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Half of the Hugo 2020 novellas
May. 29th, 2021 10:13 amThese are the novellas available to me from my library -- I don't expect to read any more novellas before the packet comes out (though I have a couple of novels/Lodestones on the way). In the order that I read them:
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com) - In a Western-inflected dystopian future US, Esther runs away to hang out with the Librarians, whose official duty is to pass out state-Approved Literature. Well, Sarah Gailey has improved since the first time I read them? I only wanted to beat my head against the wall some of the time. (Although this may also be a function of knowing that I needed to skim.) Still with a very decided air of "eating your vegetables." Kids, did you know that it's baaaaad to kill people cause they're gay? (Or because of [spoiler]?) Well, now you know! I also never got any sense of the worldbuilding at all -- how did we get to Western-inflected dystopian future from the present day? I have not the faintest idea. (How did Utah become a place of freedom for lesbians? I mean, I super approve, but..) What is the deal with the Librarians -- maybe I missed something, I was skimming a lot of this, but I never figured out how they could both be official and do other things at the same time? How does it work at all that the Librarians are women in a society that is so deeply patriarchical?
Finna by Nino Cipri (Tor.com) - aw, I liked this. Ava and her recent ex, Jules, navigate wormholes that open up in the store where they work, a store which bears more than a passing resemblance to IKEA. (Perhaps we are another world that their wormholes might send them to?) The IKEA-skewering was rather (if grimly) hilarious, and it had less of an "eat your vegetables" vibe than Gailey, to me. (Jules is Black and trans and uses "they" pronouns, and neither of them is entirely-neurotypical, but there wasn't as much Preachy Narration about it.) I was mildly uncomfortable with the end -- ( Mild spoilers, but, like, you could see this coming a mile off )But on the other hand it looks like this is part 1 of a series, so maybe my issue is addressed in the next installment.
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi, Tor Books - About a sister and brother who have not-always-useful-or-comfortable powers, as they grow up amid the Rodney King riots and subsequent events. My reaction when I finished: um, WHOA, give this author a Hugo. This story does exactly what I want from a Hugo winner: it compellingly shows me the vision of the world that Onyebuchi wants me to see. The reader may or may not agree with the vision, but it's powerful either way. Powerful not least because the writing is quite strong -- on a purely craft level, the best writing of any Hugo nominee this year that I've read so far (with the possible exception of Novik, but it's a bit hard to compare the two), with the caveat that I've still got half the novellas to go (and expect there to be excellent writing in there as well). Content note that it's pretty depressing and sometimes/often horrifying, as you might expect; not an easy read.
Not yet read:
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) [Wayward Children #5] - I liked #4 rather better than #1-3, so hopefully that trend continues
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (Tor.com) [Singing Hills #1] - not yet read, have heard good things and looking forward to it
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com) - I like the things I've read by Clark and expect to like this as well, but based on my previous experiences with Clark am not sure it will wow me as much as the Onyebuchi
So far: Riot Baby > Finna > Upright
Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com) - In a Western-inflected dystopian future US, Esther runs away to hang out with the Librarians, whose official duty is to pass out state-Approved Literature. Well, Sarah Gailey has improved since the first time I read them? I only wanted to beat my head against the wall some of the time. (Although this may also be a function of knowing that I needed to skim.) Still with a very decided air of "eating your vegetables." Kids, did you know that it's baaaaad to kill people cause they're gay? (Or because of [spoiler]?) Well, now you know! I also never got any sense of the worldbuilding at all -- how did we get to Western-inflected dystopian future from the present day? I have not the faintest idea. (How did Utah become a place of freedom for lesbians? I mean, I super approve, but..) What is the deal with the Librarians -- maybe I missed something, I was skimming a lot of this, but I never figured out how they could both be official and do other things at the same time? How does it work at all that the Librarians are women in a society that is so deeply patriarchical?
Finna by Nino Cipri (Tor.com) - aw, I liked this. Ava and her recent ex, Jules, navigate wormholes that open up in the store where they work, a store which bears more than a passing resemblance to IKEA. (Perhaps we are another world that their wormholes might send them to?) The IKEA-skewering was rather (if grimly) hilarious, and it had less of an "eat your vegetables" vibe than Gailey, to me. (Jules is Black and trans and uses "they" pronouns, and neither of them is entirely-neurotypical, but there wasn't as much Preachy Narration about it.) I was mildly uncomfortable with the end -- ( Mild spoilers, but, like, you could see this coming a mile off )But on the other hand it looks like this is part 1 of a series, so maybe my issue is addressed in the next installment.
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi, Tor Books - About a sister and brother who have not-always-useful-or-comfortable powers, as they grow up amid the Rodney King riots and subsequent events. My reaction when I finished: um, WHOA, give this author a Hugo. This story does exactly what I want from a Hugo winner: it compellingly shows me the vision of the world that Onyebuchi wants me to see. The reader may or may not agree with the vision, but it's powerful either way. Powerful not least because the writing is quite strong -- on a purely craft level, the best writing of any Hugo nominee this year that I've read so far (with the possible exception of Novik, but it's a bit hard to compare the two), with the caveat that I've still got half the novellas to go (and expect there to be excellent writing in there as well). Content note that it's pretty depressing and sometimes/often horrifying, as you might expect; not an easy read.
Not yet read:
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) [Wayward Children #5] - I liked #4 rather better than #1-3, so hopefully that trend continues
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (Tor.com) [Singing Hills #1] - not yet read, have heard good things and looking forward to it
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com) - I like the things I've read by Clark and expect to like this as well, but based on my previous experiences with Clark am not sure it will wow me as much as the Onyebuchi
So far: Riot Baby > Finna > Upright
