Day: May 8, 2013

Very exciting news. 

Here’s the Locus announcement plus the full list of categories, which includes as finalists friends like Elizabeth Bear, Cat Valente, Mary Robinette Kowal, Saladin Ahmed, China Mieville, Jay Lake, Paolo Bacigalupi and Cory Doctorow — among many others. Congratulations to all!

Here are the finalists in my category of Science Fiction Novel:

• The Hydrogen Sonata, Iain M. Banks (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
• Caliban’s War, James S.A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Redshirts, John Scalzi (Tor; Gollancz)

An excellent field. I am delighted to be a finalist, but I have to tell you that with all my heart I hope it goes to Iain M. Banks this year, not only for this particular novel (which is excellent) but as a salute to his entire body of work. I would be very happy with that.

The winners will be announced at the end of June — good luck to everyone.

Which is:

What is your favorite relentlessly popular song?

By which I mean: The song that everyone knows (or did know, at the time), that took over the world in its day, which may or may not be good, depending on your definition of these things, but which you still listen to all the way through every time you hear it.

Here’s an example from the 80s:

Another, more recent example:

Yeah, you got it now.

So: Share in the comments.