Stacking the Shelves (236)

Stacking the Shelves

Today’s monster Stacking the Shelves brought to you (and me) by the release of the 2017 Hugo Packet. For those wondering what that is, why that is, or both, here’s the quick recap. The Hugo Awards are nominated and voted upon by both the attending and supporting members of Worldcon (World Science Fiction Convention) for that year. (I am a supporting member of Worldcon 75 in Helsinki. Not going; too far, saving pennies for 2019 in Dublin). It used to be the members’ responsibility to find copies of the nominated works to read before voting. How many and whether everyone did or does is an open question, but as usual I digress. One of the joys of ebooks is that it is relatively inexpensive for publishers to provide ebook copies to the voters of all the nominated works. Considering that a supporting membership currently costs $40, and that the value of the ebook copies of just the best novel nominees is WAY more than $40, it’s a steal. (For those who want the books but not the membership, this year Tor is offering a package of all of their nominated works for $20. Still a steal)

So I’ve listed just the tip of my iceberg here, the best novel, novella, novelette and related works that I didn’t already have. I also picked up the best short story and best graphic novel nominees. You get a lot for that $40 along with the right to vote for the ones you like best. Or vote against the ones you liked least. I intensely disliked All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders, but it got nominated. Taste is individual, and that seems to have been a book that no one was neutral about, either readers loved it or like me, found it completely derivative. We’ll see what happens at Worldcon in August.

For Review:
A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock #2) by Sherry Thomas
Glass Houses  (Chief Inspector Gamache #13) by Louise Penny
Lowcountry Bonfire (Liz Talbot #6) by Susan M. Boyer
So Great a Prince by Lauren Johnson
Urban Enemies by Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Kelley Armstrong, Seanan McGuire Jonathan Maberry and others, edited by Joseph Massise
You Say It First (Happily Inc #1) by Susan Mallery

Received in Hugo Packet:
The Art of Space Travel by Nina Allan
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle
A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers #2) by Becky Chambers
Death’s End (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #3) by Cixin Liu
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
The Jewel and Her Lapidary by Fran Wilde
Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire #1) by Yoon Ha Lee
A Taste of Honey (Sorcerer of the Wildeeps #2) by Kai Ashante Wilson
This Census-Taker by China Mieville
The Tomato Thief (Jackalope Wives #2) by Ursula Vernon (from Apex Magazine)
Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota #1) by Ada Palmer
Touring with the Alien by Carolyn Ives Gilman (from Clarkesworld)
Traveler of Worlds: Conversations with Robert Silverberg by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
Words are My Matter by Ursula K. LeGuin
You’ll Surely Drown Here if You Stay by Alyssa Wong (from Uncanny)

Borrowed from the Library:
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

Voting for the Hugos

The Hugo nominations were officially posted on Sunday by Renovation, the 69th Annual World Science Fiction Convention.  Worldcon will be be held this coming August in Reno, Nevada, and the winners will be announced in a rather posh and occasionally hilarious ceremony on August 20.

I get to vote on the Hugos.  It’s easy.  All you have to do is buy an attending or supporting membership in that year’s Worldcon.  I usually just support, but this year, we’re planning to go.  And next year, since it will again be in one of our previous and much beloved homes, Chicago.

But back to the nominees.  They reflect the popularity and tastes of the folks who read, write, watch and publish science fiction and fantasy.  There are categories for everything.  Best novel, best short story, best film, best dramatic presentation (short form) which basically means a TV episode, best graphic novel, etc., etc., etc.  You get the idea.  But to be an informed voter, it’s important to read, or watch the thing nominated.  In other words, my TBR pile just got bigger, along with my to be viewed (TBV, I guess) list.

hundred thousand kingdoms coverI have only read one, yikes, one, of the nominated novels.  The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by N.K. Jemisin.  It was one of those absolutely fabulous first novels, where you can’t believe it’s someone’s first novel.  It is also a coming-of-age story, and about the power of belief.  It may share some common points with Neil Gaiman’s American Gods when it comes to whether or not a deity that anyone has once believed in can ever truly be extinguished.

I have Connie Willis’ Blackout/All Clear on my iPad, but haven’t gotten around to it/them yet.  It/them have now risen several dozen rungs on the TBR ladder.  Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold is one that I had been thinking about.  I read the earlier books in her Miles Vorkosigan space opera series.  I loved the first two books, Shards of Honor and Barrayar, but there, Cordelia was the main character rather than Miles.  Now that Miles has grown into himself, he may be more sympathetic for me.  I’ll have to see.

There are also a lot of categories for shorter works.  Novellas, novellettes and short stories in particular.  One of the great things about this process is that if you are eligible to vote, all the  shorter stuff is made available to you online.  Sort of like the Academy voters getting free DVDs of all the movies.

In addition to the books, there are five movies, and five TV episodes.  Three of the TV episodes are from Doctor Who.  I’ve seen all three, and I don’t mind the excuse to watch them again.  But the title I’m most interested in is nominated in the Related Works category.  It’s titled Chicks Dig Time Lords, A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It. I think only something like the Hugos would be so willing to nominate such a lighthearted look at the genre for a major award.  Besides, chicks really do dig Time Lords.  And I have the DVD collection to prove it.