2021 Hugo Novellas (part 2)

[cahn]

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) - DNF. Idk, I just couldn't get through this one, quite possibly because my memory super sucks and I've forgotten what happened in all the previous installments, but I clearly wasn't supposed to do that because these characters would randomly show up in scenes and I was clearly supposed to have an emotional reaction to them, but my actual reaction was "who the heck were you again?!"

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (Tor.com) - I loved this one, in a way where I am not sure how coherent I can be about it -- it's a story told through mini-stories that are attached to various items that a cleric is cataloguing. Which sounds super boring (and I imagine could be super boring) but Vo makes it work! I think part of it is that I am just in love with stories where you gradually find out what happens through smaller stories.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com) - Magical swords against the alien-possessed KKK. I liked it! I don't think the writing was as good as Riot Baby's writing, and I always have a bit of trouble connecting emotionally with Clark's protagonists, and things wrap up neatly in this story in a way they don't in Riot Baby -- but I really liked that the story had as a central theme the difference between anger and hatred, and what we do with both of those, and what it says about us, which is in a sense very much a rebuttal of Riot Baby, which refuses to consider that as a theme. ...I think I'm voting this above Riot Baby, though I feel conflicted about it and I might switch those two. I wish I could vote for both of them as a pair? They work really well as a pair of stories, honestly.

Voting:
Empress > Ring Shout > Riot Baby >> (No Award) >> Finna >> Come Tumbling Down > Upright Women

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Very excited to see your write-up and ranking of the other half of the novellas! :)

Thrilled to see that you loved 'Empress' as much as I did, and I totally know what you mean about how, on paper, it doesn't sound like that exciting a story -- but somehow it works.

I wish I could vote for both of them as a pair? They work really well as a pair of stories, honestly.

Yeah, that was kind of my take-away too, honestly, so it's very neat to see we've reached the same conclusion. I also think that Riot Baby is more powerfully written, but I just pefer the worldview of Ring Shout so much more -- but it does also feel a little too easy, when viewed alongside Riot Baby especially. I'm ranking them as Rink Shout > Riot Baby as well, but mostly I'm just glad they were both on the ballot this year.

I did remember the people in Come Tumbling Down more or less, but this did not help me enjoy the book, as a data point.

My rankings ended up being almost exactly the same as yours, the only difference is that I have Upright Women and Tumbling Down swapped down at the bottom of the pile there (well, and that I didn't put my bottom three below No Award, as I tend to reserve that for "I will be mad forever if this thing wins").

[cahn]

Yessss I was worried I was building up Empress too much because everyone had said nice things about it -- but it really was good :D

I also think that Riot Baby is more powerfully written, but I just pefer the worldview of Ring Shout so much more -- but it does also feel a little too easy, when viewed alongside Riot Baby especially.

Yes yes, exactly this!

Haha, when I remember to use it, I tend to use No Award pretty freely -- it just has to be "would I be annoyed if I saw 'Hugo winner' on this five years later?" (At which point I will have forgotten what it was running against -- not fair to use No Award if I just liked something else better :) )

[hamsterwoman]

"would I be annoyed if I saw 'Hugo winner' on this five years later?" (At which point I will have forgotten what it was running against -- not fair to use No Award if I just liked something else better :)

That makes sense! and is a really good metric.

I think I try to be fairly conservative with my No Awards because I'm trying to take personal preference out of it -- like I wouldn't want to No Award a "not for me" book even if I strongly disliked it, and instead try to reserve it for "I think this is an objectively bad book".

(I think in the years I've been voting, there's been only one book that I rated below No Award that won -- Children of Blood and Bone -- and I am indeed mad about it forever.)

[cahn]

haha I have a LOT of opinionated thoughts on This Should Objectively Not Win (which are of course extremely subjective!)

(I think in the years I've been voting, there's been only one book that I rated below No Award that won -- Children of Blood and Bone -- and I am indeed mad about it forever.)

oh man, I had forgotten about that! Yup, still mad.

[hamsterwoman]

This Should Objectively Not Win (which are of course extremely subjective!)

Haha! Fair :)

[sophia_sol]

Ohhh thank you for reminding me that I can rank things below No Award, I am absolutely also going to put Come Tumbling Down and Upright Women Wanted below that now.

So glad you also enjoyed Empress of Salt and Fortune!! It was so amazing.

[cahn]

Yessss go No Award :D

It really was so amazing! I need to read the other novella now, but I'm almost afraid to?? Like, how can it be as good? :)

[hamsterwoman]

I thought 'Empress' was the stronger of the two (or at least the more Hugo-worthy) but I did also thoroughly enjoy 'Tiger', and I hope you do too!

[cahn]

Excellent! :)

[sophia_sol]

Imo the sequel was even better!! Or at least even more directly catering to my personal taste :D

[cahn]

:D I am looking forward to it!

[thistleingrey]

Glad to know that you've enjoyed Empress--it's on my alarmingly large TBR list.

[cahn]

Yes! I will be interested to see what you think if/when you read it :)