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Hugo nominees are out, and I have a bunch of stuff on hold and have also read the short story and novelette nominees that are available free and in English. I will post again if there is a packet with the other stories translated into English.
I think this year the theme is "people in power SUCK."
Short stories
“D.I.Y.”, by John Wiswell (Tordotcom, August 2022) - This is a story about a world in which the analogue of Hogwarts is a corporation with lots of power and it SUCKS. I... actually rather liked this one, in a way where I don't think it was being particularly subtle or saying something particularly profound, but it was satisfying to read.
“Rabbit Test”, by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2022) - hey, I read this before nominations! This is a story, clearly inspired by this last year, about how people in power SUCK when it comes to abortion. (I found it powerful and heartbreaking because uh apparently this is my single issue. It is also the story's single issue. Just so you know.)
Hmm. I think maybe DIY>Rabbit for me (possibly because Rabbit is a bit of a sore spot for me) but I could easily go the other way.
Novelettes
“The Difference Between Love and Time”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance, Solaris) - This is one of two stories I've read so far that didn't have the theme of People in Power SUCKING. Instead, it is about the space-time continuum embodied as a person, which is a conceit that I hated Very Very Much. I think I have to come to the conclusion that whenever Valente wants to even mention concepts that are physics-related, I can't staaaaaand it, it sets off something in my brain that's all "noooooo that's not right! that's not even wrong!"
The really irritating thing about this story is that I got to the end (only because it was Hugo homework!) and I actually... I actually liked the ending, I could see how it would be moving if I had, even a little bit, been able to buy into this whole space-time continuum personification thing (NO) (WHAT) (THIS IS SO DUMB) and ugh I can see why people might like it and why it got nominated! I just... I can't, okay. I won't vote for it below No Award but I will just complain about it a LOT here.
“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You”, by John Chu (Uncanny Magazine, July-August 2022) - People in power SUCK when it comes to superheroes. I liked that this story had an Asian superhero! That was cool! Otherwise I admit that lifting weights, which was a major setting of the story, is not super my thing. But the story was still fine.
“Murder By Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness”, by S.L. Huang (Clarkesworld, December 2022) - this is a story about how the rich and powerful SUCK but there may be a shadowy AI that is doing something about that. I had read this before nominations. I liked it but not enough to read it twice.
“We Built This City”, by Marie Vibbert (Clarkesworld, June 2022) - this is a story about how the uncaring corporate government SUCKS when it comes to people who are just trying to do their jobs and make things work. That's the story. It was fine.
“A Dream of Electric Mothers”, by Wole Talabi (Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, Tordotcom) - Two hours into the third session of our fourth cabinet meeting on the border dispute with the co-operative kingdom of Dahomey, my colleagues finally agree that we need to seek the dream-counsel of our electric mother. Oh YAY, a story that actually has a reasonably interesting speculative element, is not a story about how people in power SUCK!, and does not involve the personification of the space-time continuum!
Mothers > everything else, I'm not even sure how to vote on the rest of it (mostly because "Difference" is screwing up my thoughts; I had more of a reaction to it than the others but that reaction is both negative and positive!)
I think this year the theme is "people in power SUCK."
Short stories
“D.I.Y.”, by John Wiswell (Tordotcom, August 2022) - This is a story about a world in which the analogue of Hogwarts is a corporation with lots of power and it SUCKS. I... actually rather liked this one, in a way where I don't think it was being particularly subtle or saying something particularly profound, but it was satisfying to read.
“Rabbit Test”, by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, November-December 2022) - hey, I read this before nominations! This is a story, clearly inspired by this last year, about how people in power SUCK when it comes to abortion. (I found it powerful and heartbreaking because uh apparently this is my single issue. It is also the story's single issue. Just so you know.)
Hmm. I think maybe DIY>Rabbit for me (possibly because Rabbit is a bit of a sore spot for me) but I could easily go the other way.
Novelettes
“The Difference Between Love and Time”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance, Solaris) - This is one of two stories I've read so far that didn't have the theme of People in Power SUCKING. Instead, it is about the space-time continuum embodied as a person, which is a conceit that I hated Very Very Much. I think I have to come to the conclusion that whenever Valente wants to even mention concepts that are physics-related, I can't staaaaaand it, it sets off something in my brain that's all "noooooo that's not right! that's not even wrong!"
The really irritating thing about this story is that I got to the end (only because it was Hugo homework!) and I actually... I actually liked the ending, I could see how it would be moving if I had, even a little bit, been able to buy into this whole space-time continuum personification thing (NO) (WHAT) (THIS IS SO DUMB) and ugh I can see why people might like it and why it got nominated! I just... I can't, okay. I won't vote for it below No Award but I will just complain about it a LOT here.
“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You”, by John Chu (Uncanny Magazine, July-August 2022) - People in power SUCK when it comes to superheroes. I liked that this story had an Asian superhero! That was cool! Otherwise I admit that lifting weights, which was a major setting of the story, is not super my thing. But the story was still fine.
“Murder By Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness”, by S.L. Huang (Clarkesworld, December 2022) - this is a story about how the rich and powerful SUCK but there may be a shadowy AI that is doing something about that. I had read this before nominations. I liked it but not enough to read it twice.
“We Built This City”, by Marie Vibbert (Clarkesworld, June 2022) - this is a story about how the uncaring corporate government SUCKS when it comes to people who are just trying to do their jobs and make things work. That's the story. It was fine.
“A Dream of Electric Mothers”, by Wole Talabi (Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, Tordotcom) - Two hours into the third session of our fourth cabinet meeting on the border dispute with the co-operative kingdom of Dahomey, my colleagues finally agree that we need to seek the dream-counsel of our electric mother. Oh YAY, a story that actually has a reasonably interesting speculative element, is not a story about how people in power SUCK!, and does not involve the personification of the space-time continuum!
Mothers > everything else, I'm not even sure how to vote on the rest of it (mostly because "Difference" is screwing up my thoughts; I had more of a reaction to it than the others but that reaction is both negative and positive!)
