Hugo 2020 Award Winners

[astrangerhere]

The Hugos were held this weekend and I'd not seen anyone post about it yet. By all accounts, the ceremony was...not good, but the acceptance speeches were. You can find all the nominees and winners here. Here are the big three categories:

Best Novel

A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK)
The City in the Middle of the Night, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan)
Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com Publishing)
The Light Brigade, by Kameron Hurley (Saga; Angry Robot UK)
Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Orbit UK)

Best Novella

This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Saga Press; Jo Fletcher Books)
“Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador)
The Deep, by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes (Saga Press/Gallery)
The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)
In an Absent Dream, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
To Be Taught, If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager; Hodder & Stoughton)

Best Novelette

Emergency Skin, by N.K. Jemisin (Forward Collection (Amazon))
“The Archronology of Love”, by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed, April 2019)
“Away With the Wolves”, by Sarah Gailey (Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy Special Issue, September/October 2019)
“The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, July-August 2019)
“For He Can Creep”, by Siobhan Carroll (Tor.com, 10 July 2019)
“Omphalos”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador))

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

The Hugos were held this weekend and I'd not seen anyone post about it yet. By all accounts, the ceremony was...not good, but the acceptance speeches were. You can find all the nominees and winners here. Here are the big three categories:

I'm not sure why, but the Hugos don't seem to have the hype they used to have. I used to be really into them but now, I wasn't even aware of them this year. Maybe it's all of that political BS that happened a while back. I don't care about stuff like that. I just want to read a good book, you know?

Anywho, I can vouch that the best novel and novella are both good reads.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

I'm not sure why, but the Hugos don't seem to have the hype they used to have. I used to be really into them but now, I wasn't even aware of them this year. Maybe it's all of that political BS that happened a while back. I don't care about stuff like that. I just want to read a good book, you know?

Anywho, I can vouch that the best novel and novella are both good reads.

I agree. I think the Puppies groups got what they wanted, loss of relevance of the Hugos. I think it's a shame.

[astrangerhere]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I agree. I think the Puppies groups got what they wanted, loss of relevance of the Hugos. I think it's a shame.

But some really great stuff won this year, at least. The novella winner is in my top 10 for the year.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

But some really great stuff won this year, at least. The novella winner is in my top 10 for the year.

Sorry. I wasn't implying the Hugos aren't worth paying attention to any longer.

In my opinion, the books the Puppies were promoting would have dragged down the quality.

I just mean that the flurry of news about the Hugos and the Puppies groups made people pay less attention.

[Pajamaman]

Read the amazon reviews of the first three. Sound dreadful. Politically correct and dull. One described as lesbians in space. All by women, one called Tamsyn. There I said it. *prepares to be flamed*. Sci-fi has lost its way.

[DiapDealer]

SciFi is alive and well. Homophobes and misogynists probably aren't catered to as much as they want to be these days, but other than that: scifi is still scifi. It hasn't "lost" anything that didn't need losing.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Read the amazon reviews of the first three. Sound dreadful. Politically correct and dull. One described as lesbians in space. All by women, one called Tamsyn. There I said it. *prepares to be flamed*. Sci-fi has lost its way.

“All by women.” How would you have reacted if the first three were by men?

And because someone’s name rubs you the wrong way?

And now I’ll say it. Discussion is fine, but deliberately posting something bigoted just to start a flame war is treading on thin ice. Keep it up, and you’ll be sanctioned.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I agree. I think the Puppies groups got what they wanted, loss of relevance of the Hugos. I think it's a shame.

I think the Hugos started losing relevance well before the Puppies came around. I have to go back to 2013 before I find a winning novel that I read (well, actually listened to as an audiobook in that particular case). I tried to read the winner in 2005, but only got a couple of chapters in before giving up. Then I go all the way back to 2001. So 2 books in 20 years. Yea, not very relevant with regard to the sort of SF&F that I read. Kind of sad how many of those authors I can't really recall hearing of. If relevance means authors that people buy the book and read, well then, not so much.

[JSWolf]

None of the books in the Hugo list are all that big. There were times before the puppies where there were some well known books. This year that's not happened.

[JSWolf]

Here is the COMPLETE list.

Spoiler:

Best Novel

• A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK)
• Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
• Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Light Brigade, by Kameron Hurley (Saga; Angry Robot UK)
• The City in the Middle of the Night, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan)
• The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Orbit UK)

Best Novella

• This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Saga Press; Jo Fletcher Books)
• In an Absent Dream, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
• To Be Taught, If Fortunate, by Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager; Hodder & Stoughton)
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)
• “Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador))
• The Deep, by Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson & Jonathan Snipes (Saga Press/Gallery)

Best Novelette

• Emergency Skin, by N.K. Jemisin (Forward Collection (Amazon))
• “Omphalos”, by Ted Chiang (Exhalation (Borzoi/Alfred A. Knopf; Picador))
• “Away With the Wolves”, by Sarah Gailey (Uncanny Magazine: Disabled People Destroy Fantasy Special Issue, September/October 2019)
• “For He Can Creep”, by Siobhan Carroll (Tor.com, 10 July 2019)
• “The Blur in the Corner of Your Eye”, by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, July-August 2019)
• “The Archronology of Love”, by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed, April 2019)

Best Short Story

• “As the Last I May Know”, by S.L. Huang (Tor.com, 23 October 2019)
• “Do Not Look Back, My Lion”, by Alix E. Harrow (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, January 2019)
• “And Now His Lordship Is Laughing”, by Shiv Ramdas (Strange Horizons, 9 September 2019)
• “A Catalog of Storms”, by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2019)
• “Blood Is Another Word for Hunger”, by Rivers Solomon (Tor.com, 24 July 2019)
• “Ten Excerpts from an Annotated Bibliography on the Cannibal Women of Ratnabar Island”, by Nibedita Sen (Nightmare Magazine, May 2019)

Best Series

• The Expanse, by James S. A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• InCryptid, by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
• Planetfall series, by Emma Newman (Ace; Gollancz)
• Winternight Trilogy, by Katherine Arden (Del Rey; Del Rey UK)
• The Wormwood Trilogy, by Tade Thompson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Luna, by Ian McDonald (Tor; Gollancz)

Best Related Work

• “2019 John W. Campbell Award Acceptance Speech”, by Jeannette Ng
• Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin, produced and directed by Arwen Curry
• The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, by Mallory O’Meara (Hanover Square)
• Becoming Superman: My Journey from Poverty to Hollywood, by J. Michael Straczynski (Harper Voyager US)
• The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein, by Farah Mendlesohn (Unbound)
• Joanna Russ, by Gwyneth Jones (University of Illinois Press (Modern Masters of Science Fiction))

Best Graphic Story or Comic

• LaGuardia, written by Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford, colours by James Devlin (Berger Books; Dark Horse)
• Monstress, Volume 4: The Chosen, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Image)
• Mooncakes, by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker, letters by Joamette Gil (Oni Press; Lion Forge)
• Paper Girls, Volume 6, written by Brian K. Vaughan, drawn by Cliff Chiang, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Jared K. Fletcher (Image)
• The Wicked + The Divine, Volume 9: “Okay”, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, colours by Matt Wilson, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image)
• Die, Volume 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker, by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

• Good Omens, written by Neil Gaiman, directed by Douglas Mackinnon (Amazon Studios/BBC Studios/Narrativia/The Blank Corporation)
• Captain Marvel, screenplay by Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Walt Disney Pictures/Marvel Studios/Animal Logic (Australia))
• Russian Doll (Season One), created by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler, directed by Leslye Headland, Jamie Babbit and Natasha Lyonne (3 Arts Entertainment/Jax Media/Netflix/Paper Kite Productions/Universal Television)
• Us, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Monkeypaw Productions/Universal Pictures)
• Avengers: Endgame, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Marvel Studios)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, screenplay by Chris Terrio and J.J. Abrams, directed by J.J. Abrams (Walt Disney Pictures/Lucasfilm/Bad Robot)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

• The Good Place: “The Answer”, written by Daniel Schofield, directed by Valeria Migliassi Collins (Fremulon/3 Arts Entertainment/Universal Television)
• (tie) Watchmen: “A God Walks into Abar”, written by Jeff Jensen and Damon Lindelof, directed by Nicole Kassell (HBO)
• (tie) The Mandalorian: “Redemption”, written by Jon Favreau, directed by Taika Waititi (Disney+)
• The Expanse: “Cibola Burn”, written by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck and Naren Shankar, directed by Breck Eisner (Amazon Prime Video)
• Doctor Who: “Resolution”, written by Chris Chibnall, directed by Wayne Yip (BBC)
• Watchmen: “This Extraordinary Being”, written by Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson, directed by Stephen Williams (HBO)

Note: Watchmen and The Mandalorian tied for second place.


Best Editor, Short Form

• Ellen Datlow
• Jonathan Strahan
• Sheila Williams
• (tie) Neil Clarke
• (tie) Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
• C.C. Finlay

Note: Neil Clarke and Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas tied for fourth place.


Best Editor, Long Form

• Navah Wolfe
• Diana M. Pho
• Sheila E. Gilbert
• Devi Pillai
• Miriam Weinberg
• Brit Hvide

Best Professional Artist

• John Picacio
• Galen Dara
• Yuko Shimizu
• Rovina Cai
• Tommy Arnold
• Alyssa Winans

Best Semiprozine

• Uncanny Magazine, editors-in-chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, nonfiction/managing editor Michi Trota, managing editor Chimedum Ohaegbu, podcast producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky
• FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, executive editor Troy L. Wiggins, editors Eboni Dunbar, Brent Lambert, L.D. Lewis, Danny Lore, Brandon O’Brien and Kaleb Russell
• Strange Horizons, Vanessa Rose Phin, Catherine Krahe, AJ Odasso, Dan Hartland, Joyce Chng, Dante Luiz and the Strange Horizons staff
• Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, audio producers Adam Pracht and Summer Brooks, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart
• Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor Scott H. Andrews
• Fireside Magazine, editor Julia Rios, managing editor Elsa Sjunneson, copyeditor Chelle Parker, social coordinator Meg Frank, publisher & art director Pablo Defendini, founding editor Brian White

Best Fanzine

• The Book Smugglers, editors Ana Grilo and Thea James
• nerds of a feather, flock together, editors Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, Vance Kotrla, and The G
• Journey Planet, editors James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, Alissa McKersie, Ann Gry, Chuck Serface, John Coxon and Steven H Silver
• Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice Marcus, senior writers Rosemary Benton, Lorelei Marcus and Victoria Silverwolf
• Quick Sip Reviews, editor Charles Payseur
• The Rec Center, editors Elizabeth Minkel and Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

Best Fancast

• Our Opinions Are Correct, presented by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Jane Anders
• Galactic Suburbia, presented by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce and Tansy Rayner Roberts, producer Andrew Finch
• The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• The Skiffy and Fanty Show, presented by Jen Zink and Shaun Duke
• Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace
• Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced & presented by Claire Rousseau

Best Fan Writer

• Bogi Takács
• Cora Buhlert
• Alasdair Stuart
• James Davis Nicoll
• Paul Weimer
• Adam Whitehead

Best Fan Artist

• Elise Matthesen
• Sara Felix
• Iain Clark
• Meg Frank
• Grace P. Fong
• Ariela Housman

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book (not a Hugo)

• Catfishing on CatNet, by Naomi Kritzer (Tor Teen)
• Minor Mage, by T. Kingfisher (Argyll)
• Dragon Pearl, by Yoon Ha Lee (Disney/Hyperion)
• Riverland, by Fran Wilde (Amulet)
• Deeplight, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan)
• The Wicked King, by Holly Black (Little, Brown; Hot Key)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo)

• R.F. Kuang (2nd year of eligibility)
• Nibedita Sen (2nd year of eligibility)
• Tasha Suri (2nd year of eligibility)
• Emily Tesh (1st year of eligibility)
• Sam Hawke (2nd year of eligibility)
• Jenn Lyons (1st year of eligibility)

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

Read the amazon reviews of the first three. Sound dreadful. Politically correct and dull. One described as lesbians in space. All by women, one called Tamsyn. There I said it.

Middlegame and The Ten Thousand Doors of January sound the best to me, but that's just from reading the synopsis rather than having read the books.

I'm not sure why you are throwing politically correct into the mix. A Memory Called Empire sounds like your typical Hugo winner and I'd wager if you didn't know Arkady is a woman, you wouldn't have a gripe about it.

And you say 'lesbians in space' like it's a bad thing

Sci-fi has lost its way.

And get off my lawn!

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Middlegame and The Ten Thousand Doors of January sound the best to me, but that's just from reading the synopsis rather than having read the books.

I haven't read Middlegame, so no comment on it. I bought and started the Ten Thousand Doors of January and dropped it and moved on. After the first 80 pages or so, I realized that I didn't like the book at all.

I haven't found the Hugos worthwhile in at least 30 years. For me, it has been a very long time since I found a novel that won a Hugo worth raving about. Some have been good -- not great, just good -- reads, but most have been so-so or terrible.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

[...] And you say 'lesbians in space' like it's a bad thing [...]

I picked up Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir recently on special, but haven't read it yet, will probably wait until the trilogy is all published. I must admit that when I saw that description "lesbians in space" in the blurb I was a bit disconcerted because it seemed to suggest this might be erotica (nothing against erotica, just not high on my list). Anyway, then I saw this was a comment by Charles Stross (I'm not a fan) and read on. Other reviews made it sound like I might enjoy it.

[pdurrant]

I'm mostly reading my backlog TBR, not newly published works, so it's not surprising I haven't read many on the lists.

I have read This is How You Lose The Time War. It was excellent.