2004 Hugo Review - Dramatic Presentation (Short)

My choices, in reverse order from favorite to least favorite, are:

1. "Chosen" (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
2. "The Message" (Firefly)
3. "Rosetta" (Superman)
4. "Heart of Gold" (Firefy)
5. Gollum's Acceptance Speech (MTV Music Awards)

My thoughts, in reverse order

5. Gollum's Acceptance Speed.
Cute, yes, with Andy Serkis and Gollum battling over an award. But I didn't think it was Hugo-worthy at all and in fact I thought it was more trite than funny (If you want new funny Gollum, find the radio interview where he talks about democratic candidates!) I was really surprised when it won the Hugo - perhaps the other episodes cancelled themselves out. I bet everyone voted for something else first, but voted for this second.

4. Heart of Gold, Firefly
Of the two nominated Firefly episodes, I liked them both but didn't think this one was as good. The story of the characters helping the residents of a bordello and the interaction that ensues was good, as was most of Firefly, but I felt it was a little more follow-the-dots than the other story. Still, it was a good enjoyable story.

3. Rosetta, Smallville.
The episode where Clark learns a lot about his past, thanks to the mysterious researcher (played by Christopher Reeve). I liked this episode, both for the appearance by Christopher Reeve and for the revealing of a lot of Clark's Kryptonian history. I have to admit that I'm hooked on Smallville and watch it every week, but this was definitely one of the best episodes.

2. The Message, Firefly.
An old buddy of the captain sends himself in a coffin to the captain, and later revives himself. From this point on, it's about old relationships playing themselves out in the present, with the attendant difficulties. A really good episode, one of the best of the series.

1. Chosen, Buffy.
The series finale, wrapping up the fates of many of the main characters and the town itself. This should have gotten the Hugo just as a salute to the series, which was high-quality for so many years but regularly ignored by the mainstream channels due to the fantasy-based subject. That's just too bad, because a lot of people missed a good, consistent, solid show. This really should have won the Hugo. Too bad Gollum (?!?!) won - perhaps the Lord of the Rings fans were just auto-voting. Aack.

2004 Hugo Review - Dramatic Presentation (Long)

How I voted, from favorite to least favorite:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2. Finding Nemo
3. 28 Days Later
4. X2: X-Men United
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

My comments, in reverse order:

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pear.
Fun, kooky, a nice set of characters, and pirates ("Pirates is good"). But, not really science fiction or fantasy, except for the haunted gold, and I liked the other nominees better.

4. X2: X-Men United
I've been an X-Men fan since I was a kid, so I wasn't missing this movie for anything. I liked it, it was solid and delivered on the promise of the comic book, along with setting up one of the big events in the run of the modern X-Men comics. Nothing deep, but a lot of fun.

3. 28 Days Later
I didn't actually see this movie, but gave it the benefit of a doubt based on the reviews I read. I think it's probably more science fiction than the previous two, which is why I placed it third.

2. Finding Nemo
OK, so this isn't real science fiction or even fantasy. But I really liked the movie and in fact my kids did too. Because, in the end, the Hugos is a popularity contest among fandom, I felt fine grading this movie second (behind a more classic SF/fantasy novel).

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
A great movie ending a great sequence based on a great set of books. I think that this series will be the yardstick by which all fantasy movies over the next few years will be measured. And rreally, is there any doubt that this WON'T win the hugu?

2004 Hugo Review - Short Story

This was another category where I was disappointed by the finalists. Of the five stories, I only felt that two of them were strong, one was middling, and the other two were nothing too special. I can't say what stories should have been nominated instead of these, but I have a feeling I could find some that I felt were more worthy.

How I voted, from favorite to least favorite:

1. Four Short Novels, Joe Haldeman.
2. A Study In Emerald, Neil Gaiman
3. The Tale of the Golden Eagle, David D. Levine
4. Paying it Forward, Michael A Burstein
5. Robots Don't Cry, Mike Resnick

Commentary, in reverse order, containing MAJOR SPOILERS:

5. Robots Don't Cry, Mike Resnick.
Two scavengers find a robot, bring it back to life, and hear its sad tale. The title tells you where this story will end up. I really found nothing special in this, I thought it very workmanlike and with a juvenile feel about it. Asimov already wrote this story, and wrote it better.

4. Paying it Forward, Michael A Burstein
A novice writer communicates with a dead writer through email, using a convenient time-travel mechanism. I found this story a little self-indulgent, and didn't feel like it offered me much beyond revealing how the time-travel email worked. Again, I'm not too sure why this story was nominated.

3. The Tale of the Golden Eagle, David D. Levine
A down-on-his-luck young man finds a ship brain, creates a new ship and then a robot using the brain, then learns about the reality of being a ship's brain, with a suitable twist at the end. An interesting story, one that I enjoyed more than the previous two, but I didn't think of it as very deep and I enjoyed the next two stories more.

2. A Study in Emerald, Neil Gaiman
When I finished reading it, I said "This will win the Hugo. It's Neil Gaiman (who I like a lot), it's got funny bits in it, it's Sherlock Holmes, and it's very well-written. The Hugo has been decided." However, I have to say that when I read this story for the first time, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what was going on. I have read enough Sherlock Holmes to get that angle, but thought it was a "Sherlock Holmes in an alien-controlled Earth setting". Then, I was confused by the mention of Watson and the end and thought "so, in this Earth, Watson is linked up with someone else." Then, I started thinking "maybe the character that the narrator rooms with isn't Holmes, but Moriarty, and the actor is Holmes". I didn't actually confirm that fact until I looked on a Holmes compendium website and figured out that the initials of the narrator were the initials of a well-known Moriarty confidante. I didn't get the Lovecraft angle until I actually looked the "Shadows Over Baker Street" title up on Amazon and read about the Holmes-Lovecraft purpose of the book.
Folks, that's just too much inside information that a person had to have to get most of the story. Sure it was well-written and funny and entertaining, but I felt this requirement for inside knowledge (and I still don't get the Lovecraft references) diminished from the strength of the story. But, I still liked reading it a lot, so it got second.

1. Four Short Novels, Joe Haldeman.
Short, sweet, and to the point. Four stories, each starting with the same sentence fragment, but going in four different directions. I liked all four stories, liked the concept, and felt the stories were all well-done. The shortness gave them a strength that I felt lacked in the other nominees, so this ends up as my choice for the Hugo.

2004 Hugo Review - Novelette

This was a really tough category for me to choose my vote. There were four stories that were neck-and-neck for my choice as favorite, and overall I felt this was a very strong category. How I voted, from favorite to least favorite:

1. Into the Gardens of Sweet Night, Jay Lake
2. Hexagons, Robert Reed
3. Legions in Time, Michael Swanick
4. The Empire of Ice Cream, Jeffrey Ford
5. Bernardo's House, James Patrick Kelly
6. Nightfall, Charles Stross

My comments in reverse order:

6. Nightfall, Charles Stross. I know that Stross is just about the hottest writer right now, and he is obviously very talented, but he just doesn't do it for me. I think that there is so much being put into the stories, in terms of economic theory and social theory and computer concepts and futurism, that basic things like character development and comprehensibility are being shortchanged. Many times, dating back to "Lobsters" (the first story in the series), I find myself reading passages and asking "Just what in the world is going on here?". I will say that I have been handling the recent stories better, so perhaps it takes time, and perhaps when they are all collected and published in a book they will make a good read, but we'll just have to wait and see.

5. Bernardo's House, James Patrick Kelly
A self-aware house, whose master has not been around in a while, takes in a young punk girl and the story covers the growth of their relationship and the revealing of secrets. I didn't really find anything special in this story, I felt it pretty straightforward.

4. The Empire of Ice Cream, Jeffrey Ford
This is the beginning of the four stories I had trouble deciding between. I really enjoyed the literary aspects of this story - the writing style and leisurely pace reminded me more of something from The New Yorker than a science-fiction story. The parallel-universe construction and the use of synaethesia to bridge the universes was quite interesting, and the ending more of a twist than I expected. I think that, in the end, the story wasn't quite science-fictiony enough for me, so I ended up liking the next three stories slightly more. But I still liked this one.

3. Legions in Time, Michael Swanick
This one was a blast to read, and felt very much like a 60s era Ellison-esque story, with its movement from a simple, slightly strange office environment to a world of Aftermen and Rationality and multiple universes and Tarblecks. The main character, Eleanor, was well-constructed and grew during the course of the story. The only flaw I would see would be that it seemed almost too derivative of stories of the past, but this isn't a major issue with me. This won the Hugo, and I'm content with it being awarded, as for me it was very close to Empire and to the next two stories.

2. Hexagons, by Robert Reed
In a modern Earth based upon a still-strong Roman Empire, a young boy tries to understand the complex relationship between duty, honor, politics and hatred. I really liked this story, because it was primarily based on the young boy, his growth, and his relationships with his friends and the older man. If anything, the one problem I could see would be the use of the war simulation to "explain" the current world (the classic "if things had been different, if X had not happened, the world would be like Y" and Y is our current world), but I didn't mind it that much. Another story I really liked, and placing it as my second favorite was a tough choice.

1. Into the Gardens of Sweet Night, by Jay Lake.
Another story I really liked reading. It was a well-constructed world, a journey with barriers and with an ending, a main character who changed and grew during the course of the story, and it had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end (and the end was not the end I expected, either). While this story had a little bit of a "sentient animals and humans on a big adventure" style to it (see "And The Dog Cried Bow-Wow" for reference), I still think the story held together well and did great. It didn't win the Hugo, but Lake won one quarter of Writers of the Future and won the Campbell award for new writer, so I can't feel too bad for him.


2. Hexagons, Robert Reed

1. Into the Gardens of Sweet Night, Jay Lake

2004 Hugo Review - Novella

How I voted for the 2004 Hugo for Novella, from favorite to least favorite:

1. Empress of Mars, Kage Baker
2. Walk in Silence, Catherine Asaro
3. Just Like The Ones We Used To Know, Connie Willis
4. The Cookie Monster, Vernor Vinge
5. The Green Leopard Plague, Walter Jon Williams

My comments, in reverse order of how I voted. (WARNING: There may be MAJOR SPOILERS ahead).

5. The Green Leopard Plague, Walter Jon Williams.
I remember reading this in Asimovs when it first came out, but I remember not thinking it anything special or interesting.

4. The Cookie Monster, Vernor Vinge.
I thought it was an interesting hook for a story, that of people trapped in a looping simulation who are trying to figure a way out (using the "cookies" concept from web browsers). But beyond that, I don't think there was anything really deep or special (there's that word again) in the story.

3. Just Like The Ones We Used To Know, Connie Willis
A giant worldwide snow slows down everything in the days before Christmas. Again, another story that was cute and moved between a set of characters, but I didn't feel there was any depth to it, that it was about anything more than telling a story of a big snow before Christmas.

2. Walk In Silence, Catherine Asaro.
A commander of an Earth ship is pregnant due to her relationship with an Alien ambassador. How, you say? Well, that's one of the things revealed during the story. I found this a somewhat standard story of earthling-alien love, but one that was really redeemed by a very complex and appealing main character. Without Jess's conflict between her multiple roles and the new emerging roles, this would have been a very run-of-the-mill story.

1. Empress of Mars, Kage Baker.
A crazy, ripping good tale of a bar in a "frontier" town in Mars, the woman that runs the bar, and the characters that interact with the bar and the woman. I had fun reading this story, and even if it wasn't deep it was well put together, made me want to continue reading, and I liked it.

I have to say that, overall, I wasn't that impressed with the quality of the nominees. I felt like none of these stories was a very deep story, either in terms of themes or characterization. Though I had read all five of them when they were first published, none of them had really stuck with me so I had to quickly review all five stories before casting my vote. Hopefully, nominees in the other categories will be stronger.

2004 Hugo Results

Full Hugo results are available in the Noreascon weblog: http://noreascon4.blogs.com/live/

As for my predictions, I was three out of five (Cookie, Emerald, Return of the King). I missed on Novelette, having chosen Garden instead of Legions, and on Short Form, having chosen Buffy instead of Gollum.

"Gollum" won?!?! I didn't find it funny at all, and definitely not worthy of a Hugo. I wonder if the Firefly vote got split between the two candidates, as many people speculated it would - once the full voting results come out, we'll know for sure.

If you want a Gollum bit that's funny, find the time Gollum called into a radio show and talked about the Democratic presidential candidates - that was hilarious ("we likes Kucinich"). I'll post the link if I can find it.

I'll follow up with subsequent posts about why I voted the way I did.

2004 Retro Hugo Review - Short Story

Another "Sluggers Row" of works, one that can almost rival the nominees for Retro Hugo Best novel. How I voted, from favorite to least favorite (and this vote was definitely the hardest one):

1. It's a Good Life, by Jerome Bixby
2. The Seventh Victim, by Robert Sheckley
3. Star Light, Star Bright, by Alfred Bester
4. Saucer of Loneliness, by Theodore Sturgeon
5. The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke

Commentary, in reverse order.

WARNING: Comments contain MAJOR SPOILERS for each work.

5. Nine Billion Names of God. Apologies to all of you that voted this story the Retro Hugo, but I didn't like it. I can summarize the plot in a sentence: "Monks get a computer, iterate all the names of God, and extinguish the universe". That's it. No character development, no rising and resolved conflict, you see the ending coming a mile away. An interesting concept, but a simplistic execution of this concept. I think it's a case of voters voting for name and concept rather than content.

4. Saucer of Loneliness. A nice lyrical conceptual story, with the visit of a flying saucer of light causing first happiness then incredible sadness in a woman. However, I didn't feel we really got to know the main character or learn much about her. It would be interesting to see the television show that was based on this story, because I think it could be rather nice (and actually flesh out the story).

3. Star Light, Star Bright. A story with a nice subject (children with unknown mental powers) and a good main character (the detective), but I felt the ending was a bit of a cop-out (child can wish things to go away). I state that I might be completely mis-remembering this story. But I did like it enough to rank it third!

2. The Seventh Victim. I rather liked this - the concept was great and one that does not date at all. The life of the main character (his daily routine, his "backup" man, his constant paranoia) all were well-done. The woman he is hunting was interesting and enjoyable, and the twist at the end truly great (though not that much of a surprise). The only part I didn't like, and the part that kept it from being my favorite, was when the main character instantly falls in love with the woman. I realize this is rather 1950s (love after a couple days of interaction), but felt that cheapened the story.

1. It's a Good Life. Boy, what a great story. Its only drawback is that I consider it more fantasy than science fiction, but I really enjoyed the story. I think the fact that it was also made into a really enjoyable Twilight Zone episode only helped. But the main element of the story - a realistic look at a town that has been forever altered by the appearance of one special boy - was well-executed, with a collection of characters that I felt were realistic and just trying to deal with the situation the best they could. C'mon folks! This story *is* the Retro Hugo, right here!

2004 Retro Hugo Review - Novelette

How I voted for 2004 Retro Hugo Novelette, from favorite to least favorite:

1. Second Variety, by Philip K. Dick
2. The Wall Around The World, by Theodore Cogswell
3. Sam Hall, by Poul Anderson
4. Earthman, Come Home, by James Blish
5. The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound, by Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson

Commentary (in reverse order of how I voted).

WARNINGS: Comments can contain MAJOR SPOILERS.

5. The Adventure of the Misplaced Hound. Aliens resembling teddy bears imitate Earth culture and specifically, in this story, Sherlock Holmes. Now I know where the Ewoks idea came from. I bought "Hoka! Hoka! Hoka!" to get this story, read it, and put it in the "donate to library" pile. This was nominated for a Hugo?!?! It's cute, but not Hugo-worthy.

4. Earthman, Come Home. I didn't get a chance to read it (a shame, I think, since it ended up winning the Hugo), so I had to put it fourth (behind what I read and liked).

3. Sam Hall. Cyberpunk, circa 1953. A man working for the government agency that tracks everyone inserts a fictitious character and makes him responsible for crimes. I liked this story, but felt that the ending wasn't as strong as it could be (I don't remember why). But it was very close between this story and the next one.
(NOTE: Evelyn Leeper reviews this story, and many others, at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/rev-a.htm)

2. The Wall Around The World. I ended up liking this story more than I thought I would halfway through. The technologically primitive but mentally advanced society surrounded by a wall, the worries about the Dark Man, all intriguing, though I assumed they had some simplistic fantasy-based explanation. The real explanation truly took me by surprise and was one that I enjoyed.

1. Second Variety. Boy, this one had all the classic Dick elements: robots/synthetic_humans; the battle between man and machine; confusion over what is human; disturbing elements ("children" as killing machines); shattered vestiges of humanity fighting for existence; a truly depressing ending. I really enjoyed this story a lot, and Earthman Come Home had better be darned good to justify beating this story out for the Retro Hugo.

2004 Retro Hugo Review - Novella

My vote in the Novella category, from favorite to least favorite:

1. And My Fear Is Great, by Theodore Sturgeon
2. A Case of Conscience, by James Blish
3. UN-Man, by Poul Anderson
4. The Rose, by Charles L. Harness
5. Three Hearts and Three Lions, by Poul Anderson

Commentary:

It has been over a month since I've read these stories, so I don't quite remember all the details. Feel free to dismiss this commentary as pretty lame-ass.

NOTE: These reviews can contain major spoilers as to the stories.

Three Hearts and Three Lions: I really was not fond of this story. I felt that it was more of a juvenile-level story, very simplistic, and certainly not worthy of a Hugo nomination.

The Rose: This story didn't appeal to me either. In fact, I had trouble finishing it.

UN-Man: I was not able to get ahold of this story in time to read it before the voting deadline, but I figured I had to like it more than The Rose or Three Hearts and Three Lions.

A Case of Conscience: Finally, something I liked reading. I really enjoyed the religious aspect of the book, with the Father having difficulty with the logically based culture of the residents of the planet but managing to maintain his faith. However, I remember being disappointed with the resolution (where the Father declares the planet a tool of Satan, out to destroy faith). I'm not sure what would have made a better ending, but I didn't like this one. So, it ended up second.
(A very nice review of the subsequent novel that contains this novella is on sfreviews at: http://www.sfreviews.net/caseofconscience.html)

And My Fear Is Great: My favorite. Not tremendously more than Case of Conscience, but I felt it was a more enjoyable story and more consistent. It covers similar ground as Sturgeon's novel More Than Human, with the idea that humans can become somehow linked and become more than the whole, but is told from one point of view of the man that is driving the show. Overall, one result of my investigating, reading and voting for the Retro Hugos is that I like Sturgeon and want to read more work by him. My winner for Best Novella.

2004 Retro Hugo Review - Novel

Here's how I voted on the 2004 Retro Hugo Best Novel category (from my favorite to least favorite)

1: Childhood's End, by Arthur C Clarke
2: The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
3: More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon
4: Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
5: Mission of Gravity, by Hal Clement

Commentary: Boy, what a sluggers' row of books. Two that are now true SF classics (Childhoods and Fahrenheit) and two that aren't that far behind as classics (Caves, Human). I must admit I'd never heard of Mission of Gravity, so I was surprised at its inclusion. Of course, it's not like I could suggest anything better.

Why I voted the way I did, in reverse order. NOTE: This section contains major spoilers for most of these novels.

5: Mission of Gravity. I actually was not able to get a hold of this, so I couldn't vote it any higher than fifth, as I did like all the other four novels. (That reminds me, I should reserve this at the library so I can read it).

4: Fahrenheit 451. A classic - a wonderful concept (books become illegal and are burned), and a great sense of paranoia as the novel plays out. However, I felt cheated by the ending - let's throw in an atomic war and people who memorize books become the saviors of civilization - and also by the datedness of the characters (such as the traitorous "drug-addicted" wife). So, I liked the other novels better and this ended up fourth.

3: More Than Human. This is actually a three part novel, one part being the famous novella "Baby Makes Three". The story of the rise of a new form of humanity, one linked by psychic connections into something more than the parts, is one I found fascinating. Also, I rather like Sturgeon's writing style. I felt that the first part suffered because it was a kind of a setup for the rest of the novella, but I really like the second and third parts. So, this ends up third.

2: The Caves of Steel. I went into this novel not expecting to like it as much as I did. But Asimov's conversation-heavy style, the murder mystery, the classic application of the Three Rules, and the interaction between the main character and his robot "partner" all really appealed to me. Asimov also had a nice view of the future, with lots of little things that I felt really rounded out the world of the novel (including Heinlein's "Roads"). I liked this a lot, and will be picking up the other robot novels in the future. However, I think I might wait until "I, Robot" comes out on video.

1: Childhood's End. I first read this novel when I was 13 and I hated it. I remember seeing the list of Nominees and thinking "Childhood's End? Ugh." But on a second reading, I really really enjoyed the novel. It was at least three novels in one - the arrival and eventual unmasking of the visitors, the adjustment humanity makes to live under the "Overlords", and the tale of the man who journeys to the homeworld and back to witness the end of the earth. All three "novels" were parts I really enjoyed and to me had deeper meaning than just their stories. Overall, a fantastic novel and my pick for Best Novel of 1953.

2004 Retro Hugo results

Full 2004 Retro Hugo results can be found at the Live from Noreascon weblog:

http://noreascon4.blogs.com/live/

I got two of the four I predicted correct (Novel, Novella).

Missed Novelette, but I must admit I couldn't find "Earthman, Come Home" so I didn't read it and thus didn't vote for it.

Missed Short Story. If I'd thought about it for a while, I would have realized Nine Billion Names of God would probably win, but I sure thought that It's a Good Life would take the award. Hey, it's a Twilight Zone episode!

Hugo results tomorrow, check the Live from Noreascon weblog for details.

Thoughts on 2004 Hugo Awards and Retro Hugos

Next few posts will be on the 2004 Hugos and Retro Hugos. I'll start with what I voted for and what I think will win (in the categories where I voted), then move into explanation of why I voted like I did.

A list of nominees is at: http://www.noreascon.com/hugos/nominees.html

Retro Hugos (for 1953)

Best Novel
What I voted for: Childhood's End by Arthur Clarke
What I think will win: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Best Novelette
What I voted for: And My Fear Is Great by Theodore Sturgeon
What I think will win: A Case of Conscience by James Blish

Best Novella
What I voted for: Second Variety by Philip K. Dick
What I think will win: Second Variety by Philip K. Dick

Best Short Story
What I voted for: It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby
What I think will win: It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby

That was all I voted for in the Retro Hugos.

Hugo Awards

Best Novel
What I voted for: I didn't vote, because I didn't have time to read any of the nominees
What I think will win: I have no idea, I never read novels. Wild guess would be Singularity Sky by Charles Stross

Best Novella
What I voted for: Empress of Mars by Kage Baker
What I think will win: The Cookie Monster by Vernor Vinge

Best Novelette
What I voted for: Into the Gardens of Sweet Night by Jay Lake
What I think will win: Into the Gardens of Sweet Night by Jay Lake

Best Short Story
What I voted for: Four Short Stories by Joe Haldeman
What I think will win: A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman

Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form
What I voted for: Return of the King
What I think will win: Return of the King

Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form
What I voted for: Chosen (from Buffy)
What I think will win: Chosen (from Buffy)

That was all I voted for in the Hugos - we'll see how I do in my predictions of what will win

Next I'll go through each category where I voted and explain why I voted like I did.

First post

Testing out the initial blog posting, to see how things look.

What would I write about here? Probably mainly science fiction - my comments on things I read. If I get really involved, maybe my comments about other things.

- yeff