[CRussel]

Certainly it does if you say it does. That's the whole idea of themes -- twist it, turn it, make it work for you! It doesn't mean your choice will necessarily get selected, but it's about discovery. Both your own, and everyone else's. What you discover might well be something I want to read, and vice-versa. Regardless of what book is ultimately selected. As we've discovered, the selected book isn't always the best choice, though obviously a plurality of us think it will be when we vote for it. We can all get fooled.

The more I've thought about this theme, the more I'm thinking of two possible books for it. I'm not sure I am going to nominate either, but I'm going to toss them out here for folks to think about, in the spirit of discovery.

The first is the book I just finished: N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season. $9.99 at Amazon.

Winner of the Hugo for Best Novel in 2016

Spoiler:

This is the way the world ends...for the last time.

A season of endings has begun.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.

It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.

It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I had a horrible time getting into it, but after about 40%, I was hooked. In the end, I couldn't decide how many stars to give it. I completely understand why it won a Hugo, but by the same token, I can't really say I enjoyed it, though I did read it to the end and will read the next (after a break). Usually, when I finish a book, I know what I think about it, but this one has me quite perplexed.

The other book I considered is Ann Leckie's Ancilary Justice. This was also a bit slow to get into, though not as much as The Fifth Season, but in the end was a solid 4 stars for me. I particularly liked the gender bending/gender neutrality of the book, and some of the concepts were quite interesting.

The only novel ever to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards (2013).

Spoiler:

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

(Also $9.99 at Amazon.)