Hugo postmortem
Sep. 4th, 2004 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calimacRambling thoughts here on both the current and Retro Hugos.
Bearing in mind that my credentials for impartiality on the Hugos are a longstanding dismay over the process's inability to bring forth the best winners, and hardly reading the stuff any more - also that I have neither this year's voting statistics with me nor full references on past winners' statistics, here are some ex-administrator's thoughts:
Hugos for 2003
Novel: Lois McMaster Bujold, Paladin of Souls
I haven't read this one, but I did read The Curse of Chalion. Realistically bloodthirsty, I thought. This win makes Bujold's fourth Hugo for Best Novel alone, tying her as the all-time most frequent winner in this category with some old geezer name of Heinlein. Though I prefer both Bujold and Connie Willis in fantasy, I'd certainly think it an improvement if SF fans were thought of as folks who read them, rather than folks who watch Star Trek re-runs and bad movies. But I wonder how well either is known outside the field.
Novella: Vernor Vinge, The Cookie Monster
Another author I respect more than like: I've just never found his work interesting. I like the title of this one.
Novelette: Michael Swanwick, Legions in Time
We still get Asimov's, but I haven't read this either. I enjoy Swanwick's short-shorts a great deal, but his longer work tends to repel me.
Short Story: Neil Gaiman, A Study in Emerald
This time I'm embarrassed at not having read the story, because I do like Gaiman's work: American Gods and Rowling's HP & the Goblet of Fire are the only two Hugo-winning novels of the last 5 years I have read.
Related Book: Chesley Awards Retrospective
I tend to prefer non-fiction books for this award, and would have voted for Clute's Strokes. I've also actually read Brian Herbert's biography of Daddy Frank, with more interest than any Dune book since the original Dune World.
Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
He's announced his retirement from Asimov's, though if he continues doing those fat Best of the Year anthologies he may stay on the ballot. He's been a good editor, though I fancy I'd have voted for him in second place, behind Hartwell.
Professional Artist: Bob Eggleton
I administered the Hugos the first year he won. (He got my vote for Most Amusing Telephone Answering Machine Message By A Nominee.) He hadn't even been planning to attend the convention, but jumped on a plane when he heard he'd won, and picked up his Hugo at an ad hoc ceremony the next day. If I've counted up right, this is his eighth. The wheel turns, and as Whelan (and before him Freas) once were, now Eggleton is. I hope he's still thrilled.
Dramatic Presentation Long Form: The Return of the King
Of course. They had to complete their set, didn't they? I don't mind, and liked this film better than the other two nominees I saw, Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo.
Dramatic Presentation Short Form: Gollum's Acceptance Speech
This was supposed to be funny, but it didn't amuse me at all. Gollum was believably cranky, but it's out of character for him to be obscene. Took all the humor value out. I suppose I should have voted for The Message, the elegiac last-filmed Firefly episode, though I didn't think it was one of the best (and Heart of Gold, the other Firefly nominated, was the series' poorest episode). As for Chosen, the final BTVS, I think its nomination just shows the problems with nominating individual episodes of arc-oriented series. I might have voted for Season 7, but not for this one alone.
Semiprozine: Locus
Locus wins the Locus Award. What else is new?
Fanzine: Emerald City
Surprise! I actually read Cheryl Morgan's zine regularly, along with two of the other nominees. The surprise is that I read the winner, not that it won. Both here and in fan writer, Cheryl's vote has been growing steadily over the last couple years, and in a continuing category that's a good indication of a possible future winner. This was by far the more likely category of the two, as it's the one Langford doesn't always win. The Hugos are a popularity contest, and I've no doubt that Cheryl's ubiquity and her early adoption of excellent web distribution have a lot to do with her victory, but she's also deserving: Emerald City is a focal-point reviewzine, and its editor and principal author writes fine insightful reviews. If she doesn't have complete mental command of the author's entire oeuvre, she's excellent at faking it.
Fan Writer: Dave Langford
I'd just like to say that this is Langford's 22nd Hugo, and his 16th consecutive in this category, and yet I remember when Seth Goldberg and I used to sit around grumbling at the unfairness of Langford's never having won a Hugo. The moral of the story is: Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.
Fan Artist: Frank Wu
I've heard his name, but embarrassingly I don't think I know his work. I know all the other nominees, though (some of them personally).
Campbell Award: Jay Lake
In this category, there's one nominee I know both personally and by some of his work: David Levine. Alas, his two years of eligibility are now up.
Hugos for 1953
I've written before that I think the Retros are a bad idea, but that won't stop me from commenting on them.
Novel: Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
At least he's still alive to appreciate it (one of two nominees in this category). I'd have voted for Asimov's Caves of Steel, an old favorite of mine, while I haven't read Fahrenheit 451 since high school, where I think it belongs.
Novella: James Blish, A Case of Conscience
The novel form of this won the actual Hugo in 1959. It wasn't a fix-up, it wasn't an expansion into novel form (like, say, the novel of Flowers for Algernon was). It was the original novella plus a longer sequel which felt like a disconnected let-down. I always liked the first part best, so I can't complain that it won the Hugo - though I think I'd have voted for Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions (which I believe was the complete work as later published in book form, though I'm not sure).
Novelette: James Blish, Earthman Come Home
Embarrassingly, I've never read this, or any of the Okie stories. The only nominee that's really stuck with me is Phil Dick's Second Variety, and I have a hard time believing that as the winner in the real 1954. It took time for people to learn to appreciate Dick.
Short Story: Arthur C. Clarke, The Nine Billion Names of God
Come now: the winner couldn't have been anything else. The punchline may be the triumph of mysticism over hard science, but it's too good a punchline to miss.
Related Book: Von Braun, Whipple & Ley, Conquest of the Moon
Now this must be an interesting book to read today. I never have. I have read the other nominees, though.
Professional Editor: John W. Campbell, Jr.
Campbell never won a Hugo in his own name, because this category wasn't created until after his death, to deal with the rise of anthology editors. In its place was Best Professional Magazine, which his Astounding/Analog won frequently. I believe awards in that category should be listed with the editor's name on them, though they rarely are. However, Campbell has won all three Retro Hugos in this category, and I suspect he'd have won at the time too, although whether he was still the best editor in SF in 1953 is perhaps doubtful.
Professional Artist: Chesley Bonestell
A lot of good artists nominated in this category, but I can't deny that Bonestell's astonishing space art would have won my vote.
Dramatic Presentation: The War of the Worlds
Now this annoys me: if Gollum's acceptance speech could win the present-day Hugo, why couldn't Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 Century win the Retro? Now that was entertaining SF, and it's become iconic in our society. Who doesn't know Marvin? Whereas not only have I never seen any of the other films, I've never even heard of them, although at least the winner is one of which I can say "No, but I've read the book."
Fanzine: Slant
Early Best Fanzine awards tended to go to high-circulation American zines; it's unlikely that the hand-printed, small-circulation, Irish Slant would even have been nominated. But the work of its editors, Willis and White, has worn well. This is a retrospective award if there ever was one. I suspect that, of the actual nominees, Tucker's SF Newsletter would have won at the time; and that literarily the best was probably Skyhook.
Fan Writer: Bob Tucker
Nominees were all editors of nominated fanzines. All were well-known, to say the least, then, and most seem even more illustrious now. Tucker is one of the two still living to appreciate the award.
Bearing in mind that my credentials for impartiality on the Hugos are a longstanding dismay over the process's inability to bring forth the best winners, and hardly reading the stuff any more - also that I have neither this year's voting statistics with me nor full references on past winners' statistics, here are some ex-administrator's thoughts:
Hugos for 2003
Novel: Lois McMaster Bujold, Paladin of Souls
I haven't read this one, but I did read The Curse of Chalion. Realistically bloodthirsty, I thought. This win makes Bujold's fourth Hugo for Best Novel alone, tying her as the all-time most frequent winner in this category with some old geezer name of Heinlein. Though I prefer both Bujold and Connie Willis in fantasy, I'd certainly think it an improvement if SF fans were thought of as folks who read them, rather than folks who watch Star Trek re-runs and bad movies. But I wonder how well either is known outside the field.
Novella: Vernor Vinge, The Cookie Monster
Another author I respect more than like: I've just never found his work interesting. I like the title of this one.
Novelette: Michael Swanwick, Legions in Time
We still get Asimov's, but I haven't read this either. I enjoy Swanwick's short-shorts a great deal, but his longer work tends to repel me.
Short Story: Neil Gaiman, A Study in Emerald
This time I'm embarrassed at not having read the story, because I do like Gaiman's work: American Gods and Rowling's HP & the Goblet of Fire are the only two Hugo-winning novels of the last 5 years I have read.
Related Book: Chesley Awards Retrospective
I tend to prefer non-fiction books for this award, and would have voted for Clute's Strokes. I've also actually read Brian Herbert's biography of Daddy Frank, with more interest than any Dune book since the original Dune World.
Professional Editor: Gardner Dozois
He's announced his retirement from Asimov's, though if he continues doing those fat Best of the Year anthologies he may stay on the ballot. He's been a good editor, though I fancy I'd have voted for him in second place, behind Hartwell.
Professional Artist: Bob Eggleton
I administered the Hugos the first year he won. (He got my vote for Most Amusing Telephone Answering Machine Message By A Nominee.) He hadn't even been planning to attend the convention, but jumped on a plane when he heard he'd won, and picked up his Hugo at an ad hoc ceremony the next day. If I've counted up right, this is his eighth. The wheel turns, and as Whelan (and before him Freas) once were, now Eggleton is. I hope he's still thrilled.
Dramatic Presentation Long Form: The Return of the King
Of course. They had to complete their set, didn't they? I don't mind, and liked this film better than the other two nominees I saw, Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Nemo.
Dramatic Presentation Short Form: Gollum's Acceptance Speech
This was supposed to be funny, but it didn't amuse me at all. Gollum was believably cranky, but it's out of character for him to be obscene. Took all the humor value out. I suppose I should have voted for The Message, the elegiac last-filmed Firefly episode, though I didn't think it was one of the best (and Heart of Gold, the other Firefly nominated, was the series' poorest episode). As for Chosen, the final BTVS, I think its nomination just shows the problems with nominating individual episodes of arc-oriented series. I might have voted for Season 7, but not for this one alone.
Semiprozine: Locus
Locus wins the Locus Award. What else is new?
Fanzine: Emerald City
Surprise! I actually read Cheryl Morgan's zine regularly, along with two of the other nominees. The surprise is that I read the winner, not that it won. Both here and in fan writer, Cheryl's vote has been growing steadily over the last couple years, and in a continuing category that's a good indication of a possible future winner. This was by far the more likely category of the two, as it's the one Langford doesn't always win. The Hugos are a popularity contest, and I've no doubt that Cheryl's ubiquity and her early adoption of excellent web distribution have a lot to do with her victory, but she's also deserving: Emerald City is a focal-point reviewzine, and its editor and principal author writes fine insightful reviews. If she doesn't have complete mental command of the author's entire oeuvre, she's excellent at faking it.
Fan Writer: Dave Langford
I'd just like to say that this is Langford's 22nd Hugo, and his 16th consecutive in this category, and yet I remember when Seth Goldberg and I used to sit around grumbling at the unfairness of Langford's never having won a Hugo. The moral of the story is: Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.
Fan Artist: Frank Wu
I've heard his name, but embarrassingly I don't think I know his work. I know all the other nominees, though (some of them personally).
Campbell Award: Jay Lake
In this category, there's one nominee I know both personally and by some of his work: David Levine. Alas, his two years of eligibility are now up.
Hugos for 1953
I've written before that I think the Retros are a bad idea, but that won't stop me from commenting on them.
Novel: Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
At least he's still alive to appreciate it (one of two nominees in this category). I'd have voted for Asimov's Caves of Steel, an old favorite of mine, while I haven't read Fahrenheit 451 since high school, where I think it belongs.
Novella: James Blish, A Case of Conscience
The novel form of this won the actual Hugo in 1959. It wasn't a fix-up, it wasn't an expansion into novel form (like, say, the novel of Flowers for Algernon was). It was the original novella plus a longer sequel which felt like a disconnected let-down. I always liked the first part best, so I can't complain that it won the Hugo - though I think I'd have voted for Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions (which I believe was the complete work as later published in book form, though I'm not sure).
Novelette: James Blish, Earthman Come Home
Embarrassingly, I've never read this, or any of the Okie stories. The only nominee that's really stuck with me is Phil Dick's Second Variety, and I have a hard time believing that as the winner in the real 1954. It took time for people to learn to appreciate Dick.
Short Story: Arthur C. Clarke, The Nine Billion Names of God
Come now: the winner couldn't have been anything else. The punchline may be the triumph of mysticism over hard science, but it's too good a punchline to miss.
Related Book: Von Braun, Whipple & Ley, Conquest of the Moon
Now this must be an interesting book to read today. I never have. I have read the other nominees, though.
Professional Editor: John W. Campbell, Jr.
Campbell never won a Hugo in his own name, because this category wasn't created until after his death, to deal with the rise of anthology editors. In its place was Best Professional Magazine, which his Astounding/Analog won frequently. I believe awards in that category should be listed with the editor's name on them, though they rarely are. However, Campbell has won all three Retro Hugos in this category, and I suspect he'd have won at the time too, although whether he was still the best editor in SF in 1953 is perhaps doubtful.
Professional Artist: Chesley Bonestell
A lot of good artists nominated in this category, but I can't deny that Bonestell's astonishing space art would have won my vote.
Dramatic Presentation: The War of the Worlds
Now this annoys me: if Gollum's acceptance speech could win the present-day Hugo, why couldn't Duck Dodgers in the 24th and 1/2 Century win the Retro? Now that was entertaining SF, and it's become iconic in our society. Who doesn't know Marvin? Whereas not only have I never seen any of the other films, I've never even heard of them, although at least the winner is one of which I can say "No, but I've read the book."
Fanzine: Slant
Early Best Fanzine awards tended to go to high-circulation American zines; it's unlikely that the hand-printed, small-circulation, Irish Slant would even have been nominated. But the work of its editors, Willis and White, has worn well. This is a retrospective award if there ever was one. I suspect that, of the actual nominees, Tucker's SF Newsletter would have won at the time; and that literarily the best was probably Skyhook.
Fan Writer: Bob Tucker
Nominees were all editors of nominated fanzines. All were well-known, to say the least, then, and most seem even more illustrious now. Tucker is one of the two still living to appreciate the award.
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Date: 2004-09-06 01:36 pm (UTC)