76 Comments on “Science Fiction and Fantasy Fans: Suggest Your Nominees, Please”

1. Remember: Please only post to suggest nomination-eligible works (or people), please don’t post about your own work, please don’t panic if your post is not immediately visible. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

   And having said that, I would like to make a suggestion for folks.

   Best Novel: Mortality Bridge, Steven R. Boyett: Probably my favorite fantasy book of the year, and one I think might have slipped under the radar of many potential nominators. I wrote about why I liked it here (and here’s a Big Idea piece about it). When it was first out it was hardcover only, but now it’s available in eBook form as well.

2. Stuff I’ll be nominating includes:

   “The Quantum Thief” by Hannu Rajaniemi (pub. Tor 2011) — the most spectacular hard SF debut of the decade.
   “The Kingdom of Gods” by N. K. Jemisin — not how you expect to see a high fantasy trilogy end, but startlingly thought-provoking and highly subversive.

3. Ernest Cline’s most excellent “Ready Player One” *really* needs to be nominated. (Published August 2011 by Crown).

4. Best Novel: The Heroes, Joe Abercrombie. Another hard-hitting fantasy in the same world as his First Law Trilogy. In some ways, it’s as brutal as his earlier work, but there’s also an emotional element — this book actually made me tear up. And I like that this is a self-contained, one-off story so I don’t have to wait a decade or two to see how things turn out.

5. Folks: It will be helpful if you let everyone know in which category the works you’re suggesting should be nominated (in the cases of C. Stross and P. Knight, the works suggested are in the “novel” category)

6. I’d like to see Community’s season three episode, “Remedial Chaos Theory” nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). The multiverse, Sting, and Indiana Jones rarely go together in such a fantastic way.

7. Jeff VanderMeer’s picks of the novels (just posted over on Locus) is a really, really good list to start with there, Jo Walton’s Among Others and Lavie Tidhar’s Osama in particular. When I’ve been thinking about my favorite/best book of 2011, though, I keep coming back to David Halperin’s Journal of a UFO Investigator, which would be a very incredible longshot to make it onto many people’s ballots, but I do think more sf/f readers would enjoy checking it out.

   For Best Related Work (Hugo), I enjoyed VanderMeer’s Monstrous Creatures, a non-fiction collection of essays, interviews, and reviews. Also for this Hugo category I would suggest The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer and SJ Chambers, as well as Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities (primarily a fiction anthology, but with its art and photographs and overall “somethingness” I think it could go somewhere in here), and Tobias S. Buckell’s “Nascence” (a book on writing, using his “failed” short fiction as examples).

   Novellas: Ken Lieu’s “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” in Panverse Three, Cory Doctorow’s “The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” (PM Press Outspoken Authors), Catherynne M. Valente’s “Silenty, But Very Fast”, and Kij Johnson’s “The Man Who Bridged the Mist” (Asimov’s) all were excellent.

   Novelettes: Eric Gregory’s “The Harrowers” (Lightspeed), Nicole Horner-Stace’s “The Winter Triptych” (Papaveria Press), Kate Sparrow’s “The Migratory Pattern of Dancers” (Giganotosaurus), Rose Lemberg’s “Held Close in Syllables of Light” (Beneath Ceaseless Skies), Geoff Ryman’s “What We Found”, and John Kessel’s “Clean”.

   Short stories: I mentioned the ones that I published this year back in the creators thread, so some other ones: Ada Milenkovic Brown’s “Nadirah Sends Her Love” (Crossed Genres), Gwendolyn Clare’s “Perfect Lies” (Clarkesworld), Lewis Shiner’s “A Box of Thunder” (Strange Horizons), and Nick Mamatas’s “The Dreamer of the Day” (Supernatural Noir, edited by Ellen Datlow).

   Editor, short form: Dario Ciriello (for Panverse anthologies) is one to think about this year amongst a long list of continued excellent, led in 2011 by Ellen Datlow whose Supernatural Noir and Naked City anthologies were both excellent, and Jonathan Strahan, who had a very strong year with Engineering Infinity, Life on Mars, and Eclipse Four. Also: Gordon Van Gelder not only edited the magazine of F&SF, he also edited an excellent anthology of original climate change fiction, Welcome to the Greenhouse, for OR Books. Lastly, Ann and Jeff VanderMeer in addition to the “Cabinet” anthology above, also edited the monstrous The Weird.

   Best Graphic Story (Hugo): TURF by Jonathan Ross and Tommy Lee Edwards, and The Order of Dagonet by Jeremy Whitley and Jason Strutz (Firetower Studios).

   Campbell Award (“not a Hugo”): TC McCarthy (for debut novel Germline), and Mur Lafferty for, well, too many things to start listing here.

   Fan Writer: Paul Kincaid.

   Film: There’s been a bunch of them, but don’t forget “Trollhunter”, a quirky “not quite a documentary” Norwegian film which I enjoyed, along with Duncan Jones’s “Source Code”.

   Best Dramatic Short (Hugo): I have to put in a good word for the bizarre post-apocalyptic robots with car-driving hamsters short film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zJWA3Vo6TU

8. I’d like to suggest The Legend of Gluck by Marie Bilodeau for the Prix Aurora Award. More on this can be found on Marie’s blog at:
   http://mariebilodeau.blogspot.com/2012/02/aurora-awards-request.html

   I’m not sure about her eligibilty for either a Hugo or Nebula.

9. My short story, novelette, and novella recommendations.

   For people who don’t want to read the whole posts, I’d sum them up as: Read everything of Ken Liu’s you can get your hands on. My top picks for each category aren’t available online for free reading (“Old Habits” by Nalo Hopkinson in Eclipse 4; “What We Found” by Geoff Ryman in F&SF; Ken Liu’s “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” from Panverse 3), but there’s some great stuff that is available online:

   Short story:
   “Her Husband’s Hands by Adam Troy-Castro (Lightspeed)
   Simulacrum by Ken Liu (Lightspeed)
   “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” by E. Lily Yu (Clarkseworld)
   “Her Mother” by Vylar Kaftan (Giganotosaurus)
   “The Axiom of Choice” by David Goldman (The New Haven Review)

   Novelettes:
   “Six Months, Three Days” by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)
   “The Migratory Patterns of Dancers” by Katherine Sparrow (Giganotosaurus)
   “Work, with Occasional Molemen” by Jeremiah Tolbert (Giganotosaurus)

   For novels, I would like to be hearing more about Will McIntosh’s SOFT APOCALYPSE which is very much an heir to Octavia Butler’s PARABLE OF THE SOWER and Maureen McHugh’s CHINA MOUTNAIN ZHANG. He deservedly won the Hugo a couple of years ago for his short story “Bridesicle,” and the same immersive, emotional character writing is in play here, mixed with the intellectual interest of science fictional tropes.

   Genevieve Valentine’s beautiful steampunk circus fantasy MECHANIQUE is also striking, lovely, and memorable.

   My favorite for the Norton is EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A. S. King (this is probably my favorite novel of the year period), followed by CHIME by Frannie Billingsley, THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson and FLOATING ISLANDS by Rachel Neuemeier. I don’t have a clear fifth favorite, but right now my contenders are AKATA WITCH by Nnedi Okorafor, FREEDOM MAZE by Delia Sherman and PLANESRUNNER by Ian McDonald.

10. Best Novel: LEVIATHAN WAKES, James S.A. Corey: Absolutely fantastic. Accessible epic sf you could recommend to non-sf people.

11. My choices are evolving because I am reading some work that I missed last year, but here are a few suggestions:

    Novel:
    OSAMA, by Lavie Tidhar
    NEVER KNEW ANOTHER, by J. M. McDermott
    AMONG OTHERS, by Jo Walton

    Short Story:
    “Absinthe Fish,” by M. David Blake http://www.bullspec.com/issue/5
    “Conjuring Shadows,” by Craig Gidney http://expandedhorizons.net/magazine/?page_id=2610

    SIngle-Author Anthology:
    WHAT WOLVES KNOW, by Kit Reed
    TWO WORLDS AND IN-BETWEEN: THE BEST OF CAITLIN R. KIERNAN, by Caitlin R, Kiernan

    Collected Anthology:
    THE WEIRD, edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

    Non-Fiction:
    MONSTROUS CREATURES, by Jeff VanderMeer
    PARDON THIS INTRUSION, by John Clute

12. Best Related Work (Hugo): “Thalia’s Musings: A Snag in the Tapestry” by Amethyst Marie. http://thaliasmusingsnovels.com/ A complete web serial fantasy novel set in the ancient Greek pantheon.

13. For novel : Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

14. Best Novel:
    XVI by Julia Karr
    I Don’t Want to Kill You by Dan Wells

    Best Dramatic Presentation (short form):
    Any 2011 episode of Once Upon a Time, an awesome show Sunday nights on ABC if you haven’t caught it yet (episodes available on-line at abc.com). I suggest nominating the “Pilot” and/or “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.”

15. The two books that immediately come to mind as dark horse candidates for best novel are The Enterprise of Death by Jesse Bullington and Never Knew Another by J.M. McDermott. Both books occupied my mind for months after I read them. But I’d agree with those who mention Among Others by Jo Walton as a candidate; I found it touching and heartbreaking without being overtly sentimental.

16. If you like Doctor Who (or even if you don’t) you might like to take a look at these other UK SF&F shows

    Misfits – All 21 episodes available on Hulu in the US. The 8 eps of Season 3 are eligible for awards this year
    Being Human – the UK original series. All 22 eps available on Netflix/iTunes/Amazon video in the US. The 8 episodes of Season 3 are eligible for awards this year.
    Becoming Human – Being Human spin-off webseries. Americans will need to use their Google-fu to find this, but it is well worth the effort for Being Human fans
    Outcasts – OK, it was cancelled after 1 season (8 eps) but some people feel it was cut down in its prime. And they aren’t all Jamie Bamber fangirls. Available on iTunes/Amazon video in the US.
    The Sarah Jane Adventures – Doctor Who Spin-off. The final 3 episodes filmed before Elisabeth Sladen’s (Sarah Jane Smith) untimely death are eligible for awards. Available on iTunes/Amazon video in the US.
    Primeval – There are 36 eps of this Dinosaur-tastic kids action show. Available on Netflix/Amazon/iTunes in the US. Seasons 4 and 5 are both eligible for awards this year.
    The Fades – spooky 6-part miniseries. Some episodes on iTunes/Amazon
    Marchlands – spooky 5-part miniseries. Sorry, I couldn’t find any online streams of this for the US

17. Novel:
    Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
    Ganymede by Cherie Preist
    Debris by Jo Anderton

18. Another one I’ve been wanting to read for Related Work is “The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick”, edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem.

19. Folks,

    Making a suggestion without at least a brief explanation why doesn’t give other people much to go on. Just saying.

20. This year is the first time that I have more novels I’d like to nominate than nomination slots for the Hugos. It has been a good year for SF, and especially for Space Opera, my favorite subgenre.

    Here’s what I’m considering right now (all in the best novel category):

    China Mieville – Embassytown
    Greg Egan – The Clockwork Rocket
    James S.A. Corey – Leviathan Wakes
    Charles Stross – Rule 34
    Hannu Rajaniemi – The Quantum Thief*
    M.J. Locke – Up Against It
    Vernor Vinge – Children of the Sky
    Brandon Sanderson – The Alloy of Law

    * (The Quantum Thief was originally published in 2010 by Gollancz in the UK, but can be nominated for a Hugo by the extended eligibility rules)

    Also worth noting: At least two of the books on the list (Leviathan Wakes and Up Against It) I originally discovered through the Big Idea. Thanks, Scalzi!

21. Novel: “The Cloud Roads” by Martha Wells. It’s effortless to enter any of the worlds Wells builds. This one has a multi species world and a grand adventure.

22. I’m with Adam Shaftoe on this one: Community’s season 3 episode “Remedial Chaos Theory” for Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form). It does multiple timelines/universes better than any episode of any Star Trek series ever.

23. Ken Liu kindly let me know that his novella, “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” is now available online.

    It’s a striking piece of work, similar in texture to Chiang’s “Do You Like What You See,” and it places abstract, unimaginable things like the violence of genocide in the context of physics, history, and brings it down to the level of a few lives where it’s even more emotionally evocative.

24. Mecha Corps – by Brett Patton a novel that makes Matt Lowell learn to ride Mechas: biomechanicals
    Danger Planet – by filmmaker Justin Burks, is a super happy fun animated short film.
    And of course, Fuzzy Nation which I gave copies out at Christmas to my friends!!!
    Also,I would never had heard of / read Nnedi Okorafor/s Who Fears Death if it hadn’t won last year.
    Thanks, Nebula team!

25. Best Novel: Seconding Anne’s suggestion of “The Cloud Roads” by Martha Wells, which has fantastic world-building and solid, fast-paced plotting.

    Best Short Story: “Sauerkraut Station” by Ferrett Steinmetz, available at http://giganotosaurus.org/2011/11/01/sauerkraut-station/ A powerful story about survival on a resupply station situated between two warring space-faring civilizations.

    Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Season 1 of Misfits, available at http://www.hulu.com/misfits. A six-episode exploration of what happens when people five people serving community service sentences suddenly develop superpowers. Season 1 is a couple years old, but qualifies under the rule that allows works to be eligible the year they’re first available in the US. I’m recommending this arc over more recent episodes because the first six-episode arc is the strongest.

26. Hadn’t seen this in US bookstores. Picked one up in either Gladstone or Brisbane airport, Queensland, Australia about a week ago. Wonderful novel! Since my flight from Gladstone to Brisbane arrived just in time for me to be stuck 12 hours in the overseas area of Brisbane Airport, it was enormously comforting. Queensland and Western Australia are the 2 states booming from mining, and selling stuff to China once refined. 40% of Australia’s electrical power now goes to Aluminum Refineries.One falls asleep after Singapore curry noodles with shrimp, chicken, and pork; lying on a couch with backpack under your head so as not to be purloined, and awakened at random by incomprehenisible loudspeaker messages arguably related to an attempted coup in New Guinea, falls back asleep, is awakened by the guy driving the floor-polishing Zamboni-like apparatus, who nods off and knocks over chairs. Possibly from the same union as the hospital nurses who wake you up to give you a sleeping pill. Perhaps affiliated with the Union of Crying Babies on long flights. Maybe with the Union of Bad Drivers, who cut you off to take parking spaces. Then hog the Handicapped spaces with placards that they either don’t own, or were gray-market obtained.There’s a Nobel Prize in there for whoever figures this out. Where was I? Sorry. I’ll blame jet lag.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Remembered_Earth

    Blue Remembered Earth is a science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds, first published by Gollancz on 19 January 2012. It is the first of the Poseidon’s Children trilogy, which follows humanity’s development over 11,000 years, with the intention of portraying a more optimistic future than anything Reynolds had previously written….

27. I wrote about my favourite 2011 titles in a post here: http://www.examiner.com/books-in-calgary/2011-nebula-award-nominations-now-open
    But if I had to pick just one from that list, I’d like to see Howard Andrew Jones’ novel, Desert of Souls, get some love.
    Jo Walton and Lev Grossman were also great this year, but I’m going for the little guy, whose debut novel had the polish of a long-time veteran. (I read almost no *new* science fiction this past year, although it’s my preferred genre, thus the heavy fantasy leanings.)

28. I know that he doesn’t need any more recognition, awards, or even money. And while I’m loathe to be so commercial, the man is just that talented. The best speculative fiction novel I read last year was 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

29. Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) : “The Entire History of You” (Episode 3 from the UK’s sci fi anthology series “Black Mirror”).

30. I’d like to recommend jane Yolen’s Snow in Summer for the Norton Award (YA fantasy). It’s an evocative, poetic, note-perfect version of Snow White set in West Virginia–the portrait of Step Mama in particular gave me chills.

31. For novels, I’m another one for Jo Walton’s Among Others. I love what it had to say about sf readers, and about fantasy. I’ll also nominate The Quantum Thief once I figure out how to spell the author’s name.

32. Novels:

    China Mieville — Embassytown — real SF with aliens and distant planets, with a focus on how language works
    Charles Stross — Rule 34 — near future SF done right, with a nice edge of dark humor
    Will McIntosh — Soft Apocalypse — social SF (a la Ballard) for the 21st century

33. For film, the only films that instantly spring to mind are “Attack The Block” (Inner city kids vs. alien invaders) and “Absentia.” The latter is Mike Flanagan’s low budget horror film that relies on imagination and suggestion to make viewers fear tunnels and darkness.

    For comics and graphic novels, I’d suggest “Grandville Mon Amour” by Bryan Talbot; “Batwoman: Hydrology” by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman; “DMZ” by Brian Wood and Ricardo Burchelli; “Hellboy/Beasts of Burden” by Mike Mignola, Evan Dorkin, & Jill Thompson; “Freakangels” by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield; “Secret Avengers” by Warren Ellis and various artists.

34. Blue Remembered Earth is a science fiction novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds, first published by Gollancz on 19 January 2012.

    And hence not eligible for the 2012 Hugo.

    I believe Ace will be releasing a US edition in June 2012.

35. Novel:

    Embassytown, by China Miéville
    Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
    The Map of Time, by Félix J. Palma

    Novella:

    “The Choice”, by Paul McAuley (Asimov’s February 2011)

    Novelette:

    “Ghostweight”, by Yoon Ha Lee (Clarkesworld 52, January 2011) Available online: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lee_01_11/
    “The Book of Phoenix (Excerpted from The Great Book)”, by Nnedi Okorafor (Clarkesworld 54, March 2011) Available online: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/okorafor_03_11/

    Short Story:

    “Tying Knots”, by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld 52, January 2011) Available online: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/liu_01_11/
    “Staying Behind”, by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld 61, October 2011) Available online: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/liu_10_11/

    Comic (Hugos):

    Morning Glories Vol. 1 and 2, by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma
    Echo, by Terry Moore
    FreakAngels, by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. Available online: http://www.freakangels.com/
    Locke & Key Vol. 4 (Keys to the Kingdom) , by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez

36. Best Novel – Kevin Hearne and his Iron Druid Series – Hounded, Hexed and Hammered. Kevin took the Urban Fantasy genre and turned it into man porn. Forget Vampires, werewolves,(Although they are in there) shlocky love stories and rose petals. Kevin gave us hot women, rock-n-roll and fun with religion. (I will never think of Jesus the same way. Not that I really gave him much thought to begin with.) KEvin hit a home run.

    I found Kevin’s book right here on “The Big Idea” and you find him at http://www.kevinhearne.com/

37. Novel: The Map of Time, by Félix J. Palma, will be my choice. I’ve read Martin, Grossman, Rothfuss, Cline, but nothing comes close to this book. Homage to H.G. Wells and British literature written with world-class prose and style.
    Easily the best eligible novel this year.

38. Novel:

    The Map of Time, by Félix J. Palma.

    A charming story, full of adventures. An unforgettable and beautiful tale.

39. Best Novel:
    Embassytown by China Mieville has fantastic world-building (fascinating aliens), and some really interesting thoughts about communication.
    Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory–a zombie story about what it means to be alive.

    Best Novella:
    The Man Who Bridged the Mist, by Kij Johnson, Asimov’s October/November 2011. A story about the beauty and the costs that result from building a bridge.

    Best Novellette:
    Six Months, Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders
    http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/06/six-months-three-days
    Reminiscent of the best parts of Ted Chiang’s Story of Your Life.

    The Taste of Promises, by Rachel Swirsky (from Life on Mars anthology), a really interesting look at what a Mars colony might look like, with an engaging protagonist.
    Fields of Gold, by Rachel Swirsky (from Eclipse 4). An unusual take on the afterlife.
    Pdfs of both of these at http://rachel-swirsky.livejournal.com/234031.html

    Best Short story:
    Volition by Alec Austin, (from Daily Science Fiction), a time travel story that packs a lot of really interesting ideas in a very short space.
    http://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/future-societies/alec-austin/volition

    The Paper Menagerie, by Ken Liu, a gorgeous, heartbreaking fantasy about a Chinese-American kid and his mother.
    http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/07/new-story-from-fantasy-science-fiction-magazine-2.html

40. Best novelette in my view would be Jay Lake’s ‘Long Walk Home’ which you can read at:

    http://subterraneanpress.com/index.php/magazine/winter-2011/fiction-a-long-walk-home-by-jay-lake/

    It’s a precursor to Jay’s ‘Sunspin’ project, and it puts the hooks into the reader in a quite remarkable way…

41. Peter: “For comics and graphic novels, I’d suggest “Grandville Mon Amour” by Bryan Talbot”

    I’m not sure, but I’d say that it is not eligible this year. In fact, iirc it was nominated last year.

42. Best Novel: Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

    The latest entry in the Liaden Universe saga–it’s the long-awaited sequel to I Dare, although the book stands well on it’s own. Full book review here.

43. Since I am thinking about the Locus poll, my selections use their categories.

    Best SF Novel / Best Fantasy Novel – Lauren Beukes weaves fantasy into a seemingly SF setting, so I wrote it in twice. It seems like cheating to combine two categories, but I think the other awards use one for novels: Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
    http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-City-Lauren-Beukes/dp/0857662163
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zoo-city-lauren-beukes/1100310764

    Best Anthology – Ann and Jeff Vandermeer have made a career out of “unusual,” and I like a lot of unusual stories. This anthology is the mother lode, and I am still working my way through it: The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer
    http://www.amazon.com/Weird-Compendium-Strange-Dark-Stories/dp/0765333600/
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-weird-jeff-vandermeer/1107085893

    Best Novella – Ken Liu did a lot of exceptional writing in 2011, but it could split the vote and hurt him in the short story category. Fortunately his novella is better than any of the short stories: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” by Ken Liu (Panverse Three)
    http://www.amazon.com/Panverse-Three-Dario-Ciriello/dp/0983731314
    http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/panverse-three-dario-ciriello/1104972807
    FREE – http://kenliu.name/binary/liu_the_man_who_ended_history.pdf

    Best Novelette – Yoon Ha Lee balances beauty with symbolic meaning. I want a war-kite!: “Ghostweight” Yoon Ha Lee (Clarkesworld 1/11)
    FREE – http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/lee_01_11/

    Best Short Story – M. David Blake’s story is like an addictive song. I don’t understand everything in it, but I love it. This is the most unusual thing I read all year: “Absinthe Fish” by M. David Blake (Bull Spec Spring ’11)
    http://www.bullspec.com/issue/5
    FREE – http://www.vintageseason.com/fiction.htm

44. I think ZOO CITY was eligible last year… at any rate, the kindle edition has a 2010 publication date on it.

45. I see Rachel Swirsky beat me to recommending Ken Liu’s “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary,” and even included a link, but I wanted to second her recommendation (while third is since Tovia also recommended it). Here’s what I said about it in my reviews:

    The strongest, and most disturbing, story in the anthology is in the middle, Ken Liu’s “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary.” Liu provides a look at the atrocities committed during World War II, but rather than focusing on the Nazis, to whom most people are somewhat inured, even when condemning them, Liu looks at the similar horrifying experiments conducted by the Japanese of Unit 731 in Manchuria. The story isn’t just a recital of those acts, but also a look at who owns history. When husband-and-wife historians/physicists Eric Wei and Akemi Kirino develop a process that allows people to view historical events, both the Chinese and the Japanese governments object to the use of their method. Liu tackles a wide range of issues in his piece, and handles all of them extremely well. The matter-of-fact acceptance of the atrocities by many Japanese as well as the denial among both Japanese and man-in-the-streets is easily as disturbing as the crimes depicted.

46. No love for best artist? I’d love to see Jon Sullivan’s work get a nod. Examples of his work: Sea Watch Moon

47. Best short story: Genevieve Valentine’s ‘The Finest Spectacle Anywhere’ (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
    Best novelette easily: Genevieve Valentine’s ‘The Nearest Thing’ (Lightspeed Magazine)

48. Have to 3rd or 4th the recommendation for Novel, The Map of Time, by Félix J. Palma. Took me to another place and time with pages turning at a rapid rate, and a couple sleepless nights.

49. Isn’t Daniel Abraham’s “The Dragon’s Path” eligible? It was published in April 2011 per Amazon.

50. Is there no way to edit my post? If you want, add this with my above. (I read where you mentioned to include a reason; duh, I should have thought of that.)

    ‘The Finest Spectacle Anywhere’ is about a very prickly aerialist and the personality conflict between her and her boss. POV is a guy who’s stuck watching it.

    ‘The Nearest Thing’ is a spooky romance in a corporate-controlled future, so much so that the corporation IS the setting and the villain of the story. A geek falls in love with a woman who might not be a woman… and the ending is open and eerie.

51. I would like to recommend Summer Wars for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form. At the last Worldcon there was a special vote to make it eligible for this year’s awards. The film is about a student Kenji is invited by his classmate Natsuki to her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday. Kenji is also a part-time system administrator of OZ, a worldwide social network. Most business and governments do their business through OZ. Someone has hacked OZ which has worldwide consequences and Kenji is a suspect. Kenji with the help of Natsuki’s family will sort out the problem but can they do it in time.

    I did a full review of this film in the 300th issue of The Drink Tank which is also eligible for the Hugo for Best Fanzine. The 300th issue can be found at http://efanzines.com/DrinkTank/DrinkTank300.pdf. The review is entry 207.

52. I had an extremely hard time narrowing down my Norton nominations to five. But one never budged from top place: Chime by Franny Billingsley, a deeply atmospheric and beautifully-written tale about a girl who believes she is evil.

    I’m still trying to narrow down my short story nominations, but there’s no doubt that one of Ken Liu’s stories will be there. Possibly more than one. So far, my favorite is Staying Behind: http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/liu_10_11/.

53. Novel: The Cold Commands by Richard K Morgan
    Morgan writes with a precision and intensity that is like sinking a shot of ice-cold vodka. His characters are complex, he transforms tired old tropes into a compelling themes.
    If Cold Commands happened across another SF novel in the street, CC would likely rob it at knife-point and leave it quietly sobbing in a dark corner.

54. My recommendation for Best Related Work:
    Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them (Mad Norwegian Press), edited by Hugo Award-winning editor of Chicks Dig Time Lords, Lynne M. Thomas, and Deborah Stanish.
    http://madnorwegian.com/19/books/whedonistas-a-celebration-of-the-worlds-of-joss-whedon-by-the-women-who-love-them/

55. Due to financial considerations I cannot attend…but if I could, I’d nominate Courtney Schafer for the Campbell. The Whitefire Crossing was the best debut I’ve seen in years.

56. Short story: Okay, I’m biased here, but Shira Lipkin’s story, “I Am Thinking of You in the Spaces Between” is one that I’ve loved since I first heard her read it. It’s heartbreaking, powerful, and plays with some nifty ideas. And if you look at the comments once Apex published it, you’ll see that there are real-life people who are not married to her who also kind of love it: http://apex-magazine.com/2011/10/04/i-am-thinking-of-you-in-the-spaces-between/

    Novel: Given the tendency over the last few years to give nominations (and even wins) to some of the Usual Suspects regardless of quality, it would be a shame to not see Vernor Vinge’s superb “Children of the Sky” take home the prizes it so richly deserves. It’s a great sequel, and one that manages to diverge in tone from the previous novel without impacting the quality of either. It actually stands reasonably well on its own, although why anyone wouldn’t want to read Fire Upon the Deep is beyond me. There’s wonderful world-building, great alien races, and some of the post-singularity tech conceptualization that only Vinge can pull off so well.

57. Novel:
    Ready Player One – Ernest Cline: This was a just a great, fun novel filled with many bits from my childhood.
    Leviathan Wakes – James S.A. Corey: This was a fast paced space opera that has everything I look for in SF. I have recommended this book more than any other since OMW.

58. Ellid @7:14–You don’t need to attend WorldCon to nominate and vote in the Hugos, you can purchase a supporting membership which gives you all the privilages of membership except actually attending (which now a days usually includes e-versions of all the nominated prose– worth the $50). Or if you were a member of Renovation or are a member of LoneStar Con 3, you are also eligible to nominate and vote.
    https://chicon.org/membership.php

    As for me, I admire Jo Walton’s writing very much and agree with Among Others, especially if you grew up reading F&SF.

    Also, her Hugo Retrospective posts on Tor.com should be eligible for a Hugo in Best Related Work. How recursive!

59. For the Bradbury Award (Nebulas) I would like to strongly recommend The Booth on the End. This is a short series currently available on Hulu, a beautifully written speculative drama about what people will do to get what they want, with some brilliantly unexpected twists and turns. Even if you aren’t voting, go see it.

    For novella I have to echo everyone’s recommendations for Ken Liu’s The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary.

    For best semi prozine (Hugo), I’d like to recommend Shimmer, which has consistently put out beautifully designed and edited issues (full disclosure: I’ll be appearing in an upcoming issue, but I wasn’t in it last year, the year we’re voting on); Abyss and Apex, which has been steadily publishing solid short fiction and fantasy for years now and deserves some recognition (full disclosure; I had a poem in this zine last year); Giganotosaurus, with its focus on longer fiction (hey, a zine I wasn’t in and haven’t sold anything to yet); Daily Science Fiction, which has been shooting entertaining little things into my inbox for some time now; and Beneath Ceaseless Skies, which has been publishing beautiful fantasy work.

    For best fan writer (Hugo), I am clearly not spending enough time on the net, but Abigail Nussbaum continues to write insightful essays on genre film and books; Jim Hines is a great voice in fandom; James Nicoll, ditto.

    For Campbell, Karen Lord, whose excellent first novel, Redemption in Indigo, already won a couple of awards, which bodes well for her future career.

60. I believe ZOO CITY is indeed eligible: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/01/05/sff-authorseditorsartistsfans-2011-award-awareness-post/#comment-297064

    I’d love to see THE QUANTUM THIEF nominated for best novel. it’s just what I look for in science fiction: a book that respects the reader’s intelligence and gives exciting ideas about the future of humanity and technology with a very fast-paced plot. I thought it was almost perfect, actually.

    Also, ATTACK THE BLOCK absolutely needs to be nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form). Just an excellent, fun, special scifi movie. It was so good it kind of made me cry for what we put up with in inferior scifi movies.

61. Cherie Priest’s Ganymede has been a great novel to read. Steampunk and zombies are a fantastic background for some of the best characters, men AND women that I’ve read in a long time.

62. Remembered some more thoughts on Fan Writer:

    * Bob Reiss, for his audiobooks review blog The Guilded Earlobe
    * Charles Tan, for his own Bibliophile Stalker blog, his SF Signal tidbits, and the World SF blog

63. For Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, I would like to suggest “Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension” The wikipedia page on it is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_and_Ferb_The_Movie:_Across_the_2nd_Dimension

    It covers all the standard SF tropes, parallel universes, underground resistance from an evil scientist dictator, giant robots, cyborgs, high tech gadgets, massive climactic battle, and even a bit of love interest. It does it all at a fast-paced action, and it has musical numbers!

64. Best Related Work:
    Trek Nation http://treknationmovie.com/
    Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, executive producer, and Trevor Roth, producer.
    Gene Roddenberry’s contribution to science fiction is undeniable. Who better to offer a new perspective on that contribution than the son of the man who gave us so much.

65. I recommend Sarah Frost for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer – her first publication (Short story) “Falls the Firebrand” was in March 2011 Analog

66. i2 is by far the most compelling book that I have read in recent memory. I was consumed from cover to cover. If it is not nominated for a Nebula Award, then I quite simply cannot see what should be.

67. Re: Zoo City

    While it was published in South Africa & the UK in 2010 (and won the Clarke award for that year), it didn’t make it to the States until 2011, and thus, I suspect, will be eligible for this year’s Hugos under extended eligibility.

    I have a great fear that this book is going to get overlooked, since it was out in 2010 in some places, but strongly believe it deserves to be a Hugo finalist.

68. I nominate “i2” by James Bannon. It’s a great novel, well-written and very suspenseful.

69. Non-novel suggestions for the 2012 Hugos:

    Short story: “Goodnight Moons” by Ellen Klages in *Life on Mars*; while I enjoyed just about everything in this anthology, this was my #1 favorite; I still cry just thinking about this story.

    Novelette: “Corn Teeth” by Melanie Tem (August 2011 Asimov’s); a moving look at (inter-species) adoption and how children respond to the need to fit in.

    Graphic story: “Cinderella: Fables are Forever”, written by Chris Roberson, illustrated by Shawn McManus (published by Vertigo); while an offshoot of Bill Willingham’s “Fables”, it easily stands alone, and Cinderella is not the protagonist you might naively believe she’d be.

    Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” by Moonbot Studios (viewable at

    ; told completely without dialogue, a gorgeous story about the life of books & the people who love them.

70. I’d like to suggest “I2” by James Bannon. A gripping read and a compelling examination into the human mind, I2 takes us into the dark cerebral cortex of one man’s attempt at self-actualization as he tries to break down the wall of his past life and determine his true identity. A must-read and should be at the top of everyone’s stack this year
    .

71. ‘I2’, by James Bannon, sticks out in my mind as one of the most intriguing novels I’ve read in recent memory. I would recommend this book to any thriller fan, or to anyone who enjoys a thought provoking, humanistic story.

72. I’d like to nominate I2 by James Bannon for a nebula award. It’s a really remarkable book and very deserving of this award!

73. Late to the party, but here it is.

    Graphic Story: Volume 3 of the webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court came out in 2011.

    http://www.gunnerkrigg.com

    I find it to be humorous, moving, and tell a good story. I also like his art (which has developed a great deal since the first volume).

74. Last minute notes for things I had to do more than cursory digging to figure out when I finally sent in my votes, in the hopes they are helpful:

    Long-form editors (I have such a hard time most times figuring out who edited what, so kudos to Mr. Scalzi for listing his editor — and cover artist — on his list of eligible works):

    Laura Tisdel was editor for Lev Grossman’s The Magician King
    Devi Pillai was editor for Joe Abercrombie and NK Jemison, among others
    Betsy Wollheim was editor for Pat Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s Fear
    Anne Groell was editor for GRRM’s A Dance with Dragons

    And pro artists (see above, though this is more Google-able generally than editor):

    Laura Brett – UK cover The Wise Man’s Fear
    Chris McGrath – cover for The Rift Walker
    Donato Giancola – cover for Out of the Waters
    Chip Kidd – US cover of Murakami’s1Q84
    Sam Green – UK cover of The Alloy of Law

    Lastly, the name of the “short film” I mentioned above, with a robot vs. mech battle in a post apocalyptic wasteland being interrupted by car-driving hamsters, resulting in a dance-off:

    “Share Some Soul”, produced by the David & Goliath Agency for Kia Soul (Party Rock Hamster Dance Post Apocalyptic Robots…) — http://www.dng.com/work/campaign/more_soul?campaignID=512&mediaID=511

75. Probably a bit late, but I just read the short story “Younger Women” by Karen Joy Fowler which is a fantastic critique of teenage vampire stories. It can be found free online here.

76. Two great reads are the books be Peter Jones. THE SHIELD is the first with the sequel being THE SHIELD: REDEMPTION.