, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Stephen Ira, Amanda Jean, Ai Jiang, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Anna Krepinsky, Kat Kourbeti, Clayton Kroh, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Catherine Krahe, Natasha Leullier, A.Z. Louise, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Emory Noakes, Sara Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Vanessa Rose Phin, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Endria Richardson, Natalie Ritter, Abbey Schlanz, Clark Seanor, Elijah Rain Smith, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Kwan-Ann Tan, Luke Tolvaj, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, Fred G. Yost, staff members who prefer not to be named, and guest editor Libia Brenda with guest first reader Raquel González-Franco Alva for the Mexicanx special issue

Uncanny! Hands down! It has more stories nominated for awards than any other by leaps and bounds. Not even close. Enough said.

Best Professional Artist

• Tommy Arnold
• Rovina Cai
• Galen Dara
• Maurizio Manzieri
• John Picacio
• Alyssa Winans

As usual, the only real question is, can anyone top John Picacio this year?

The answer is, possibly Maurizio Manzieri. His works really popped off of his Hugo Packet this year, and the number of qualifying entries was also respectable. Tommy Arnold, who did the cover art for Harrow the Ninth, is also a respectable choice. I expect Picacio to win, but this year, I'm making Manzieri my first choice.

Best Editor, Long Form

• Nivia Evans
• Sheila E. Gilbert
• Sarah Guan
• Brit Hvide
• Diana M. Pho
• Navah Wolfe

For editors, I evaluate both number of qualifying works, and the quality of those qualifying works. If one has edited a Hugo nominee, that's extra bonus points. Brit Hvide is the editor of N.K. Jemisin's The City That Became, and that's huge. Diana Pho edited Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark.

I have to go with Brit Hvide. She has not only edited a significant volume of works, but has edited the best fantasy novel of the year. She is my #1 pick.

Best Editor, Short Form

• Neil Clarke
• Ellen Datlow
• C.C. Finlay
• Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya
• Jonathan Strahan
• Sheila Williams

Jonathan Strahan stands out. He has edited not only A Guide for Working Breeds by Vina Jie-Min Prasad, but also the anthology Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, which is one of the best anthologies of 2020. Neil Clarke has edited 76 stories by 69 authors for Clarkesworld magazine. Ellen Datlow has edited 40 stories. Those three, Strahan, Clarke, and Datlow, constitute my #1, #2, and #3 picks.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon, written by Vinay Patel and Chris Chibnall, directed by Nida Manzoor (BBC)
• The Expanse: Gaugamela, written by Dan Nowak, directed by Nick Gomez (Alcon Entertainment / Alcon Television Group / Amazon Studios / Hivemind / Just So)
• She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Heart (parts 1 and 2), written by Josie Campbell and Noelle Stevenson, directed by Jen Bennett and Kiki Manrique (DreamWorks Animation Television / Netflix)
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 13: The Jedi, written and directed by Dave Filoni (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+)
• The Mandalorian: Chapter 16: The Rescue, written by Jon Favreau, directed by Peyton Reed (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+) *
  
• The Good Place: Whenever You’re Ready, written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group)

I don't think there's any doubt in my mind that the season finale of The Mandalorian: The Rescue, was the best thing on television this year. The Mandalorian: Chapter 13: The Jedi, is my #2. The Expanse: Gaugamela takes #3.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), written by Christina Hodson, directed by Cathy Yan (Warner Bros.)
• Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, written by Will Ferrell, Andrew Steele, directed by David Dobkin (European Broadcasting Union/Netflix)
• The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Netflix / Skydance Media)
• Palm Springs, written by Andy Siara, directed by Max Barbakow (Limelight / Sun Entertainment Culture / The Lonely Island / Culmination Productions / Neon / Hulu / Amazon Prime)
• Soul, screenplay by Pete Docter, Mike Jones and Kemp Powers, directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, produced by Dana Murray (Pixar Animation Studios/ Walt Disney Pictures)
• Tenet, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros./Syncopy)
  

2020 suffered at the box office due to Covid. As such, many of the best movies got pushed back. But there are still a few that are fairly good. In my opinion, Soul wins out. The Old Guard was incredibly good too, but Disney and Pixar combined to score again. Tenet gets #3.

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• DIE, Volume 2: Split the Party, written by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
• Ghost-Spider vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over, Author: Seanan McGuire, Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa and Rosi Kämpe (Marvel)
• Invisible Kingdom, vol 2: Edge of Everything, Author: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Christian Ward (Dark Horse Comics)
• Monstress, vol. 5: Warchild, Author: Marjorie Liu, Artist: Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
• Once & Future vol. 1: The King Is Undead, written by Kieron Gillen, iIllustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, lettered by Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)
• Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Harry N. Abrams) **

I'm not into comics as much, but only one volume stands out to me in this category: Parable of the Sower.

Best Related Work

• Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley (FSG)
• CoNZealand Fringe, Claire Rousseau, C, Cassie Hart, Adri Joy, Marguerite Kenner, Cheryl Morgan, Alasdair Stuart.
• FIYAHCON, L.D. Lewis–Director, Brent Lambert–Senior Programming Coordinator, Iori Kusano–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, Vida Cruz–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, and the Incredible FIYAHCON team
• “George R.R. Martin Can Fuck Off Into the Sun, Or: The 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony (Rageblog Edition)”, Natalie Luhrs (Pretty Terrible, August 2020)
• A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler, Lynell George (Angel City Press)
• The Last Bronycon: a fandom autopsy, Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)

Octavia Butler wins again with A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky. CoNZealand Fringe was a very interesting retrospective. The Last Bronycon wins for my #3 pick.

Best Series

• The Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager)
• The Interdependency, John Scalzi (Tor Books)
• The Lady Astronaut Universe, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books/Audible/Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction/Solaris)
• The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
• October Daye, Seanan McGuire (DAW)
• The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)

In my opinion, The Murderbot Diaries wins this one by far. Lady Astronaut takes #2. John Scalzi's Interdependency Trilogy takes #3.

Best Short Story

• “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020)
• “A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris))
• Little Free Library, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com)
• “The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)
• “Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)
• “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots – 2020, ed. David Steffen)

#1 is A Guide for Working Breeds. #2, Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse. #3 goes to Little Free Library.

Best Novelette

• “Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine, May/June 2020)
• “Helicopter Story”, Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
• “The Inaccessibility of Heaven”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2020)
• “Monster”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2020)
• “The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl, (PM Press))
• Two Truths and a Lie, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)

#1, Helicopter Story by Isabel Fall. I've written much about that one, and it deserves it, both for its political impact and quality of story. #2 is The Pill by Meg Elison. Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker is #3.

Best Novella

• Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com)
• The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tor.com)
• Finna, Nino Cipri (Tor.com)
• Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com)
• Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com)
• Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com)

Ring Shout is #1. Riot Baby is #2. Upright Women Wanted is #3.

Best Novel

• Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery / Saga Press / Solaris) (Hell, no!)
  
• The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
• Harrow The Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com)
• Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tor.com)
• Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)
• The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books / Solaris)

Network Effect is #1. The City We Became is #2. The Relentless Moon is #3. Black Sun doesn't belong on this list.