I actually read three of the nominating novels. Now to track down the others…
Best Novel (1113 nominating ballots cast)
[ul]
[li]2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)[/li][li]* Blackout*, Mira Grant (Orbit)[/li][li]* Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance*, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)[/li][li]* Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas*, John Scalzi (Tor)[/li][li]* Throne of the Crescent Moon*, Saladin Ahmed (DAW)[/li][/ul]
All the rest at the link below.
I am stunned that the nominations for Best Novel do not include Hannu Rajaniemi’s The Fractal Prince.
I’ve only read Scalzi and Ahmed from that list, and honestly I wasn’t too impressed with either. I’ve read most (if not everything) else by Scalzi, and Redshirts isn’t, IMO, in the top half of his work; I just don’t get the love for it. As for Crescent Moon, it put an interesting new spin on magic, with its reading-the-Quran spellcasting, but the torture porn at its heart didn’t do much for me at all.
Caliban’s War was, if I recall, far and away the best 2012 SF I read.
I tend to agree but listening to Wil Wheaton read it on the audiobook version was kind of fun. He did a great job.
I will have to check it out.
2312 was also fun though the basic story was a little weak. Terrific vision and essentially a travelogue to KSR’s vision of the solar system in 300 years. But probably for KSR fans only.
Awesome! There a bunch of excerpts and complete works available online, as well as links to nominated fanzines and fancasts. Looks like I have quite a few late nights in my immediate future…
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (787 nominating ballots cast)
The Avengers, Screenplay & Directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel Studios, Disney, Paramount)
The Cabin in the Woods, Screenplay by Drew Goddard & Joss Whedon; Directed by Drew Goddard (Mutant Enemy, Lionsgate)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro, Directed by Peter Jackson (WingNut Films, New Line Cinema, MGM, Warner Bros)
The Hunger Games, Screenplay by Gary Ross & Suzanne Collins, Directed by Gary Ross (Lionsgate, Color Force)
Looper, Screenplay and Directed by Rian Johnson (FilmDistrict, EndGame Entertainment)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (597 nominating ballots cast)
Doctor Who, “The Angels Take Manhattan”, Written by Steven Moffat, Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who, “Asylum of the Daleks”, Written by Steven Moffat; Directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)
Doctor Who, “The Snowmen”, written by Steven Moffat; directed by Saul Metzstein (BBC Wales)
Fringe, “Letters of Transit”, Written by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Akiva Goldsman, J.H.Wyman, Jeff Pinkner. Directed by Joe Chappelle (Fox)
Game of Thrones, “Blackwater”, Written by George R.R. Martin, Directed by Neil Marshall. Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss (HBO)It wasn’t bad, mind you–it just wasn’t as awesome as it’s been hyped IMO. I’d give it a B+.
It’s the second in a series, which might work against it. However, it’s got some wonderful characters, a great mix of politicking and space battles, and a seriously creepy horror element. I definitely recommend it!
Oh, another one that I enjoyed immensely last year was Angelmaker. Plotwise it’s not all that great, pretty messy and in places downright silly. But the writing is absolutely delightful, erudite and hilarious. And the premise–the son of a tommygun-wielding gangster and grandson of a clockmaker tries to make it as a clockmaker whilst getting pulled into London’s underground and into strange WW2-era machine-worship–is something I haven’t seen before.
Given that the Hugos are basically a popularity contest, I suspect Scalzi will take it.
If you enjoyed Angelmaker, have you read Gone Away World? I like what Harkaway does with skewed worlds.
I liked Redshirts quite a bit, I like the conceit. I am not sure it’s Scalzi’s best but I liked it. Haven’t read any of the other novel nominees so no guesses on the winner.
I would put in a plug for Clarkesworld, it is nominated in the Semiprozine category and Neil Clarke is nominated for an editor award. I look forward to this magazine hitting my kindle at the beginning of every month. Not every story is a Hugo nominee, but I think it is well worth the couple of dollars per issue.