Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

I finished 3 works from 1943 for Retro Hugo: Almost Human, Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper and The Proud Robot. If you following my reviews then you'll see them by using these links. In short: nothing spectacular

I also finished Phoresis - eligible Hugo 2019 novella. It is worthy of nomination, I'll review it in detail later

Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper sounds like something that could be the source of inspiration behind A Night in the Lonesome October.

I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit and am now 10% into Record of a Spaceborn Few, which is Hugo -eligible this year. My real regret about these is that I loved the first one and want to read another that features them. The two following books, though they are in the same universe, they are not about the same people, and I loved all those people. (I think you could read these books independently, actually.)

I am maybe 20% into Space Opera, which is also Hugo eligible, but I don't think I will be voting for it. It was funny at first, and I want to know what happens, but now, it's kinda drudgery. I find myself reading the first sentence of a paragraph and then skipping down.

I forgot to say that I recently re-read Little Fuzzy and am 15% into Fuzzy Sapiens, the problem being I can't reread the 3rd Fuzzies and Other People right now because it is not out in ebook form. Ditto Fuzzy Bones, which I think is a more likely 3rd book for the H. Beam Piper series than the one attributed to him (Fuzzies and Other People, above). Supposedly it was found in a chest 20 or 30 years after he died.

I want to finish these because want to read the followups from current authors, Fuzzy Nation by Scalzi (it should be great) and two by someone named Wolfgang Diehr, Fuzzy Ergo Sum and Caveat Fuzzy.

I returned to and finished These Broken Stars, and it kept surprising me. It wasn't just a silly little science fiction romance, but had some unexpected twists and turns. I will render an opinion after I have read the rest of the books in the series.

I read parts of Historic Indianapolis Crimes: Murder and Mayhem in the Circle City just because I wanted to see what they said about some of my city's history. Eh. Not written very interestingly, and I have read some history books (though not about Indianapolis) that were written more interestingly. So I'm done with that.

I am over halfway through Hugo-eligible A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe and it may end up being 5 stars for me. I didn't like it at first because I didn't like the characters. They seemed either dishonest or badly self-centered or both. But either they have changed or they have grown on me. More on it later. And there is a second book in that series also published in 2018. So it's next.

Well I have to post this so I can see it!

Allan, I am sorry that Annihilation ended up being a disappointment. I didn't read it because it didn't suck me in when I had it out from the library so the loan ran out. I ended up getting i cheap Kindle copy when it was on sale, but now I'm sorry because you say the ending is not that great either. Could it be because it's a trilogy, so the ending is not really the end?

I'm still glad I read it, and I wouldn't discourage you from reading it. It is possible that it could be related to subsequent stories. The answer to the creepy just didn't pack a final punch for me. It might for you though. I'll probably read the others at some point but I've already got 30-40 books on the docket for 2019, not counting monthly reads.

@ Allan: I'm with you on Annihilation. I thought it was interesting, but I was disappointed with it. I still haven't watched the movie though...maybe that would be better?

I just finished To Your Scattered Bodies Go. I have to say, it was pretty good. I think I'll end up reading the next book...hopefully sometime this year. I really think this book may be an inspiration for a lot of Sci-Fi today. Like, the video game Ark Evolution and the movie Matrix. Anyone else read it and get those vibes?

Bryan wrote: "@ Allan: I'm with you on Annihilation. I thought it was interesting, but I was disappointed with it. I still haven't watched the movie though...maybe that would be better?..."

The Annihilation movie makes a large number of changes to the plot, but keeps the same basic feel. If you like one, you'll like the other. If not, then not. There are no answers, if that is what you are looking for.

I have fond memories of To Your Scattered Bodies Go, and did read a few of the sequels, which were fine but had diminishing returns. They never answer all the questions, because that would be boring. But to keep piling on more questions eventually stops being interesting. The series does have the benefit of being able to draw on 1000s of characters that you already know from other places.

@ Ed: Thanks for the heads up, for both the movie and the other books!

Side note...which book next month is everyone planning on reading first? I want to be on the cutting edge of conversation!

I am kicking off with More than Human, in audio too.

I read at least the first three of the Riverworld series. To Your Scattered Bodies Go was the best, partly because it introduced the concept, which was really interesting. That wore off after a couple more books and I never finished the last one, as far as I can remember. But that first one is excellent!

I read More Than Human last summer and Timescape several years ago, so I won't be re-reading. I'm still reading Tea with the Black Dragon and there are a few reads from last year that I can fill in with. I will comment though.

Bryan, I agree with Ed that the Riverworld series is a diminishing benefits deal. I read them years ago, but when I re-read a couple of years ago, I gotta say I got bogged down and quit at either the beginning of the second or the beginning of the third. Sorry, can't remember

Maybe it's just Farmer's writing because I got bogged down in World of Tiers years ago and never finished. I have them again, cheap, in 2 boxed sets from Early Bird/Portalist/Open Road (in Kindle format.) So I will try them again if I ever get around to them.

Question for anyone who has read all of the Annihilation group . . . are questions answered after the end of the trilogy?

I think I might start with More Than Human

Alright, we have 2 for More Than Human...I'll be starting that today!

Bryan wrote: "I just finished To Your Scattered Bodies Go. ... Like, the video game Ark Evolution and the movie Matrix. Anyone else read it and get those vibes? "

Even more there was a game titled Riverworld, based on this series - I bought it but it never worked correctly with my PC. I liked the series and plan to re-read [and finish - I lacked last books] it one day

Kateblue wrote: "Question for anyone who has read all of the Annihilation group . . . are questions answered after the end of the trilogy? ."

There is more info given in the later books but no definite answers as to what and why. It reminds me of Lovecraftian monsters, whose origin, image or powers are never described in detail. The books give more info about the past and the Institute and make very vague theories what is happening.

I bought a copy of The Proud Robot. It is next.

I finished A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe and it's not bad. I will vote for it for a Hugo if I don't have 5 saved up. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have read the first few pages of Dragon's Code, which is Hugo-nominatable, and I will get back to it soon.

I read all the stories in a Frederic Brown book instead of just the 1943 ones because I love him. I hope that The Angelic Angelworm will win the retro Hugo for best novelette.

I have not yet returned to Record of a Spaceborn Few because I am a bit annoyed with it. I wanted to read more about the characters in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet because I love them all, but neither this book nor A Closed and Common Orbit have them. Though they are in the same great universe and have distantly related characters.

I'm 60% of the way through one of our Feb reads, More Than Human, and I'm liking it more than I thought I would. I read something by Sturgeon years ago and then never read anything else of his, so I must not have been that impressed, but this is interesting.

I got sucked into a library book Last Year, and I am really liking it, though it is not 2019 Hugo eligible, so I put it aside for now. I didn't want to.

I'm over 1/3 thru Spinning Silver, and although it is well-written, it is SLOW. I mean, Let's describe every single thing we see and feel, all three main characters, OK? And now there may be a fourth main characdter. But at least is is paced the same and is very well put together. It's pretty amazing that she can have three girls all the same young-adult age, but you can tell who's talking in one sentence.

I have started Witchmark twice, and it may be Hugo material, but I don't know yet. I like it, but I have other things to read, so I have stopped twice. I hope to read it by the end of Feb. And Blackfish City I started night before last when I was trying to go to sleep, but it didn't make any sense because I was trying to go to sleep. I will try again later.

Wow Kate, you're on a roll! I myself just started on Circe and our monthly read, More Than Human.

Can't say I am as excited about Circe as everyone else seems to be. The setting is original, but for the rest it's just stuff happening to the main character who for all intent and purpose could be a teenager entering the adulthood. Pantheon of Greek gods is more like a re-skin than an active feature.

Started on Robot series by Asimov, will take me a while to get through the content, but once I've read all the books I will share my findings regarding related works and their order in the series.

Finished Tea with the Black Dragon & will finish The Aeronaut's Windlass today. I highly recommend the latter, it's been a fast-paced, quick-reading adventure all the way. Not a lot of literary philosophy and symbolism there, just a good action romp. Also started reading The Big Time by Fritz Lieber on library kindle. Weirdly written but an interesting premise. Autonomous by Annalee Newitz on audio.

Next up are McDevitt's Chindi, The Drowning Girl, and I might get an early start on God's War. I'm very glad the latter got selected, I had not noticed it otherwise. But it looks really interesting and it had a lot of award nominations. I've signed up for the 2019 Women of Genre Fiction challenge in Worlds Without End. It calls for reading books by female authors who are new to the reader. I've identified 12 so far, going for 24.

Robot series: The Caves of Steel is one of my all-time favorites and I thoroughly enjoyed the subsequent novels. I read I, Robot a few years after, but it does belong first, as it puts a real context to the later novels.

Allen. That challenge sounds fun, but when I went to look for the group, I searched for Worlds Without End and got 231 possibles. Can you stick a link to the group in here for me? Thanks!

Not sure what you mean by the group, you mean that specific challenge? If you're logged into WWE, go to www.worldswithoutend.com/rollyourown_... and look for "2019 Women of Genre Fiction". Click on it and it will allow you to sign up and see what the other participants are reading. I also created my own challenge in there for the double winners (Hugo & Nebula). Then when you go to your profile (My World), there's a link to your RYO Challenges. If you have several challenges, that's a really cool page to look at with all the covers. I enter the "2019 Books Read" challenge to show everything I read during the year.

Ah, thanks, Allan. I thought it was a Goodreads Group. I will check it out.

Art wrote: "... about Circe .... The setting is original, but for the rest it's just stuff happening to the main character who for all intent and purpose could be a teenager entering the adulthood. ..."

Dang it. I am considering reading it. Let us know if it gets better.

Ed wrote: "Dang it. I am considering reading it. Let us know if it gets better. "

Can't say that it is without merits, the writing is not too bad and the character seems to have developed somewhat in the last few chapters. I am stil barely half way through, so I still have high hopes for the grand finale.

It's just that this book's strength(supposedly) lies with the author's ability to put her own spin on myths of origin of Greek gods and goddesses. While adding some new twists and plots, some of the original stories are lost and I cannot say that her version is witty or exciting enough for me to care. Then again I can imagine others finding it interesting.

What I mean is the part where (view spoiler)[ Minotaur of Crete is born and the whole thing is dragged out for a few pages until we are told it is in effect a *drum roll* minataur. After that they are taking yet another ten pager to decide how to confine it, since they cannot outright kill it (hide spoiler)]. Maybe people who rave about her stories in the reviews don't realise that 80% of the plot had already been written down at some point in history.

OK, I'm not so worried about not being able to get ahold of a copy of Circe any more. (I'm 115 on 21 copies at the library--gonna be a while.)

In the meantime, I finished 2 more 2019 hugo-eligibles, Spinning Silver and Record of a Spaceborn Few. I bet they are both nominated for the Hugo this year. Here are my reviews . . . I try never to write spoilers . . .
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now it is back to our monthly reads for a while

Finished More Than Human this a.m.

On deck next: Witchmark Hugo nominable
The Proud Robot retro Hugo nominatable
Blackfish City Hugo nominatable
Red Moon Hugo nominatable

Books I want to read for Hugo possibilities before the end of Feb if my library loan ever gets to the top of the waitlist
Sparrow Hill Road, then The Girl in the Green Silk Gown
Semiosis
Foundryside
In an Absent Dream a novella, I assume as all the others in this group are novellas. They want $9.99 for this on Amazon. In Kindle version. For a novella. What a ripoff!

I'm about 20% into The Drowning Girl. It's not quite what I expected; a bit meandering but it's interesting and has had its moments. I'll finish Autonomous on audio today, not sure what I'll start there. Halfway through The Big Time; it reads like R.U.R. I needed a quick action break from those, so I dug out Witch World and will knock that out over the weekend. I suddenly realized that I had never read an Andre Norton book, so that's one I happened to have and have wanted to read for awhile. The first part is a lot like Burroughs' A Princess of Mars.

Has anyone read Jade City or The Healer's War? Those caught my attention yesterday and sounded intriguing.

Since posting here last, I have read Dragon's Code, which was pretty terrible (here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). I think it was written just to get the Dragonrider's books eligible for the Best Series Hugo, which I hope we will nominate it for.

I also read The Proud Robot, which was a Retro Hugo possibility, but which was really kind of a waste of time, though not much time, it's a novelette, I think somebody said.

Then I worked on Space Opera, which I thought was funny at first, but it never changed its wandering, sort of stream of consciousness. DNF at 20%. I just could not find the story in the wanderings, and I eventually realized the wanderings were the point. And besides, it's not really space opera, it's a first contact novel. It's just called Space Opera because some of the characters are musicians

Now I am reading Witchmark, which has a kewl but mostly as yet unexplained magic system. I'm at 38% and I am getting tired of the protagonist getting shoved around by everybody, but I suppose I will go ahead and finish it. I hate books that have protagonists who are "stuck." In other words, every thing they try to solve issues does no good. And this looks to be one. Not enough is happening to make me hope there will be an ending by the end of the book. I hope it is not one of those books where everything gets resolved in the next book. I'll let you know if it gets good.

I've read several Hugo eligible short stories, namely:
1 - You Pretend Like You Never Met Me, and I’ll Pretend Like I Never Met You
2 - Meat And Salt And Sparks
3 - Sour Milk Girls
4 - Carborundorum > /dev/null
Only the second for me is Hugo worthy
I finished A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, Hugo-eligible, space opera fantasy, a new wave of genre-bending. While it was fun to read, thinking about it later showed me a few plot holes

Yes, Witchmark is also Hugo-eligible, but maybe not Hugo worthy. Also short. Since I wrote an hour and 20 minutes ago, I am now at 47%. And I wasn't reading the whole time.

I've read several Hugo short stories for now and for 1943. I will ponder them when we have a discussion about what to vote for.

How is everyone doing re their Hugo award reading?

I've been mostly reading non-fiction: the only Hugo eligible book I've read during last month was the third Murderbot novella, Rogue Protocol, which was pretty good. My review here

Right now I'm reading or listening three different non-fiction books:
- Women are the Future of Islam is a sort-of-autobiography of Sherin Khankan, female imam, who wants to combine islam and feminist thought. Half annoying, half interesting.

- Väärin haudattu sotamies - Kummitustarinoita Suomen taistelukentiltä. The title translates as "Misburied soldier - ghost stories from the battlefields of Finland". Folklore/history. I never realised how boring most ghost stories in folklore are. There are some good ones, too, but most are something like "There was a big battle a hundred years ago over at that hill. Sometimes people have seen ghost soldiers there." And that's it. Yawn.

- Märät säpikkäät. The title is untranslatable, but the book is a humorous guide to the Sámi people and culture.
Sámi are the only indigenous people of EU, they live mostly in northern Scandinavia and Finland. This is really fun book, and surprisingly good one, too: although it is written with a light, tongue-in-cheek attitude, I think I learned more about the Sámi than I could've learned from a more academic book. After all, if you are going to tell about the life of modern day indigenous people, you want to include stories about finding dates during festivals and arms races regarding how fancy your traditional costume is.

I finished Resist: Tales from a Future Worth Fighting Against. Most of the stories in it are eligible for this year's awards, but only "Aware" by C. Robert Cargill would get my nomination. My review.

I agree that "The Proud Robot" is a bit of a waste of time. I read all 5 of Kuttner's stories about that drunk inventor and none of them are great, though the very first one, "Time Locker", is OK. (Only the last 3 have the robot.)

Yes, I stupidly paid 99 cents for The Proud Robot on amazon--oh well, I have wasted lots more money stupider things

Kateblue wrote: "Yes, I stupidly paid 99 cents for The Proud Robot on amazon--oh well, I have wasted lots more money stupider things"

I can top that! I paid $20 for the paperback with the 5 Kuttner stories. Not my best financial decision. But I'll survive.

well the really stupid thing was today a Kuttner book of 17 short stories, including this one, is for sale on Kindle, which prompted my renark

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Henry-Kut...

I may buy it by midnight

Blackfish City (Hugo-eligible) would be really good if it weren't arranged so poorly. Also, I am sure I have figured the whole thing out at about 50%. I hate when authors cut stuff up and change from character to character as this author has done. Maybe there's not enough of a story without?

Witchmark, really good, highly recommended.

Finished Trail of Lightning, Really good except (view spoiler)[ I hated the ending! Grr! Cliffhangerish (hide spoiler)]

Definitely Hugo material

Next are Planetside which is favored as # 4 on this GR list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... and I it out have from the library, so need to read fast

Then,
(unless these books show up from the library where I have them on hold:
_ Sparrow Hill Road, which I have to read before The Girl in the Green Silk Gown
_ Semiosis not on the list
_ Foundryside #20 on the list
_ or The Cruel Prince #7 on the list )

I will read The Calculating Stars #6 on the list and I have it

And then maybe Red Moon which I have & is #31

and The Stars Now Unclaimed which is a TOR book issued last August that I happen to have, but which no one seems to be voting for in the Goodreads list

Finished The Drowning Girl. I ended up thinking it was pretty good! It's first person and the person is disturbed, so it starts off a bit disjointed. Right when you think, oh I'm just gonna have to plow through this drudgery, it coalesces and draws you in. An intelligent and creepy story.

Took my first trip to the main city library (San Antonio). A couple months ago I discovered the Libby app, which gets you audio & e-books, but you have to get your official library card. It gave me a chance to check out the paper sci-fi collection, which was pretty darn good. Checked out Semiosis and McDevitt's Polaris (before I remembered it's the second of a series where I haven't read the first). I'll save a ton of money doing things this way.

Also, because of various Kindles running out of juice, I am still reading Fuzzy Sapiens, Highways in Hiding and Angelfall

I have gotten no further with put second monthly read, the one by Dickson, having had more fun things to read.

I LIKE this Hugo stuff! Next year I am starting earlier!

Kate and Allan sure know how to make a fellow sci-fi lover envious! I'm not having a particularly great literary month so far, just finishing up reads I've been reading for months now. Got through I, Robot in about a day though, it was both refreshing and familiar at the same time, just the thing I needed. Being slightly busy I don't have the time to dive into a serious read, one that requires attention.

That being said, I better go chip away at Timescape if I want to have any more time left for another WorldCon 2019 read this month.

Oh and Allan, congrats on getting a library card, way to go!

Thanks, I'm pretty proud of that accomplishment!

Semiosis just came through from the library!! And I was wrong, it's #18 on the list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Yes, I have to get my library card renewed very soon or thye might cut me off! ACK!

Finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane on audio. Witch World, though short, is not the easy knockout Read I thought it would be. Great story, just more complex than I expected. After my library find of McDevitt's Polaris, I had to join another library where I found the first book in the series, A Talent for War. I'll be starting that and Semiosis shortly.

Allan: I also read Polaris first, then Seeker and Talent for War only after that. Because of this order, I remember being slightly disappointed with TfW, since as a first book in the series it naturally spent a lot of time introducing the characters, and I felt I already knew them. But it wasn't bad by any measure.

I really like the Alex Benedict books and standalone Eternity Road; I should try the Academy books sometimes.

Another sci-fi group I'm in is doing the Academy series, one of the two reads monthly, so I've read the first two and am trying to get to Chindi. I had The Engines of God in my shelf forever but never touched it. Now I really regret not reading McDevitt before this. Really great stuff! My best new (to me) author find in 2018.

Allan wrote: "Now I really regret not reading McDevitt before this. Really great stuff! My best new (to me) author find in 2018."

I plan to read him eventually, I even have one or two books by him on my reader.

I'm now in the middle of Remnant Population, Nebula winner. This is my first book by Elizabeth Moon and I'm impressed, even in spite of the fact that I mind-debate with her protagonist. Reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin SF. I plan to read Early Riser in a week, maybe adding to my Hugo nominee list

Kateblue wrote: "Yes, I have to get my library card renewed very soon or thye might cut me off! ACK!"

I love the library! I go every week. Though I also use the electronic resources more and more these days.

The library is the biggest line-item expense on my property tax bill, but I've no complaints about it! It is a fabulous library. They even loan telescopes and power tools. (Do any of you need to borrow a table saw? A sewing machine? ...)

Started reading "Senlin Ascends" which I expect to be picked for the "Dragons & Jetpacks" group. It has me hooked!

I was hooked from the beginning of The Calculating Stars. It was wonderful. But it didn't read like a science fiction book. It seemed more like a historical memoir of the protagonist. More of a woman's book. It's 5 stars though because I was so disappointed it was over. Reading about the help she had to make it authentic was also interesting.

It is set in an alternate 1952, and much of it is dealing with the social issues of the time. I guess it is Hugo worthy, But there is a problem. Be sure you have a copy of The Fated Sky on hand when you start it, because, though The Calculating Stars ended well enough, the two books are obviously meant to be read together. And I don't have the second one yet!!! (Hurry up, library!)

I am currently reading Semiosis and I like it, but there is one thing I don't like, It's almost like reading a bunch of short stories. I don't really read short fiction because I love the character or the setting or something and then it is over. So, Allan, be warned.

I am also reading Planetside, which is quite well-written, and I really like it. It seems like an episode of NCIS, though. Not saying that's bad, but once again, doesn't really seem like SciFi except for the rocket ships and stuff.

Early Riser is next.

I also haveHow to Pick Up Women with a Drunk Space Ninja. I bought it on the spur of the moment because it is on the GR Hugo list and because it was cheap. I might have made a mistake because it seems pretty clunky and unfunny for something that is supposed to be a comedy. Plus, it seems to have paragraphs as long as my arm, something I had trouble with while readingSpace Opera. I'm only at 5%, but it seems quite short. I'm gonna pass for now.

Holds from the library: I have Foundryside, The Cruel Princeand andSparrow Hill Road which I have to read before I can read The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. I don't think I will get them in time, much less read in time.