The Hugo Awards 2024

 

2023 Hugo Award. Fair Use

I’ve been a member of the World Science Fiction Convention every year since ConZealand in 2020. I was hoping to travel to Wellington for a few days to attend, since New Zealand is only about three hours’ plane flight away. Alas, you all know what happened that year. But the con committee refused to let COVID close them down altogether, and made it a virtual convention, which meant we could attend online. And I’ve been attending virtually every year since, when other cons created a virtual option. Family commitments have prevented me from going personally, but I can still see preferred panels. 

Better still, I get to vote in the Hugo Awards, which allow fans to vote on their favourite works. They let me download the books and sometimes videos as well.

This year, I’ve only read one book on the list, Aussie Garth Nix’s The Sinister Booksellers Of Bath. It’s a sequel to The Left-Handed  Booksellers Of London https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com/2023/09/just-finished-reading-left-handed.html which I’ve reviewed on this site. Both books are great fun. This one is on the children’s/YA list. 

I’ve started this year’s list with the Best Series books, with a book by another Aussie writer, Freya Marske. The first novel in her series is A Marvellous Light, a sort of steampunk story - well, it’s historical fantasy set in the Edwardian era, but in it, magic is taken for granted, though you have to be born with the gift. I’m enjoying it very much so far. 

I’m not sure I’ll get through everything on every list, but I do get to read everything from Best Novel to Best Short Story. As it happens, I’ve seen two of the films on the list - Poor Things and Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, and three of the short-form stories, the two Doctor Who specials and Loki finale Glorious Purpose. 

Here is the 2024 short list in case you’re interested. Hopefully I’ll be able to review some of the stories below.

The 2024 Hugo Award Shortlist

Novel

• The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (Harper Voyager; Harper Voyager UK)
• The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
• Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (Tordotcom; Orbit UK)
• Starter Villain, John Scalzi (Tor US; Tor UK)
• Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

Novella

• Life Does Not Allow Us to Meet, He Xi, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
• Mammoths at the Gates, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
• The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older (Tordotcom)
• Rose/House, Arkady Martine (Subterranean)
• “Seeds of Mercury”, Wang Jinkang (Adventures in Space: New Short stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
• Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)

Novelette

• I AM AI, Ai Jiang (Shortwave)
• “Introduction to 2181 Overture, Second Edition”, Gu Shi, translated by Emily Jen (Clarkesworld Feb 2023)
• “Ivy, Angelica, Bay”, C. L. Polk (Tor.com 8 Dec 2023)
• “On the Fox Roads”, Nghi Vo (Tor.com 31 Oct 2023)
• “One Man's Treasure”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Jan/Feb 2023)
• “The Year Without Sunshine”, Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Nov/Dec 2023)

Short Story

• “Answerless Journey”, Han Song, translated by Alex Woodend (Adventures in Space: New Short Stories by Chinese & English Science Fiction Writers)
• “Better Living Through Algorithms”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld May 2023)
• “How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub”, P. Djèlí Clark (Uncanny Jan/Feb 2023)
• “The Mausoleum's Children”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny May/Jun 2023)
• “The Sound of Children Screaming”, Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Oct 2023)
• “Tasting the Future Delicacy Three Times”, Baoshu (Galaxy's Edge Vol. 13: Secret Room in the Black Domain)

Related Work

• All These Worlds: Reviews & Essays, Niall Harrison (Briardene Books)
• Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, vols 2 and 3, Yang Feng (8-Light Minutes Culture & Chengdu Time Press)
• A City on Mars, Kelly Weinersmith & Zach Weinersmith (Penguin Press; Particular Books)
• The Culture: The Drawings, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)
• Discover X, Tina Wong
• A Traveller in Time: The Critical Practice of Maureen Kincaid Speller, Maureen Kincaid Speller, edited by Nina Allan (Luna Press Publishing)

Graphic Story Or Comic

• Bea Wolf, Zach Weinersmith & Boulet (First Second)
• Saga, Vol. 11, Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
• Shubeik Lubeik, Deena Mohamed (Pantheon) (as Your Wish Is My Command (Granta))
• The Three Body Problem, Part One, Cai Jin, Ge Wendi, Bo Mu & Caojijiuridong (Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House) (adapted from the novels by Liu Cixin)
• The Witches of World War II, Paul Cornell & Valeria Burzo (TKO Studios LLC)
• Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha & Nicola Scott (DC Comics)

Dramatic Presentation: Long Form

• Barbie (screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, directed by Greta Gerwig (Warner Bros. Studios))
• Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (screenplay by John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein and Michael Gilio, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Paramount Pictures))
• Nimona (screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Annapurna Animations))
• Poor Things (screenplay by Tony McNamara, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Element Pictures))
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment / Avi Arad Productions / Lord Miller / Pascal Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation))
• The Wandering Earth II (based on the novel by Liu Cixin, screenplay by Yang Zhixue, Frant Gwo, Gong Geer, and Ye Ruchang, script consultant Wang Hongwei, directed by Frant Gwo (CFC Pictures Ltd, G!Film (Beijing) Studio Co. Ltd, Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communication Co, Ltd, China Film Co. Ltd))

Dramatic Presentation: Short Form

• Doctor Who: “Wild Blue Yonder” (written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Tom Kingsley (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television))
• Doctor Who: “The Giggle” (written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Chanya Button (Bad Wolf with BBC Studios for The BBC and Disney Branded Television))
• The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time” (written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, directed by Peter Hoar (Naughty Dog / Sony Pictures))
• Loki: “Glorious Purpose” (screenplay by Eric Martin, Michael Waldron and Katharyn Blair, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Marvel / Disney+))
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Those Old Scientists” (written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Jonathan Frakes (CBS / Paramount+))
• Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: “Subspace Rhapsody” (written by Dana Horgan and Bill Wolkoff, directed by Dermott Downs (CBS / Paramount+))

Editor, Short Form

• Scott H. Andrews
• Neil Clarke
• Yang Feng
• Jonathan Strahan
• Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
• Liu Weijia

Editor, Long Form

• Ruoxi Chen
• Yao Haijun
• Lindsey Hall
• Lee Harris
• Kelly Lonesome
• David Thomas Moore

Professional Artist

• Micaela Alcaino
• Rovina Cai
• Galen Dara
• Dan Dos Santos
• Tristan Elwell
• Alyssa Winans

Semiprozine

• Escape Pod, Mur Lafferty (editor), Valerie Valdes (editor), Benjamin C. Kinney (assistant editor), Premee Mohamed (assistant editor), Kevin Wabaunsee (assistant editor), Tina Connolly (host), Alasdair Stuart (host), Summer Brooks (producer), Adam Pracht (producer) (and the entire Escape Pod team)
• FIYAH, DaVaun Sanders (publisher and executive editor), B. Sharise Moore (poetry editor), L. D. Lewis (special projects manager), Christian Ivey (art director), Rebecca McGee (acquiring editor), Kerine Wint (acquiring editor), Joshua Morley (acquiring editor), Emmalia Harrington (acquiring editor), Genine Tyson (acquiring editor), Tonya R. Moore (acquiring editor), Nelson Rolon (sponsor coordinator)
• GigaNotoSaurus, editor LaShawn M. Wanak, associate editors Mia Tsai and Edgard Wentz, along with the GNS Slushreaders Team
• khoréo, Aleksandra Hill, Zhui Ning Chang, Kanika Agrawal, Isabella Kestermann, Rowan Morrison, Sachiko Ragosta, Lian Xia Rose, Jenelle DeCosta, Melissa Ren, Elaine Ho, Lilivette Domínguez, Jei D. Marcade, Jeané Ridges, Isaree Thatchaichawalit, Danai Christopoulou, M. L. Krishnan, Ysabella Maglanque, Aaron Voigt, Adil Mian, Alexandra Millatmal, E. Broderick, K. S. Walker, Katarzyna Nowacka, Katie McIvor, Kelsea Yu, Marie Croke, Osahon Ize-Iyamu, Phoebe Low, S. R. Westvik, Sara S. Messenger
• Strange Horizons, Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
• Uncanny, Lynne M. Thomas (publisher and editor-in-chief), Michael Damian Thomas (publisher and editor-in-chief), Monte Lin (managing editor), Meg Elison (nonfiction editor), Erika Ensign (podcast producer), Steven Schapansky (podcast producer)

Fanzine

• Black Nerd Problems, Omar Holmon & William Evans
• The Full Lid, Alasdair Stuart & Marguerite Kenner
• Idea, Geri Sullivan
• Journey Planet, Michael Carroll, Vincent Docherty, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Allison Hartman Adams, Arthur Liu, Jean Martin, Helena Nash, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Yen Ooi, Chuck Serface, Alan Stewart, Regina Kanyu Wang, James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia
• Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together, Roseanna Pendlebury (editor), Arturo Serrano (editor), Paul Weimer (editor), Joe Sherry (senior editor), Adri Joy (senior editor), G. Brown (senior editor), Vance Kotrla (senior editor)
• Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, Olav Rokne & Amanda Wakaruk

Fan Writer

• Bitter Karella
• James Davis Nicoll
• Jason Sanford
• Alasdair Stuart
• Paul Weimer
• Örjan Westin

Fan Artist

• Iain J. Clark
• Sara Felix
• Dante Luiz
• Laya Rose
• Alison Scott
• España Sheriff

Fancast

• The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe
• Hugos There, Seth Heasley
• Octothorpe, John Coxon, Alison Scott & Liz Batty
• Publishing Rodeo, Sunyi Dean & Scott Drakeford
• Science Fiction Fans Buma, Buma, Liu Lu & Liu Chang
• Worldbuilding for Masochists, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Rowenna Miller, Cass Morris & Natania Barron

Series

• The Final Architecture, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US)
• Imperial Radch, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• The Last Binding, Freya Marske (Tordotcom; Tor UK)
• The Laundry Files, Charles Stross (Tordotcom; Orbit UK)
• October Daye, Seanan McGuire (DAW)
• The Universe of Xuya, Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz; et al.)

Game Or Interactive Work

• Alan Wake 2 (developed by Remedy Entertainment, published by Epic Games)
• Baldur's Gate 3 (produced by Larian Studios)
• Chants of Sennaar (developed by Rundisc, published by Focus Entertainment)
• DREDGE (developed by Black Salt Games, published by Team17)
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (produced by Nintendo)
• Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (developed by Respawn Entertainment, published by Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games)

— Associated Awards —

Astounding Award for Best New Writer.—

Finalists

• Moniquill Blackgoose (first year of eligibility)
• Sunyi Dean (second year of eligibility)
• Ai Jiang (second year of eligibility)
• Hannah Kaner (first year of eligibility)
• Em X. Liu (first year of eligibility)
• Xiran Jay Zhao (eligibility extended at request of Dell Magazines)

Lodestar Award—

Finalists

• Abeni's Song, P. Djèlí Clark (Starscape)
• Liberty's Daughter, Naomi Kritzer (Fairwood Press)
• Promises Stronger than Darkness, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor Teen)
• The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, Garth Nix (Katherine Tegen Books; Gollancz; Allen & Unwin)
• To Shape a Dragon's Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)
• Unraveller, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children's Books; Amulet 2023