Musings of a Babylon Lurker » Hugo Awards

Hugo Awards 2010 : Short stories vs. Novellettes

lurker — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:18:29 +0000

This year I generally liked the novellettes better than the short stories. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues when I get to read the novellas.

Hugo Awards Novellette : “It takes Two” by Nicola Griffith

lurker — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:15:28 +0000

A very well chosen title for a cautionary tale. Nicely ambiguous. Are we talking about Richard and Cody, or about Cody and Susana.

Going deep into the question of how reliable our memories are, and how we could be influenced to do things we would not otherwise do.

While the idea could be said to be lifted from the “Red Pill/Blue Pill” choice in “The Matrix”, this story has a quite different take on the concepts of memory and reality.

8/10

Hugo Awards Novellette : “Eros, Phillia, Agape” by Rachel Swirsky

lurker — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 11:01:58 +0000

Interesting take on the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence evolving into consciousness. In this case involving a robot, or should I say android.

I found the story a bit longer than I would prefer for this relatively simple plot, on the other hand I found the writing itself interesting and somewhat captivating.

Also the relationship between robots/androids takes an interesting turn when the robot is set free to evolve. Maybe a good example why most robot stories abide Asimov’s rules.

8/10

Hugo2010 : Novellette : “Sinner, ….” by Eugie Foster

lurker — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:37:00 +0000

Full title :
“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest : Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast”

I listened to that one last year on the Escape Pod podcast.

The question is wether this is science Fiction, Fantasy or what . Genre really does not matter .

This is one of those wonderful small stories that I like.
The choices and consequences of people. Which mask should I wear today, in essence which identity do I choose for today, and the consequences of those choices.

On top of that, the question of your true identity (the “Who are You” question to which there is, it seems, no right answer.

This story has a chilling end when the protagonist reveals his true nature.

8/10

Hugo Awards 2010 Novellette : “The Island” by Peter Watts

lurker — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:15:43 +0000

A massive ship building Wormholes (Stargates ?) for billions of years. People who are in suspended animation for most of their lives. An AI that wants full control.

Finally, they meet an intelligence massively more intelligent than humans. Truly alien. I am, in a small amount reminded of Fred Hoyle’s novel “The Black Cloud” from the 1950′s, but the twist at the end of the story is good. Maybe not quite as alien as first thought.

This is clearly better than any of the short stories I have read for this year.

Lurker’s rating : 8/10

Hugo Reading : Short Story : “Bridesicle” by Will McIntosh

lurker — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:42:34 +0000

A story on the possibility of being preserved at death with the possibility of revival.

The combination with a “dating service” may seem a bit macabre, but the story actually works better than the other Hugo nominated short stories this year – at least for me.

This one will get my preferred vote for setting more thoughts in motion than the others.

7/10

Hugo Nominee, Short Story : “Non-Zero Probabilities” by N.K. Jemisin

lurker — Sun, 30 May 2010 19:59:37 +0000

A bit of an odd story, about very improbable things happening much more often than they should – or concentrated in one place, but not in others.

This one has an unusual take on probability and superstition. I generally liked it, even if is not something exceptional.

N.K. Jemisin was another complete unknown to me, so good to see a new author.

6/10

Hugo Awards 2010 Short Story : “Spar” by Kij Johnson

lurker — Sat, 29 May 2010 16:59:32 +0000

Hmmm

A short story on the theme of “Sex with an Alien”.

The whole story has one single scene , the alien is certainly non humanoid.

Unfortunately the most often asked question during reading the story was “when is it over” I found it repetitive and boring. Sorry I could not give a better review. The story must have been found good by someone, since it was nominated.

This may be an experimental story, but to me it failed.

2/10

Hugo Nominee 2010 Short Story, Mike Resnick : Bride of Frankenstein

lurker — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:59:47 +0000

This is a nice little story, picking up from the original Frankenstein story.

Thoughtfully made, and with a nice twist. The diary form works ok, though the title gives away a part of the plot.

6/10

Hugo Nominee, Short Story : “The Moment” by Lawrence M. Schoen

lurker — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:51:06 +0000

Schoen was a complete unknown to me, so I do not know if this is his usual style.

As stories go this one does not, to me, have a real plot. The closest to a story line is the search for archeological evidence.

The story feels like a series of disjointed images with an extremely loose connection. there is the search (see above), then an image of a generation ship (crash) landing on a moon, and finally a connection to a great machine, apparently near the center of the galaxy.

I found the conclusion a bit anticlimactic, oh, yes, this seems to be about a species (probably humanity) leaving a planet (probably Earth).

While I do not particularly like the story, I respect the author going where few have gone before, even if this did not work out for me. It must have worked for other people, since it was nominated for the Award.

3/10 from me.