Kevin's Watch

WorldCon is August 23rd in Anahiem CA, the Hugos are awarded that weekend, here are the Nominees:

Best Novel
Learning the World by Ken MacLeod (Orbit; Tor)
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (Voyager; Bantam Spectra)
Old Man's War by John Scalzi (Tor)
Accelerando by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit)
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)

Best Novella
Burn by James Patrick Kelly
"Magic for Beginners" by Kelly Link (Magic for Beginners, Small Beer Press; F&SF September 2005)
"The Little Goddess" by Ian McDonald (Asimov’s June 2005)
"Identity Theft" by Robert J. Sawyer (Down These Dark Spaceways, SFBC)
"Inside Job" by Connie Willis (Asimov’s January 2005)

Best Novelette
"The Calorie Man" by Paolo Bacigalupi (F&SF October/November 2005)
"Two Hearts" by Peter S. Beagle (F&SF October/November 2005)
"TelePresence" by Michael A. Burstein (Analog July/August 2005)
"I, Robot" by Cory Doctorow (The Infinite Matrix February 15, 2005)
"The King of Where-I-Go" by Howard Waldrop (SCI FICTION December 7, 2005)

Best Short Story
"Seventy-Five Years" by Michael A. Burstein (Analog January/February 2005)
"The Clockwork Atom Bomb" by Dominic Green (Interzone May/June 2005)
"Singing My Sister Down" by Margo Lanagan (Black Juice, Allen & Unwin; Eos)
"Tk’tk’tk" by David D. Levine (Asimov’s March 2005)
"Down Memory Lane" by Mike Resnick (Asimov’s April/May 2005)

Best Related Book
Transformations: The Story of the Science Fiction Magazines from 1950 to 1970 by Mike Ashley (Liverpool)
The SEX Column and Other Misprints by David Langford (Cosmos)
Science Fiction Quotations edited by Gary Westfahl (Yale)
Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop by Kate Wilhelm (Small Beer Press)
Soundings: Reviews 1992-1996 by Gary K. Wolfe (Beccon)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Batman Begins Story by David S. Goyer. Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Based on the character created by Bob Kane. Directed by Christopher Nolan. (Warner Bros.)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Screenplay by Ann Peacock and Andrew Adamson and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Based on the novel by C.S. Lewis. Directed by Andrew Adamson. (Walt Disney Pictures/Walden Media)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Screenplay by Steven Kloves. Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. Directed by Mike Newell. (Warner Bros.)
Serenity Written & Directed by Joss Whedon. (Universal Pictures/Mutant Enemy, Inc.)
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit Screenplay by Steve Box & Nick Park and Bob Baker and Mark Burton. Directed by Nick Park & Steve Box. (Dreamworks Animation/Aardman Animation)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (seven nominees due to a tie)
Battlestar Galactica "Pegasus" Written by Anne Cofell Saunders.Directed by Michael Rymer.(NBC Universal/British Sky Broadcasting)
Doctor Who "Dalek" Written by Robert Shearman.Directed by Joe Ahearne. (BBC Wales/BBC1)
Doctor Who "The Empty Child" & "The Doctor Dances" Written by Steven Moffat. Directed by James Hawes. (BBC Wales/BBC1)
Doctor Who "Father’s Day" Written by Paul Cornell. Directed by Joe Ahearne. (BBC Wales/BBC1)
Jack-Jack Attack Written & Directed by Brad Bird. (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation)
Lucas Back in Anger Written by Phil Raines and Ian Sorensen. Directed by Phil Raines. (Reductio Ad Absurdum Productions)
Prix Victor Hugo Awards Ceremony (Opening Speech and Framing Sequences). Written and performed by Paul McAuley and Kim Newman. Directed by Mike & Debby Moir. (Interaction Events)

Best Professional Editor
Ellen Datlow (SCI FICTION and anthologies)
David G. Hartwell (Tor; Year's Best SF)
Stanley Schmidt (Analog Science Fiction and Fact)
Gordon Van Gelder (Fantasy & Science Fiction)
Sheila Williams (Asimov’s)

Best Professional Artist (six nominees due to a tie)
Jim Burns
Bob Eggleton
Donato Giancola
Stephan Martiniere
John Picacio
Michael Whelan

bold: only guys I've read and/or pick--I'm familiar with 4 of the 6 artists

So, have you read the Connie Willis novella? I'm assuming you've read the titles that are in bold. Did you like it? I'm a big fan of hers, and didn't know that she had anything new out.

Wow, never heard of novellettes before.

No I read a post-apocalypse short story by her a long time ago called "A Letter from the Cleary's" about a teenage girl who goes nuts-I think it won some awards. I've heard that she's good and writes on numerous levels. She's definately been in the spotlight lately as she's WorldCon Guest of Honor this year and was GofH at Bubonicon two years ago. I said hello to her there and browsed a few of her books-but I've never read any of her novels.

I think I've read all of her novels and novellas. I'm not really into short stories, so haven't read any of those. "Doomsday Book" is really good; it's one of her time-travel books. My favorite was "Bellweather." It's not really science fiction, more like social science fiction. It's set in sort of a national lab in Boulder. I used to work in one (pretty near where she lives), and let me tell you, it was funny as hell. She must've worked in a govt lab at one point or another, because she knew all of the frustrating inner workings of those places.

Have you read Days of Atonement by Walter Jon Williams? Sounds like the same sort of book as Bellweather (I'll keep an eye out). Set, fictionally of course, in and around Los Alamos. An extremely well written book, btw.

I'll have to check it out; I've got some buddies who work down there. Sounds like it will be a fun read.

Why don't you come on down to Bubonicon on the 31st-you can meet Walter in person--he's damm funny. Not to mention SRD or GRRM or Ben Bova or Daniel Abraham...or the best new fantasy writer 10 years from now: me!

danlo wrote:Why don't you come on down to Bubonicon on the 31st-you can meet Walter in person--he's damm funny. Not to mention SRD or GRRM or Ben Bova or Daniel Abraham...or the best new fantasy writer 10 years from now: me!

Wow, that sounds like fun. I'll have to figure out how to convince the wife to go down to NM in late august, though.

That sig (run, hide or die) sounds awful familiar.....

It's the 31st of July--it's be moved so as not to interfere with Connie Willis and WorldCon

Spoiler

it's from LOST

danlo wrote:

Spoiler

it's from LOST

Trust me, I know. I love that show.

If A Feast for Crows win it will be as big as a joke as when Rowling robbed Martin some years ago (and I'm not one of the peopel who thought aFfCthe book was awful). I'm voting the novel category ike this (still haevn't read Spin yet):

Accelerando by Charles Stross
Learning the World by Ken MacLeod
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

The rest of the categories:

Best Novella - "Magic for Beginners" by Kelly Link - Link may be the best fantasist alive in the field.

Best Novelette - haven't read enough of them, although I do like the Doctorow story.

Best Short Story - one of the two categores that should be a slam dunk, this should go to Margo Lanagan.

Best Related Book - Wilhelm

Best Dramatic Presentation - Serenity

Best Professional Editor - we pay tribute to ScifiCom the best market for shortfiction over the last few years and give it to Datlow.

Best Professional Artist: The other slam dunk is Picacio, who clearly has outdone everyones else recently.

Hasn't anyone heard the results yet? They were supposed to have been announced last night.

I'm reading A FEAST FOR CROWS now -- the only one of the candidates I've read.

Farm Ur-Ted wrote:

danlo wrote:

Spoiler

it's from LOST

Trust me, I know. I love that show.

That is the ONLY show I cannot miss. I am hooked as though on grade-A meth.

Thanks, Murrin. As usual, I had only read one of the nominees (the Martin), and I hope that some of the others (such as the winner) will someday appear in mass market paperback at one of the stores near my home.

Has anyone here read Spin? What is it about? Is it a good read?