John Bowker

I was breaking down moving boxes and  showering during most of the Hugo Award ceremony so it wasn’t as if I was watching with bated breath.  Now and then a bit of audio would come through or there’d be a particularly sweet moment (Ellen Datlow’s acceptance was understated and lovely) but mostly I saw the results after they were posted like everyone else.  Last night I threw up a couple of half-assed predictions, mostly to keep myself honest about my preconceptions against the reality of the actual results when they came out today.

 So, how’d I do?

 Best Novel: 

I predicted:

• Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US/Orbit UK)

The Winner:

• Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US/Orbit UK)

Nothing psychic about this one.  Leckie had already swept the Nebulas, the Arthur C. Clark Award, the British SF Association Award, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel.  Short of Larry Correia and Mira Grant joining forces to beat opposing voters with nunchuku at the ballot box  Justice was going to win at a walk.   I didn’t fall head over heels for it myself but it’s a solid book .

 

Best Novella:

I predicted:

• “Equoid”, Charles Stross (Tor.com, 09-2013)

The Winner:

• “Equoid”, Charles Stross (Tor.com, 09-2013)

I waffled on this category  for a while though I still haven’t actually read any of the nominees.  In the end I went Stross over Valente based entirely on the publisher, figuring more people probably saw the Tor story.

 

Best Novelette

I predicted:

• “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling”, Ted Chiang (Subterranean, Fall 2013)

The Winner:

• “The Lady Astronaut of Mars” by Mary Robinette Kowal (maryrobinettekowal.com /Tor.com, 09-2013)

 I bet Chiang because for the Hugos you just do.

Best Short Story

I predicted:

• “The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere”, John Chu (Tor.com, 02-2013)

The Winner:

• “The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere”, John Chu (Tor.com, 02-2013)

This was nothing but a gut feeling.  Much as Sofia Samatar is a fan favorite (and winner of this year’s Campbell Award)  I couldn’t see the majority of voters giving first place to a story with the word “Selkie” in the title.

 

Best Related Work:

I guessed:

• Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, Jeff VanderMeer, with Jeremy Zerfoss (Abrams Image)

The Winner:

• “We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative”, Kameron Hurley (A Dribble of Ink)

Got blindsided with this category since the Hurley article is a few thousand words against VanderMeer’s lavishly illustrated and celebrity guest star-filled three hundred fifty odd pages.  It’s a great essay though, and an important one. Good on her.

 Best Graphic Story

I lazily checked off:

• “The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who”, written by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Jimmy Broxton (Doctor Who Special 2013, IDW)

The Winner:

• “Time”, Randall Munroe (XKCD)

Never would have guessed a semi-obscure nerdy webcomic over Doctor Who at a British Worldcon in a million years, especially given the unique format of that particular XKCD which requires attention, and well, time, to appreciate.   Regardless, nice to see Munroe getting a little bit of the credit he deserves.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

I crossed my fingers and bet on:

• Gravity, written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Esperanto Filmoj; Heyday Films; Warner Bros.)

The Winner:

• Gravity, written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Esperanto Filmoj; Heyday Films; Warner Bros.)

God help me, I was terrified “Frozen” might actually win.

 By that point in the evening it was really late and I was creating new and innovative ways to swear at WordPress which flatly refused to allow me to bold certain items in red text while being perfectly happy to do so for others.  As a result you missed my humiliating prediction that any (or all) of the Doctor Who episodes were likely to tromp all over any of the other nominees.  “The Rains of Castamere” is only notable for the last couple of minutes but those are bloody minutes indeed when Dr. Who gets added to the body count.

 So in the end my record stands at four and four.  Still, if winning is all about showing up I beat Nate Silver so I guess that’s something.  Congratulations to all the winners and I’ll see you all again in 2015.

It’s about 8:30AM in London so there are a few hours before the Hugo Awards are announced for this year.   It’s closer to 3:30AM here on the East Coast so in the spirit of the Witching Hour here are my psychic projections for the first couple categories, posted without commentary.   Note, these aren’t my personal favorites, they’re just where I’d throw a sawbuck I could afford to lose if it came down to a bet.  Given how weird the nomination process turned out this year, it’s really anyone’s guess how it’ll all shake out.

Best Novel (1595 nominating ballots)

• Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
• Neptune’s Brood, Charles Stross (Ace / Orbit UK)
• Parasite, Mira Grant (Orbit US/Orbit UK)
• Warbound, Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles, Larry Correia (Baen Books)
• The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Tor Books / Orbit UK)

 

Best Novella (847 nominating ballots)

• The Butcher of Khardov, Dan Wells (Privateer Press)
• “The Chaplain’s Legacy”, Brad Torgersen (Analog, Jul-Aug 2013)
• “Equoid”, Charles Stross (Tor.com, 09-2013)
• Six-Gun Snow White, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean Press)
• “Wakulla Springs”, Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages (Tor.com, 10-2013)

Best Novelette (728 nominating ballots)

• “Opera Vita Aeterna”, Vox Day (The Last Witchking, Marcher Lord Hinterlands)
• “The Exchange Officers”, Brad Torgersen (Analog, Jan-Feb 2013)
• “The Lady Astronaut of Mars”, Mary Robinette Kowal (maryrobinettekowal.com/Tor.com, 09-2013)
• “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling”, Ted Chiang (Subterranean, Fall 2013)
• “The Waiting Stars”, Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky, Candlemark & Gleam)

Best Short Story (865 nominating ballots)

• “If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love”, Rachel Swirsky (Apex Magazine, Mar-2013)
• “The Ink Readers of Doi Saket”, Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Tor.com, 04-2013)
• “Selkie Stories Are for Losers”, Sofia Samatar (Strange Horizons, Jan-2013)
• “The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere”, John Chu (Tor.com, 02-2013)

Best Related Work (752 nominating ballots)

• Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the LGBTQ Fans Who Love It, Edited by Sigrid Ellis & Michael Damian Thomas (Mad Norwegian Press)
• Speculative Fiction 2012: The Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary, Justin Landon & Jared Shurin (Jurassic London)
• “We Have Always Fought: Challenging the Women, Cattle and Slaves Narrative”, Kameron Hurley (A Dribble of Ink)
• Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, Jeff VanderMeer, with Jeremy Zerfoss (Abrams Image)
• Writing Excuses Season 8, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Jordan Sanderson

Best Graphic Story (552 nominating ballots)

• Girl Genius, Volume 13: Agatha Heterodyne & The Sleeping City, written by Phil and Kaja Foglio; art by Phil Foglio; colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)
• “The Girl Who Loved Doctor Who”, written by Paul Cornell, illustrated by Jimmy Broxton (Doctor Who Special 2013, IDW)
• The Meathouse Man, adapted from the story by George R.R. Martin and illustrated by Raya Golden (Jet City Comics)
• Saga, Volume 2, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics )
• “Time”, Randall Munroe (XKCD)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (995 nominating ballots)

• Frozen,screenplay by Jennifer Lee, directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee (Walt Disney Studios)
• Gravity, written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Esperanto Filmoj; Heyday Films; Warner Bros.)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, screenplay by Simon Beaufoy & Michael Arndt, directed by Francis Lawrence (Color Force; Lionsgate)
• Iron Man 3, screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black, directed by Shane Black (Marvel Studios; DMG Entertainment; Paramount Pictures)
• Pacific Rim, screenplay by Travis Beacham & Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro (Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney Double Dare You)

 

(10:52pm: If you check the history you’ll see this post was edited multiple times, including after the ceremony.   The predictions were the same throughout; WordPress and I were wrestling over formatting.)