Hugo Recommendations, 2022

 

It's that time of year again. Time for bloggers like me to name the books from 2021 that they feel are worthy of the Locus, Hugo, Nebula, and Dragon awards.

I'm better prepared this year than in any year in the past, and I think that I can give a pretty good assessment of what's worthy out there vs. what isn't worthy.

To save time, I'm focusing on the Hugos, since that's the grandaddy of them all. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind, based on later readings or additional information. But for now...

Here's my list:

Lodestar Award:

I have the trickiest time with the Lodestars because I don't usually read YA fiction. Yet it's abundantly clear that one book stands out from the rest, and that's Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders. The amazing author of the Hugo-winning All The Birds in the Sky is at the top of her game, and it shows.

Other Lodestar candidates that caught my interest include Speculative Fiction for Dreamers: A Latinx Anthology by Alex Hernandez et. al. This sounds like a wonderful delve into Latin sci-fi, which is rarer than we would all like. Next is Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer. I haven't read it yet, but it looks like fun. Next up is Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen. It sounds like a splendid piece of Afrofuturism. Lastly is Iron Widow by Xiran Jae Zhao. I've only read the synopsis, but this is being raved about by lovers of the genre.

Astounding Award:

I have better knowledge of this category. The Astounding Award (formerly known as the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer) recognizes the up-and-comers within SF genre fiction. There are so many good candidates that it's hard to boil it down to only five.

I'm torn between four out of five candidates for the top-slot. Please understand, the order I recite these in does not reflect any sort of rank. The first writer I list in this four-way tie is Lindsay Ellis. I've dealt with her at length in other blog posts, but her first two sci-fi novels are whoppers, and it's hard to overlook that. Truth of the Divine, published last year, is her sequel to Axiom's End, which blew me away. This is her final year of eligibility, and that should play a factor in garnering votes. Then there's Lauren Ring. Her short story One Hundred Seconds to Midnight, published in Clarkesworld, absolutely blew me away. Miciah Johnson, author of The Space Between Worlds, is another strong candidate. But there's also a brand-new writer named David Goodman, whose short story, Vegvisir, published in Clarkesworld, was his very first published short story - and it was excellent!

Just behind this four-way tie, but not by much, is Kal Coleman. His short story, Delete Your First Memory for Free, was published first in FIYAH, then re-published by audio on Escape Pod. It was highly enjoyable.

Best Fan Writer:

Fan Writers are a special breed, ranging from pure fans to people aspiring to become top-notch writers themselves. One of those I feel is well on her way is Marissa Lingen. Her short story, Loosestrife, blew me away last year, and I was disappointed it didn't get a Hugo nomination. This year, her book reviews have her under consideration for a Hugo for Fan Writer, and it's hard for me to argue why she shouldn't get top billing. As seemingly always, Charles Payseur deserves consideration for his hard work and dedication on his Quick Sip Reviews forum. Camestros Felapton has captured many people's attention by doing an extensive history of the Sad Puppies/Rabid Puppies affair from 2015, called Debarkle - which was published on December 29th of 2021, so it just barely qualifies him. (The publication is free, which is good, but tricky to download, which is annoying.) Doris V. Sutherland's blog, Attack of the Six-Foot Tranny, had me laughing out loud at the name, but also features content which is both interesting and off the beaten path. And last, but not least, don't look now, but John Scalzi's little girl, Athena Scalzi, has been posting some blog entries on her old man's web page, and they are not throwaway articles, either. Keep an eye on her.

I give some additional mentions to Cora Buhlert, Bonnie McDaniel (redheadedfemme.com), Maria Haskins and Vanessa Fogg. Their contributions are on par, and worth keeping an eye on this year, and subsequent years.

Some other names are worth mentioning, but which have (in my opinion) crossed over from the realm of "fan writer" to professional writer, and should therefore be considered to have graduated beyond this category. Those writers are (in no particular order), Adri Joy and Arturo Serrano of Nerds of a Feather, Chris Barkley of File 770, Alisdair Stuart of The Full Lid, Jeannette Ng, and Steven H. Silver.

Best Fan Artist

"Fan Artist" is an interesting category, because many items of "fan art" are high-quality professional work, and many "professional art" items are clearly done by high-grade amateurs. The difference between the two is largely where the art gets published. Art which appears in fanzines and semiprozines gets classified as "fan art," regardless of the professional standing of the artist. So sometimes a truly non-pro, fan-based piece of art gets nominated, but I often use this category to recognize outstanding professional-level artwork which frequently gets crowded out from the "best artist" category.

With all that said, Iain J. Clark really stood out for me this year. His artwork for the Glasgow in 2024 Worldcon campaign is downright jaw-dropping.

Other works of art I was impressed with include Paul Kellam, Avant Choi, Godwin Akpan, and Anna@VxctorVale (no, that's really the name she uses). Honorable mention goes to Sarah Felix for her "Tiara Tuesday" series of tiaras, which are 3-dimensional, and thus never grace the pages of anyone's writings, but are still impressive.

Best Fancast

I'm very knowledgeable about sci fi podcasts. This year, a lot of the same names crop up, but one podcast has risen to the top to become one of the most fun listens I ever get. That one is Hugo, Girl! It's hosted by three women, Lori, Haley, and Amy, who are giggly and gregarious. That fun-loving nature can't help but put a smile on my face every episode. Sometimes their sci-fi and fantasy conversations go off the rails, but that's part of the fun. Highly recommended!

After that are some podcasts I've blogged extensively about before. Our Opinions are Correct, with Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz, is as fun and insightful as ever. Somehow they manage to find outstanding topics and even more outstanding insights. The only reason I might consider leaving this podcast off the ballot (aside from the fact that they've won the Hugo before) is that the podcast might be considered professional-level, and no longer a "fancast."

The Skiffy and Fanty Show is still fun, although they really do find bizarre books and movies to talk about - things which are WAY off the beaten path. Kudos also go to Writing Excuses, where professional writers talk about the ins-and-outs of the writing process, and Worldbuilding for Masochists, which has a more fantasy-themed approach. Sword and Laser, a past winner hosted by Veronica Belmont & Tom Merritt, is reliably fun.

Breaking the Glass Slipper looks at feminism in SF, and it's still worthwhile, but I find their topics haven't been as riveting this past year. I'm also highly disappointed in Glitchy Pancakes. They haven't produced an episode in many, many months, and so the podcast is effectively dead. (A shame, too. It started out so well.)

I could point out that my own little project, the Milwaukee Science Fiction League's podcast, Starship Fonzie, technically qualifies this year. But I'll refrain from recommending it just yet. If and when I find myself continuing the podcast into and beyond 2022, I'll make that particular sales pitch.

The two new podcasts which caught my attention this year might not be considered "fancasts." One of them is Radio Free Skaro, a Doctor Who podcast which has been around for many years. Not only is it professionally done, it might be too franchise-specific to be considered for an award. But the other one is Ty & That Guy, a podcast featuring Wes Chatham (who played Amos Burton in The Expanse), and Ty Franck, who is one of the two writers collectively known as "James S.A. Corey," who wrote The Expanse. Together, they do talk about Expanse episodes, but also strange topics, such as their favorite genre movies or personal experiences. I'm not sure this could be a "fancast," as we have a professional writer and a professional actor doing a (reasonably) professional podcast, but it caught my eye. Or rather, ear.

Best Fanzine

There's a plethora of fanzines to choose from, and sometimes its hard to find good ones that stand out. This year, however, there was one that was particularly noteworthy. Black Nerd Problems looks like its poised to ride the wave of Afrofuturism to real success. Another new fanzine that caught my attention was Astrolabe. It's a SFF and retro-gaming newsletter started by Aiden Moher, who previously won the Best Fanzine Hugo for his work in A Dribble of Ink back in 2014.

Beyond those two are the usual titans of fan-writing, namely Quick Sip Reviews by Charles Payseur, The Full Lid by Alisdair Stuart, and Ladybusiness by The Ladybusiness Team.

Best Semiprozine

The best semiprozine was, once again, hands-down, Uncanny Magazine, which continues to dominate the Locus list with ten short stories and 3 novelettes recommended. That's down from what they had last year, but it's still impressive. By contrast, FIYAH magazine, which won the Hugo last year, has 7 stories on the Locus list and no novelettes. But FIYAH has proven to be quality over quantity, and it showed with last year's win. This year, I again must go by strict measurables and recommend Uncanny, but FIYAH is one to keep an eye on, and it may soon cross over into the realm of professional magazines.

My other recommendations are Escape Pod, Strange Horizons, and Podcastle, although I give strong consideration to Translunar Travelers Lounge and Andromeda Spaceways Magazine.

Professional Artist

I enthusiastically recommend one artist in particular this year: Lauren Saint-Onge. Her covers for Lois McMaster Bujold's works this past year are perfect in style, realism, and emotion. She also did work for a gaming deck called Reckless which is to die for.

I'm also excited about Maurizio Manzieri, who did a breathtaking cover for Analog this past year. A German artist named Eva Wildermann, deserves consideration for her work on the Southlands Worldbook D&D art. Karla Ortiz is an artist in need of more recommendation, in my opinion. Stephen Martiniere deserves a nod for his cover of A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark.

Honorable mentions for Ashley MacKenzie and Rovina Cai.

John Picacio, who normally dominates this category, has had an off-year in which not many works qualify.

Best Editor, Short Form

One sci-fi magazine has really stepped up its game this past year, and that's Clarkesworld. I enthusiastically recommend Neil Clarke for the Hugo this year for the category of Best Editor, Short Form.

Sheree Renee Thomas, for her work in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, is deserving of recognition. Also De Vaun Sanders of FIYAH Magazine deserves high praise. John Joseph Adams of Lightspeed Magazine has earned some accolades, and Escape Pod, edited by Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, has done an unusually good job this year, in my opinion.

Best Editor, Long Form

As usual, trying to find who edited a novel isn't easy. One literally has to get the printed copy and flip to the back page. And if one wants to find which books were edited by a given editor in a given year, well, that person is basically fucked. There is no such resource, not even in the wide, wide data-rich environment of the Internet. One can only speculate as to which cabal has conspired to keep this information away from would-be Hugo nominators, or even why such extreme effort exists, but it's effective.

That having been groused, I recommend Lee Harris of Tor.com, for his editing work for Nnedi Okorafor's works, Noor, and Remote Control. After that, Betsy Wollheim deserves recognition for editing Absynthe by Brendan P. Bellecourt. Julian Pavia gets the nod for editing Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Devi Pillai has earned a nomination for editing A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. And Oliver Johnson should be nominated for editing The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

There were many, MANY choices for great science fiction television in 2021, as many items that were to be produced in 2020 were put off due to Covid. But some television moments were especially noteworthy. Here are my recommendations:

Journey Into Mystery, Ep. 5, Loki. Loki took everybody by storm last year, and we especially love the episode in which numerous Loki variants, from classic Loki to child-Loki, all appeared at once. In particular, everyone fell in love with the Loki-alligator, and everyone wanted a Loki-gator plushie as a result. (And by the way, why the FUCK hasn't someone manufactured those yet, damn it?!)

Love Language, Ep. 5, Resident Alien. Yes, Allen Tudyk led the charge in the other surprise hit of 2021, Resident Alien. The episode where Dr. Vanderspiegel's estranged wife returns was especially precious.

On A Very Special Episode..., Ep. 5, WandaVision. Everyone expected WandaVision to be a hit, and it was. After audiences suffered through ghastly re-hashings of sitcoms gone by, the real reason behind the old T.V. flashbacks was revealed, and it was worth the wait.

Bounty Lost, Ep. 9, The Bad Batch. Disney's post-clone-wars adventure, The Bad Batch, was well done and used the old trope of the child-crewmember well. When that child, Omega, got captured, audiences were on the edges of their collective seats.

Let's Meet, Ep. 8, Made for Love. HBOMax produced a whopper of a series with Made for Love. One part thriller, two parts Black Mirror, it told of a tech-billionaire's trophy wife and her horror story of a marriage. A chip implanted in her brain nearly rendered her a Stepford Wife, until she escaped to her strangely perverted father. In episode 8, she confronts her estranged husband in an incredibly charged scene.

And there was so much more to choose from. 2021 saw the emergence of Squid Game. It also saw Star Trek: Prodigy, season 4 of Star Trek: Discovery, The Underground Railroad, Eden, Season 6 of The Expanse, Y: The Last Man, Wheel of Time, The Witcher, Foundation, Hawkeye, and Season 2 of Love, Death, and Robots.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

For sci fi movies, Dune pretty much dominated. But aside from that were some other films that dared defy Covid precautions. In particular, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Matrix: Revalations capitalized on sci fi nostalgia from bygone eras. Then there was Finch on Apple TV, and Netflix featured Don't Look Up. Audiences were also pleasantly surprised by Free Guy.

Best Graphic Story

I never know what to make of this category. I'm not particularly a comic book nerd, and much of what comes out is beyond me. But one thing did catch my eye, and that was Runaways, Vol. 1 by Rainibow Rowell. A continuation of the Runaways graphic novels of the past, it's the one thing I truly recognize and am excited about.

The others I recommend based on the strength of other reviews, so take it with a grain of salt. Saga, Vol. 9 by Brian K. Vaughan, The Electric State by Simon Stalenhag, On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden, and House of Whispers by Nalo Hopkinson.

Best Related Work

There is one item that qualifies in this category which ought to be a shoo-in, yet nobody is talking about it. That is Fan Fiction: A Film Noir, by Brent Spiner. Part autobiography, part alternate history (and it's anybody's guess which is which), it thrills the reader with on-set anecdotes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as death threats upon Brent Spiner from a rather nasty stalker. If there were a Hugo category for best audio play (and perhaps there should be), this book would be ideal, because the audiobook has the voices of Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes. But since there is no such category (yet), Best Related Work is where this book fits best. Honestly, this should be the only book spoken of in this category.

Why aren't more people talking about it? Why?

My other recommendations are also locks (in my opinion). First is the article that defined the previous year: How Twitter Can Ruin A Life: Isabell Fall's Complicated Story, by Emily VanDerWerff in Vox Magazine. The article tells of Fall's story, I Sexually Identify As An Attack Helicopter, which simultaneously trolled the right-wing bastards who invented that phrase and confused the would-be SJW's who didn't know what to make of it at first. Next is a collection of essays called Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories, by Charlie Jane Anders. Next is The Young H.G. Wells: Changing the World, a non-fiction book by Claire Tomalin. And finally, there is the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jesse Scheidlower - which is a work which must have taken phenomenal effort.

Best Series

This category is tricky, because to evaluate it fairly, one must go back and read all the earlier volumes before reaching the current one. That's a TON of work, unless you just happen to have read the previous books already. Suffice it to say, I haven't read all the books I'm about to recommend here. But I at least have identified the series works that I'm most interested in. This is the category I'm most likely to change my mind about, but here's what I've identified as being Hugo worthy so far:

The Paladin Series by T. Kingfisher, the latest qualifying work of which is Paladin's Hope (Book 3). The Dandelion Dynasty by Ken Liu, the latest qualifier of which is The Veiled Throne (Book 3). The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk, the latest qualifier of which is Soulstar (Book 3). The Merchant Princes Series by Charles Stross, the latest of which is Invisible Sun (Book 3). B. Farian War Trilogy by K.B. Wagers, the latest of which is Out Past the Stars (Book 3).

Best Short Story

Now we get to the really fun stuff - the stuff everybody looks at first. Last year I used the Locus list as a short list to start from and found my favorites in there. This year, I found my favorites by grabbing every audio podcast I could over the entire year and finding outstanding stories that way. That might mean some print-only items flew under my radar, but the ones I did find are guaranteed excellent.

First up is 100 Seconds to Midnight by Lauren Ring (Escape Pod). This story about a salesman of kaiju insurance blew me away. Next up is Answering the Questions You Might Have About the Kharbat by Adam Troy Castro (Lightspeed). I encountered this story way, way back in January of last year, and nothing I've found since then was anywhere near as much fun. The Book of the Kraken by Carrie Vaughn (Uncanny) was a fantasy story that broke through my sci fi bias to absolutely delight me. Vegvisir by David Goodman (Clarkesworld) is impressive, not only as a classic Mars colonization story, but because it was David Goodman's very first publication. Lastly but not leastly is Bread and Circuits by Misha Lenau (Asimov's). It is an incredibly cute story about a little, lost smart-appliance in need of a home.

Honorable mentions for The Sin of America by Cathrynne M. Valente (Uncanny), My Heart is At Capacity by T.J. Barry (Asimov's), Best-Laid Plans by David D. Levine (Clarkesworld), and An Instance by Mlok5 (Clarkesworld).

Best Novelette

I encountered some truly outstanding novelettes this past year. Here are my favorites (so far):

A Tableau of Things That Are by Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed), Little Animals by Nancy Kress (Clarkesworld), The Clock, Having Seen Its Face in the Mirror, Still Knows Not the Hour by Adam Stemple (Clarkesworld), A Thousand Tiny Gods by Nadia Afifi (Clarkesworld), and Rain Falling in the Pines by Lavie Tidhar (Clarkesworld)

Honorable mention for Hard Mother, Spider Mother, Soft Mother by Hal Y. Zhang (Escape Pod).

Best Novella

None of the books I'm about to list here have yet been read by me. However, they have my attention as being likely the best. There are six main recommendations instead of five in case I decide one doesn't make the cut. I reserve the right to change my mind, here, but I know that all or most of these are guaranteed to be good:

Murder By Other Means by John Scalzi, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, Defekt by Nino Cipri, And What Can We Offer You Tonight? by Premee Mohamed, and The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory.

Honorable mentions for The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed, One Day All This Will Be Yours by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton.

Best Novel

Only one novel last year is an absolute shoo-in, and I will brook no disagreement about it. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It has a few problems if one considers this hard sci fi, and no problems at all if one considers it science fantasy, but it is the most fun I've had reading a book in over a decade! There is zero reason this book shouldn't be a finalist.

The other big novel agreed upon by mutual consensus is A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. Next up is Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, and The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers.

Honorable mentions to Rule of Cool by Matthew Siege, Noor by Nnedi Okorafor, We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker, Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson, Inhibitor Phase by Alistair Reynolds, and 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry.

Eric

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