Hugo Award Nominees

Wow!

It's very late here, 1.30am, I'm very tired, and don't want to say anything really in my current befuddled state or anything at all really, probably, ever, other than WOW. And that I knew there was a reason I was avoiding Facebook. (Actually, more than one reason, several reasons). But whatever.

Gator's jaw drops 10 feet to the floor too.
Ouch. Bumped my chin.

Ah well, G, you've got a tough chin.

Yesh, I have.

Just as well.

Yesh.

Come along, time for bed.

I see John C. Wright's name everywhere on that list. Never heard of him til I saw the list.

I am very sad to see America's Political Civil War has come to the Hugos....

I am very sad to see America's Political Civil War has come to the Hugos....

Yup, that's exactly what I was thinking.

I see John C. Wright's name everywhere on that list. Never heard of him til I saw the list.

There's more than one person I've never heard of on that list.

I'm trying to ignore the part of the nominee list that came from the RPs (Rabid Puppies) side.

But I'm really happy for Kary English and Annie Bellet, two very deserving writers with amazing stories. Good luck to them both!

CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (851 ballots)

Award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2013 or 2014, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).

Wesley Chu *
Jason Cordova
Kary English *
Rolf Nelson
Eric. S. Raymond

*Finalists in their 2nd year of eligibility.

CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER (851 ballots)

Award for the best new professional science fiction or fantasy writer of 2013 or 2014, sponsored by Dell Magazines (not a Hugo Award).

Wesley Chu *
Jason Cordova
Kary English *
Rolf Nelson
Eric. S. Raymond

*Finalists in their 2nd year of eligibility.

Hey, I missed Kary's presence in that part of the list. Nice!

I am very sad to see America's Political Civil War has come to the Hugos....

Yup, that's exactly what I was thinking.

I missing something. What are you guys referring to?

I don't think I've heard of Wright either, to be honest.

Being a foreigner, I do not understand the apparently political undertones which I now find all over the Net. I thought, in my ignorance, that these nominations were a reward for literary merit.

I'm afraid I have no idea what puppies of any description have to do with it. My mastiff, Clyde, suggests that the puppies may be sad because none of the stories are about dogs.

Arr. An' none of 'em be about pirates either - that's seadogs to you matey. Shiver me timbers, I'd keelhaul the lot of 'em!

Could be a bit drastic, Long John?

The most exhaustive commentary on what's going on is here, from someone who turned down a Hugo nomination: http://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/04/a-detailed-explanation/

If you don't have the time to read what is essentially a 5000-word essay, here's a much shorter commentary on things from Charlie Jane Anders at io9: http://io9.com/the-hugo-awards-were-always-political-now-theyre-only-1695721604

Thank you. I'm pretty sure I still don't understand, but now I have a much better class of ignorance.

I shall continue to operate on the Groucho principle of not wishing to belong to any club that would have me for a member. (Except this forum, which remains a blessed haven in which we can even disagree without swearing.)

Politics is as life does.

The Hugos are nominated, voted on, and selected by members of WorldCon. Lobbying of the membership by writers and writers' alliances is done at the organization's conferences and within the arena by invested parties. Among a field of more or less equal contestants and personal preferences, a vigorous and personable lobbyist' may emerge ahead of the peloton with one or more than one Hugo nominee, finalist, or winner.

The social politics issues arise and re-arise and re-heat in the main when one or more folk show their sass and they are like blood feuds: No one remembers when or where they first started, and even often what the original issues are, only the current flare-up is heated blame assignment. A writer is best advised to keep civil in public and show sass hotly on the fiction page and avoid gratuitous commentary. Like avoid gratuitous sex and violence, avoid gratuitous politics.

Thank you. I'm pretty sure I still don't understand, but now I have a much better class of ignorance.

I shall continue to operate on the Groucho principle of not wishing to belong to any club that would have me for a member. (Except this forum, which remains a blessed haven in which we can even disagree without swearing.)

I envy your ignorance of the particular Yank insanity.

Thank you. I'm pretty sure I still don't understand, but now I have a much better class of ignorance.

I shall continue to operate on the Groucho principle of not wishing to belong to any club that would have me for a member. (Except this forum, which remains a blessed haven in which we can even disagree without swearing.)

I've actually been inside the famed Groucho Club. http://www.thegrouchoclub.com/ Needless to say I was never a member, but I was invited in once. Or twice. I forget.

But yeah, I'm with Ishmael. I think I'd rather be a member of the genuine Groucho Club than a member of whatever daft cliques and factions are currently propagating in the SF community. Which means of course, I'll never be a member of anything, anywhere. Heh.

I think this makes sense. It's late. Again.

*Snore*

She hasn't even woken up this time.

*Snore*

The most exhaustive commentary on what's going on is here, from someone who turned down a Hugo nomination: http://www.blackgate.com/2015/04/04/a-detailed-explanation/

If you don't have the time to read what is essentially a 5000-word essay, here's a much shorter commentary on things from Charlie Jane Anders at io9: http://io9.com/the-hugo-awards-were-always-political-now-theyre-only-1695721604

Thanks for this. Very interesting reads. And here I thought all writers were busy. Apparently some have way to much time on their hands.

Got comments here:

I too missed Kary's name when I scanned the lists. Good she should be in here, but surprised there aren't more from here.

More later.

If anyone saw this I got interrupted but now I am back.

I believe I have seen John C. Wright's name around somewhere. I can't recall his books though. Maybe it was on Google+.

As to the politics thing--hmmm. I believe-at least from what I understand what they are doing and why-are reacting to a wider societal issue and debate that is going. It may not have hit the Hugo awards and other SF-Fantasy writing avenues as hard as other areas of society but it's there.

Being a foreigner, I do not understand the apparently political undertones which I now find all over the Net. I thought, in my ignorance, that these nominations were a reward for literary merit.

I'm afraid I have no idea what puppies of any description have to do with it. My mastiff, Clyde, suggests that the puppies may be sad because none of the stories are about dogs.

Arr. An' none of 'em be about pirates either - that's seadogs to you matey. Shiver me timbers, I'd keelhaul the lot of 'em!

Could be a bit drastic, Long John?

Ariieee--done be about eagles either.

Well up there in the sky I did write one story about an Eagle.

Ariiee it is a high flying tale even if it has won no awards.

Hey what happened to my color--I'll dive bomb someone

Ishmael I side issue here:

Barnes and Noble changed their bags and now your name is on them--on one side anyway.

USA Today guest editorial on Larry Correia:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2 ... n/8282843/

A Sonnet by William Wordsworth (1802)

Milton! thou should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea;
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In chearful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on itself did lay.

Can't find the origin of the term "Sad Puppies."

Thank you. I'm pretty sure I still don't understand, but now I have a much better class of ignorance.

I shall continue to operate on the Groucho principle of not wishing to belong to any club that would have me for a member. (Except this forum, which remains a blessed haven in which we can even disagree without swearing.)

Except to swear our allegiance to a group. If one finds the feelings of exasperation cannot be expressed without an expletive perhaps we might return to created words like nonsensical ones from Battlestar Galactica, "That is a load of Feldegarb." (not sure how that word is spelled) I am sure the Hugo winners will be gracious while in public but once back in their rooms will be shouting, "YES! That is the drek I am talking about!" Sorry if I offended anyone with my SF cursing.

Can't access Brad's full editorial from my current location because of the Word Press domain name. Can someone PM me the full text?

https://bradrtorgersen.wordpress.com/20 ... ail-house/

Read Larry Correia's bio on Wiki. Sounds like a great potential interviewee. Can't access his website, and a lot of other sites, from China. Anybody got his contact info?

6 nominations the same year. Surely that's a record. 3 nominations in the same category. Didn't know you could do that.

Best Novella
One Bright Star to Guide Them, John C. Wright
“Pale Realms of Shade”, John C. Wright
“The Plural of Helen of Troy”, John C. Wright

Best Novelette
“Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”, John C. Wright

Best Short Story
“The Parliament of Beasts and Birds”, John C. Wright

Best Related Work
"Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth," John C. Wright

Vox Day. Isn't he the one who got thrown out of the SFWA. That doesn't happen very often. Ran for president of the SFWA too. Not in that order...

6 nominations the same year. Surely that's a record. 3 nominations in the same category. Didn't know you could do that.

Best Novella
One Bright Star to Guide Them, John C. Wright
“Pale Realms of Shade”, John C. Wright
“The Plural of Helen of Troy”, John C. Wright

Best Novelette
“Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”, John C. Wright

Best Short Story
“The Parliament of Beasts and Birds”, John C. Wright

Best Related Work
"Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth," John C. Wright

Color me ignorant and I am sorry if I offend a fan but who is John C. Wright? Until a moment ago when I googled his name I had no idea who he was. And I am perplexed as well, I thought you could only be nominated once per category. Is this 3x nomination for one category in a way padding the voting box for one author? Unless there is another author with more than one nomination for a novella I expect John C. Wright will win in that category (based solely on statistics).

There were two slates that were presented: Sad Puppies and Rapid Puppies. Brad T. led the SP3 slate which was widely known about. Vox Day, a self-professed racists, mysogonist, and generally all around a-hole who was kicked out of SFWA, has made it his mission to "destroy the Hugos". He offered up the Rapid Puppies slate which was very similar to SP3, but also added some additional nominees like himself for editor, his press, etc. His stated goal is to poison the waters so the Hugos result in all No Awards.