Hugo Awards Shortlist

And on the back of all those other shortlists that have recently been announced, we have the Hugo Awards shortlist/ballot. I'm not going to reproduce the whole thing in this post, but you can go read it in full here. I just want to highlight a few categories. Links to my reviews where they exist.

Best Novel

• 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
• Blackout, Mira Grant (Orbit)
• Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
• Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, John Scalzi (Tor)
• Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

I think this is possibly the first time ever I've read more than one nominated book before the shortlist was announced (of course for Aussie Con 4 back in 2010, I attempted to read all the novels but that was post-announcement). I also have plans to read Redshirts at some point and I've heard lots of good things about the other two books. I must admit I'm partly barracking for the Bujold in the hopes that a win would spur her into writing more Vorkosigan books (apparently she isn't currently planning to!).

Best Fancast

• The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
• Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Presenters) and Andrew Finch (Producer)
• SF Signal Podcast, Patrick Hester, John DeNardo, and JP Frantz
• SF Squeecast, Elizabeth Bear, Paul Cornell, Seanan McGuire, Lynne M. Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente (Presenters) and David McHone-Chase (Technical Producer)
• StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

In the new category of Best Fancast, it's lovely to see two out of five Australian podcasts — 40%. Go Aussies, go.

Best Fan Writer

• James Bacon
• Christopher J. Garcia
• Mark Oshiro
• Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Steven H Silver

And our very own Tansy Rayner Roberts also appears in the Best Fan Writer category, for her blog posts. (Incidentally, she also writes great books.)