Coalescent

Right. The deadline is tomorrow, so it's about time for me (and every other Interaction or LACon IV member who hasn't done so) to be nominating for the Hugo Awards. I think I've decided on most of my Best Novel ballot:

The Summer Isles, Ian R. Macleod
Counting Heads, David Marusek
Living Next-Door to the God of Love, Justina Robson
Accelerando, Charles Stross

Given its limited print run, The Summer Isles presumably has little chance of actually making the ballot, but it's the best 2005 novel I've read. I haven't quite finished Counting Heads, but unless Marusek fluffs up the ending spectacularly it deserves a nomination. Living Next-Door to the God of Love and Accelerando both have flaws, but as far as I'm concerned those are outweighed by their considerable strengths. I regret that I haven't managed to get to Robert Charles Wilson's Spin, but don't think it's going to need my help to get nominated. (If it does miss out by one vote, you can all lynch me later.) The last nomination will go to ... er ... well, could be Learning the World, could be Transcendent, could be Double Vision. It'll probably depend on how I feel this evening.

In novella the three shoo-ins are Kelly Link's 'Magic for Beginners', Ian McDonald's 'The Little Goddess', and Paolo Bacigalupi's 'The Calorie Man'. The other two will likely be Yume No Hon by Catherynne M. Valente and 'The Emperor' by Lucius Shepard. Novellettes: Darryl Gregory's 'Second Person, Present Tense', Geoff Ryman's 'The Last Ten Years in the Life of the Hero Kai', possibly Vandana Singh's 'The Tetrahedron', possibly Cory Doctorow's 'I, Robot', possibly Link's 'Some Zombie Contingency Plans', possibly Chris Beckett's 'Piccadilly Circus', plus something from Strange Horizons. Short stories: 'Anyway' by M. Rickert, 'Heads Down, Thumbs Up' by Gavin J. Grant, 'Singing My Sister Down' by Margo Lanagan, and a couple of things from Strange Horizons. Given that I'm a judge for the BSFA's non-fiction award, I probably shouldn't say anything about my thoughts on related book (except to say that The Complete Calvin & Hobbes counts, right?)

And then we start to get to the categories where I have much less fixed opinions. Dramatic Presentation, for instance. I know I didn't get to the cinema much last year, but--other than Serenity--which films really deserve a nomination? Similarly for short form: if I'm going to go for a single episode of Battlestar Galactica, which one should it be? And what else was there to nominate? (Note: don't even bother mentioning Doctor Who.) Was 2005 just a bad year?

I haven't made a full survey of the Campbell Award website yet, but I'm thinking some of KJ Bishop, Karen Fishler, David Moles, Frances Hardinge, Holly Phillips, Steph Swainston, and Sonya Taafe. Who am I missing?

Artists and editors (aside from the magazine editors) I'm always underinformed about: if you want to pimp your choices to me, now's the time. I have firmer ideas about fanzine and fan writer (Claire Brialey for the latter, plus don't forget that bloggers count), but I'd still be interested to hear everyone else's thoughts. So: bring 'em on.

I did far too much yesterday to write it all up from my phone, so that will have to wait. I just want to say, about the Hugos: with one or two exceptions (*cough*shortstory*cough*) it's a strong set of results - and the first set this decade that actually feel like they belong to this decade, and aren't a hangover from the nineties. That's pretty cool. Congrats to all the winners.

A web site primarily related to the fields of science fiction, fantasy or fandom and will be given for material displayed on the World Wide Web during the calendar year 2004.

(yep, that pesky ballot again)

Sites I visit regularly:

• Locus Online excels at news coverage, but has posted some interesting commentary over the last year as well.


• SCIFICTION is, in my opinion, currently the strongest SF magazine out there. But should the whole of SciFi.com count as one site?


• Strange Horizons publishes good reviews and articles as well as interesting fiction.


• The Alien Online is good for news and reviews. Note: I have reviewed for TAO.


• The Internet Review of SF has had a bumpy couple of months, but on the whole published good and interesting material throughout the year. Note: I have copy-edited articles for them.


• The SF Site is good, although sometimes I wish they'd beef up their TV coverage a little.


• Aside from Locus, The Agony Column, as previously mentioned, is the best place to keep up with what's being published.

...and those are the main ones. Where do y'all hang out when you're not surfing LJ?

Oh, and since some people keep complaining about my icon...

[Poll #447754]

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From the ballot, for the last time today:

A generally available non-professional publication devoted to science fiction, fantasy, or related subjects which by the close of the previous calendar year has published 4 or more issues, at least one of which appeared in the previous calendar year, and which does not qualify as a semiprozine.

Right. I freely admit that this is a category about which I know very little.

I have read and enjoyed Zoo Nation (edited by flyingsauce) and Banana Wings (brought to you by the fishlifters), so they'll probably both make my ballot. swisstone's Halo of Flies is another possible contender, and I don't want to be accused of taking Ansible for granted.

But I'm sure there must be more out there that I'm not remembering. Help me out?

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