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Hugo Reading 3 Best Novella
Jun. 12th, 2014 12:01 pm5 The Butcher of Kardov by Dan Wells. Horror about a mass murderer with a tragic past that drove him crazy. This was written in someone else's world, so it seems the steam-jacks, which were the most interesting part, I thought, were actually thought up by someone else. They didn't get much air time anyway. It achieved horrificness, if that's your thing. Also lots of violence, if that's your thing.
4 The Chaplain's Legacy by Brad Torgersen. "Religion saves the day, even if you don't believe." Ooookay then. The half-cyborg alien having to get along without her broken cyborg part and turning out to be more capable was kind of interesting. A fair amount of violence, if that's your thing. Military background, if that's your thing.
3 Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages. Wow. Now, this is beautifully written, and tells an interesting story about interesting characters followed through several generations. Um. It just ... where's the SF? Where's the fantasy? The closest we get is a scene that might have been a dream. I like the story very much but didn't feel I could give it first place for that reason.
2 Equoid by Charles Stross. This is horror as well as fantasy. Generally I don't like horror, as previously noted. But Charles Stross's Laundry books manage to also make it funny (combat epistimology FTW.) Equoid is less funny than some of his stuff, but I still enjoyed it, and it's definitely fantasy.
1 Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente. This... call it dark fantasy. Not horror but not without its horrific moments. I enjoyed it, and I think it's worthy of being on the slate, but Equoid or Wakulla Springs could have overtopped it reasonably easily by being a bit less horrific (Equoid) or more F/SF (Wakulla Springs.)
I wonder what stories the Sad Puppies kept off this slate? Perhaps when the long list of votes comes out I'll go read the two that didn't quite make it. I'd like to know what they were, and what they were like.
4 The Chaplain's Legacy by Brad Torgersen. "Religion saves the day, even if you don't believe." Ooookay then. The half-cyborg alien having to get along without her broken cyborg part and turning out to be more capable was kind of interesting. A fair amount of violence, if that's your thing. Military background, if that's your thing.
3 Wakulla Springs by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages. Wow. Now, this is beautifully written, and tells an interesting story about interesting characters followed through several generations. Um. It just ... where's the SF? Where's the fantasy? The closest we get is a scene that might have been a dream. I like the story very much but didn't feel I could give it first place for that reason.
2 Equoid by Charles Stross. This is horror as well as fantasy. Generally I don't like horror, as previously noted. But Charles Stross's Laundry books manage to also make it funny (combat epistimology FTW.) Equoid is less funny than some of his stuff, but I still enjoyed it, and it's definitely fantasy.
1 Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne Valente. This... call it dark fantasy. Not horror but not without its horrific moments. I enjoyed it, and I think it's worthy of being on the slate, but Equoid or Wakulla Springs could have overtopped it reasonably easily by being a bit less horrific (Equoid) or more F/SF (Wakulla Springs.)
I wonder what stories the Sad Puppies kept off this slate? Perhaps when the long list of votes comes out I'll go read the two that didn't quite make it. I'd like to know what they were, and what they were like.
