Enthusiastically Ambiverted Hopepunk
Book thirty-one of 2019: The Big Time, by Fritz Leiber. ⭐️⭐️ 1958 Hugo Best Novel
For some reason, I couldn’t get invested in this one. I didn’t dislike it, and it being structured very much like a single-set play was interesting, but I had to work my way through it.
Book twenty-nine of 2019: Double Star, by Robert Heinlein. ⭐️⭐️1/2 1956 Hugo Best Novel 📚
Still too much early-Heinlein manly men and weepy women characterizations, and I saw the end coming, but at least I didn’t roll my eyes through the entire thing. An improvement!
This year’s slate of nominees for the Hugo Award were announced yesterday, and there are a lot of past and present connections to Norwescon!
This year’s NWC Writer Guest of Honor, Mary Robinette Kowal, is nominated for Best Novel for The Calculating Stars.
This year’s Honored Professional, Neil Clarke, is nominated for Best Professional Editor, Short Form.
This year’s Spotlight Publisher, Subterranean Press, has published two of this year’s nominations: Aliette de Bodard for Best Novella for The Tea Master and the Detective, and Aliette de Bodard for Best Series for The Universe of Xuya.
NWC31 Special Guest of Honor Naomi Novik is nominated for Best Novel for Spinning Silver.
NWC37 Special Guest of Honor Seanan McGuire is nominated for Best Novella for Beneath the Sugar Sky, and for Best Series for the October Daye series.
NWC35 Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio is nominated for Best Related Work for The Mexicanx Initiative Experience at Worldcon 76, and for Best Professional Artist.
NWC36 Special Guest of Honor Gardner Dozois is nominated for Best Professional Editor, Short Form.
NWC29, 35, and 39 Spotlight Publisher DAW Books Representative Shiela Gilbert is nominated for Best Professional Editor, Long Form.
NWC24 and 38 Spotlight Publisher Representative (for Bantam Dell and Random House, respectively) Anne Lesley Groell is nominated for Best Professional Editor, Long Form.
NWC41 Artist Guest of Honor Galen Dara is nominated for Best Professional Artist.
NWC38 Artist Guest of Honor Julie Dillon is nominated for Best Art Book for Daydreamer’s Journey: The Art of Julie Dillon.
NWC20 Guest of Honor A.E. van Vogt is nominated for 1944 Retro Hugo Best Novel for The Weapon Makers.
Some of our past pros and panelists are nominated as well:
Tina Connolly for Best Novelette for The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections.
Elsa Sjunneson-Henry for Best Semiprozine — twice! — for Fireside Magazine and Uncanny Magazine’s Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, and for Best Fan Writer.
Tanya DePass for Best Semiprozine for Fireside Magazine.
And longtime dealer Spring Schoenhuth is nominated for Best Fan Artist.
I think that covers everyone NWC-related, but if I missed anyone, let me know! Congratulations to all the nominees, and good luck!
Since the next book in my Hugo reading project is an early Heinlein, and I’ve already disliked the last two of his that have come up in this project, it’s time for a fluff break. For which, the irresistible title My Life as a White Trash Zombie should do just fine.
Book twenty-seven of 2019: The Forever Machine, by Mark Clifton & Frank Riley ⭐️⭐️ 1955 Hugo Best Novel 📚
Odd mix of early postulation about how AI might affect society and almost new-age “woo” of psychoanalysis rejuvenating the physical body to youth. Not very engaging.
Book twenty-six of 2019: Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📚 1954 Retro Hugo Best Novel
Wow, does this one ever hold up. Incredibly (and possibly sadly) as relevant now as…wow, 65 years ago. Impressively prescient in many ways, as well.
Book twenty-four of 2019: The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1953 Hugo Best Novel
Psychic police are now something of an SF trope, but this was apparently one of the first to use this idea, and its implementation (both in plot and typography) is still effective.
Milestone: As of today, I’m 10.96% of my way through my Hugo Best Novel reading project. 📚
Book twenty of 2019: Foundation and Empire, by Isaac Asimov. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1946 Retro Hugo Best Novel (for The Mule, part two of this book) 📚
Very much enjoying finally reading these (and surprised that it seems I never had, or had done so so long ago that I’d forgotten).
Book seventeen of 2019: Beyond This Horizon, by Robert A. Heinlein. ⭐️⭐️ 1943 Retro Hugo Best Novel. 📚
As an exploration of boredom in a utopia and the possibilities of genetic engineering, it’s mildly interesting, but felt unfocused, oddly structured, and kind of tedious.