It seems like most of the internet is talking about the hilariously bad breakdancing performance given by Australia at the Paris Olympics. Apparently, the “athlete” in question is actually a university professor named Rachael Gunn who specializes in breakdancing studies, or some such nonsense, and the main reasons she got the nod to compete are… Continue reading The state of science fiction is as bad as Australian breakdancing
Tag: John Scalzi
How I would vote now: 2024 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
The Nominees The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera Translation State by Ann Leckie Starter Villain by John Scalzi Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh Witch King by Martha Wells The Actual Results (To be determined…) How I Would Vote Explanation For reasons that should be… Continue reading How I would vote now: 2024 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
How I would vote now: 2018 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
The Nominees The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty Provenance by Ann Leckie Raven Strategem by Yoon Ha Lee New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi The Actual Results How I Would Have Voted Explanation I liked Six Wakes. It was a fun murder mystery… Continue reading How I would vote now: 2018 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
How I would vote now: 2009 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
The Nominees Little Brother by Cory Doctorow The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi Anathem by Neal Stephenson Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross The Actual Results How I Would Have Voted Explanation I’ve found that Hugo Award winning / nominated books tend to fluctuate in decade-long waves, in terms of how… Continue reading How I would vote now: 2009 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
How I would vote now: 2006 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
The Nominees Learning the World by Ken MacLeod A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin Old Man’s War by John Scalzi Accelerando by Charles Stross Spin by Robert Charles Wilson The Actual Results How I Would Have Voted Explanation This is going to be controversial, but I don’t think any of George R.R. Martin’s… Continue reading How I would vote now: 2006 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
How I would vote now: 2023 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
Alright, let’s tackle the most controversial Hugo awards since Sad Puppies 3—and possibly the most controversial Hugos ever! The Nominees Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir The Kaiju… Continue reading How I would vote now: 2023 Hugo Award (Best Novel)
Reading Resolution Update: After Action Report
My 2022 reading resolution: Read or DNF every novel that has won a Hugo or a Nebula award, and acquire all the good ones. Earlier this month, I finished my last Hugo/Nebula book and ordered the last two ones that I hadn’t yet acquired. The first of those (Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin) arrived… Continue reading Reading Resolution Update: After Action Report
Reading Resolution Update: January
My 2022 reading resolution: Read or DNF every novel that has won a Hugo or a Nebula award, and acquire all the good ones. I had expected to DNF a lot of these books, but I was a little dismayed at how terrible they are. Or rather, how some of them can be so well-written… Continue reading Reading Resolution Update: January
Why money should not flow to the writer
Yog’s law states that money should flow to the writer. It’s an old aphorism in the publishing industry, from a time when self-publishing was synonymous with vanity publishing. According to this 2003 post by Theresa Nielsen-Hayden: For years now, we’ve been dinning Yog’s Law into young writers’ heads: Money always flows toward the writer. Alternate… Continue reading Why money should not flow to the writer
Trope Tuesday: Settling the (Final) Frontier
I love stories about colonization, especially when they’re set in space. There’s just something about a small group of rugged pioneers striking out into the harsh, unforgiving wilderness to make a new life for themselves. Maybe it’s just something about my American heritage, or all those 4x games I played as a kid, but I doubt… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: Settling the (Final) Frontier