NESFA® 2008 Hugo Recommendations
5 April 2009 -- daa

NESFA continues to maintain a list of Good Stuff to read. Any NESFA member who reads something that they would like to recommend to others to be considered for a Hugo nomination can add it to the list. We will publish it from time to time in Instant Message and on the nets. (Feel free to reproduce it provided you reproduce it intact!) It's neither definitive nor complete, but it contains the stories, novels and non-fiction works that a bunch of well-read fans feel may be worthy of a Hugo nomination.

These are items published in 2008 and eligible for the Hugos to be presented at Anticipation, Aug. 6-10, 2009, in Montreal, Québec. The nominating deadline has now passed. For more about the Hugos, see theHugoAwards.org.

A discussion on the SMOFS mailing list has brought to our attention the fact that section 3.8.6 of the WSFS constitution is interpreted by at least some Hugo Administrators as a directive to silently discard nominations made in the "wrong" category of a group of categories differentiated by length (i.e., Novel / Novella / Novellette / Short Story or Dramatic Presentation Long / Short Form) unless there are unused slots in the "correct" category. This is especially problematic in the Dramatic Presentation categories, where it conflicts with the intuitive interpretation (which is encouraged by the current wording of the category definitions) that movies belong in Long Form and TV shows belong in Short Form. To be sure that your nominations in those categories are counted, it appears that you must either choose the category in which to nominate strictly by the length of the item being nominated or nominate fewer than the maximum allowed number of items in the other possible category.

Novel (40,000 words or more)
Title Author Publisher  
Matter Iain M. Banks Orbit vjd, jam, ies
Hell and Earth Elizabeth Bear Roc Trade esa
Ink and Steel Elizabeth Bear Roc Trade esa
City at the End of Time Greg Bear Del Rey mlo
Little Brother Cory Doctorow Tor, ed. by Patrick Nielsen Hayden dgg
Incandescence Greg Egan Night Shade Books vjd, ies
The January Dancer Michael Flynn Tor (no editor listed) jam
The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman HarperCollins daa, ca, dgg
Pandemonium Daryl Gregory Del Rey ca, daa
The Night Sessions Ken MacLeod Orbit ca, daa, ies
The Quiet War Paul McAuley Gollancz ca, daa, vjd
Singularity's Ring Paul Melko Tor, ed. by David Hartwell ca, po, daa, dgg
Fleet of Worlds Larry Niven & Edward M. Lerner Tor (no editor listed) mlo, dgg
Juggler of Worlds Larry Niven & Edward M. Lerner Tor (no editor listed) mlo
Nation Terry Pratchett HarperCollins fo
House of Suns Alastair Reynolds Victor Gollancz (UK) mlo, vjd
The Prefect (UK 2007; US 2008) Alastair Reynolds Gollanz (2007); Ace (2008) vjd, mlo, by, ca, ies, jam
Pirate Sun Karl Schroeder Tor, ed. by David Hartwell jam, ca, mlo, daa, po
Superpowers David J. Schwartz Three Rivers Press shs
Anathem Neal Stephenson Wm Morrow (no editor listed) ies
In the Courts of the Crimson Kings S. M. Stirling Tor (no editor listed) mlo, po, ca, daa, arl
Saturn's Children Charles Stross Ace mlo, po, daa, jam, ged, ca, vjd
The Dragons of Babel Michael Swanwick Tor, ed. by David Hartwell ca, dgg

Novella (between 17,500 and 40,000 words)
Title Author Appeared  
The Overseer Albert E. Cowdrey F&SF, Mar 2008 ca
The Demon Trap Peter Hamilton Galactic Empires, ed. by Gardner Dozois ca
The Luminous Depths David Herter PS Publishing ies
The Erdmann Nexus Nancy Kress Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2008 ca
The Hob Carpet Ian R. MacLeod Asimov's Jun 2008 ca, ies
Prisoners of the Action Paul McAuley & Kim Newman The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy, ed. by Ellen Datlow ca
The Tear Ian McDonald Galactic Empires ca
Tenbrook of Mars Dean McLaughlin Analog, Jul/Aug 2008 ca
Truth Robert Reed Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2008 ca
The Room of Lost Souls Kristine Kathryn Rusch Asimov's, Apr/May 2008 ca
Wonjjiang and the Madman of Pyongyang Gord Sellar Tesseracts Twelve ca
Pinocchio Walter Jon Williams The Starry Rift, ed. by Jonathan Strahan mlo

Novelette (between 7,500 and 17,500 words)
Title Author Appeared  
Ice War Stephen Baxter Asimov's, Sept 2008 jam, ca, mlo
Shoggoths in Bloom Elizabeth Bear Asimov's Mar 2008 ca
The Golden Octopus Beth Bernobich PostScripts Number 15, Summer 2008 ies
If Angels Fight Richard Bowes F&SF, Feb 2008 ca
Exhalation Ted Chiang Eclipse Two ed by Jonathan Strahan mlo
Guaranteed Not to Turn Pink in the Can Thomas R. Dulski Analog, Apr 2008 ca
Crystal Nights Greg Egan Interzone, Apr 2008 mlo, ca
Shining Armour Dominic Green The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two, ed. by George Mann ca
Pride and Prometheus John Kessel F&SF, Jan 2008 arl, ca, mlo
The Art of Alchemy Ted Kosmatka F&SF, Jun 2008 ca
Divining Light Ted Kosmatka Asimov's, Aug 2008 ca, daa
The Man in the Mirror Geoffrey A. Landis Analog, Jan/Feb 2008 ca, mlo
Litany Rand B. Lee F&SF, Jun 2008 ca, mlo
The English Mutiny Ian R. MacLeod Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2008 ca
The Red Planet League Kim Newman Gaslight Grimoire mlo, ca
Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake Naomi Novik Fast Ships, Black Sails ca, daa, mlo
Fury Alastair Reynolds Eclipse Two ca
The Country of the Young Gord Sellar Interzone, Dec 2008 ca
Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues Gord Sellar Asimov's, Jul 2008 ca
Following the Pharmers Brian Stableford Asimov's, Mar 2008 ca

Short Story (less than 7,500 words)
Title Author Appeared  
Boojum Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette Fast Ships, Black Sails ca
Here's What I Know Dennis Danvers Realms of Fantasy, Jun 2008 arl
Orange Neil Gaiman The Starry Rift ed by Jonathan Strahan mlo, ca, po
A Brief Guide to Other Histories Paul McAuley Postscripts Number 15, Summer 2008 ca
The Thought War Paul McAuley Postscripts Number 15, Summer 2008 ca
The Adventure of the Southsea Trunk Jack McDevitt Sideways in Crime shs
His Master's Voice Hannu Rajaniemi Interzone, Oct 2008 ca
The House Left Empty Robert Reed Asimov's, Apr/May 2008 ca, mlo
Reunion Robert Reed F&SF, May 2008 ca
Horse Racing Mary Rosenblum Asimov's, Sep 2008 ca, mlo
G-Men Kristine Kathryn Rusch Sideways in Crime shs
Dhuluma No More Gord Sellar Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2008 ca
From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled... Michael Swanwick Asimov's, Feb 2008 ca

Related Book
Title Author Publisher  
Sparrow Number Six: Rick Berry Rick Berry IDW Publishing ca
H. Beam Piper: A Biography John F. Carr McFarland ca
The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr. Wesleyan vjd
Spectrum 15: The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds. Underwood Books ca, mlo, dgg
Paint or Pixel: The Digital Divide in Illustration Art Jane Frank Nonstop Press ca, ged
What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction Paul Kincaid Beccon Publications ca, ies
Rhetorics of Fantasy Farah Mendlesohn Wesleyan vjd, ies
Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction John Rieder Wesleyan vjd
The History of Science Fiction Palgrave (UK 2007) Adam Roberts MacMillan vjd
The Paintings of J. Allen St. John: Grand Master of Fantasy J. Allen St. John Vanguard ca
The Turtle Moves Lawrence Watt-Evans BenBella shs

Graphic Story
Title Author Artist Publisher  
Joker Brian Azzarello Lee Bermejo DC Comics ca, daa
Aetheric Mechanics Warren Ellis Gianluca Pagliarani Avatar ca, daa
Air (issues 1-5): Letters From Lost Countries G. Willow Wilson M. K. Perker Vertigo ca, daa

Dramatic Presentation Long Form (over 90 minutes) [times are mostly from www.imdb.com]
Title Studio Length  
Cloverfield Bad Robot 85 min ca, daa, vjd
The Colour of Magic RHI Entertainment 191 min jam, ldtm
The Dark Knight Warner Brothers 152 min sls, dak, ca, daa, dgg, vjd, shs
The Fall Absolute Entertainment 117 min ca, daa
Hellboy II: The Golden Army Dark Horse Entertainment 120 min ca, daa, jam, vjd
Iron Man Dark Blades Films 126 min jam, ldtm, mlo, po, dgg, ca, daa, ged, vjd, shs
Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In) EFTI 114 min ca, daa, vjd
El Orfanato (The Orphanage) Esta Vivo! Laboratorio de Nuevos Talentos 105 min ca, daa
Speed Racer Warner Brothers 135 min ca, daa
WALL-E Pixar 98 min jam, ca, daa, mlo, po, dgg, ged, vjd, shs

Dramatic Presentation Short Form (90 minutes or less) [times are mostly from www.imdb.com]
Title Series / Studio Length  
Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer Chuck 40 min shs
Midnight Doctor Who 45 min jam, vjd
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead Doctor Who 88 min jam, ldtm, vjd, ca, daa
Stolen Earth / Journey's End Doctor Who 108 min jam, vjd
Turn Left Doctor Who 49 min jam, ldtm, vjd, ca, daa, po
Safe Fringe   ca, daa
season 2, episode 5 (UK 2007) Life on Mars (UK) 60 min jam
The Constant Lost 43 min ca, daa, po, jam
Commentary: The Musical Mutant Enemy ~45 min shs
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Mutant Enemy ~45 min vjd, ca, daa
Presto Pixar 5 min shs, mlo, daa, ged, vjd
Frescourts Pushing Dasies   shs
Outcast Star Gate: Atlantis   arl
Adrift Torchwood 50 min jam, ldtm
Fragments / Exit Wounds Torchwood 100 min jam
To the Last Man Torchwood 50 min ca, daa

Noteworthy Works by Potential Campbell Nominees

(We do not make recommendations on these pages for the Hugo awards which are given to people (such as Best Editor or Best Artist), but for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer we do note recommended stories by people we believe to be eligible.)

Title Author Appeared / Publisher  
Destroyermen: Into the Storm Taylor Anderson Roc ca
Ex-Kop Warren Hammond Tor ca
Kop Warren Hammond Tor ca
The Gone-Away World Nick Harkaway Knopf ca
Mad Kestrel Misty Massey Tor ca
The Country of the Young Gord Sellar Interzone, Dec 2008 ca
Dhuluma No More Gord Sellar Asimov's, Oct/Nov 2008 ca
Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues Gord Sellar Asimov's, Jul 2008 ca

Other Good Reads

Novel (40,000 words or more)
Title Author Publisher  
An Autumn War Daniel Abraham Tor, ed. by James Frenkel po
Warrior: The Time Hunters Angela Knight Berkley pal
Through the Veil Shiloh Walker Berkley Sensation pal

Novella (between 17,500 and 40,000 words)
Title Author Appeared  
       

Novelette (between 7,500 and 17,500 words)
Title Author Appeared  
       

Short Story (less than 7,500 words)
Title Author Appeared  
Shade Stephen Gould Tor.com ca, daa

Related Book
Title Author Publisher  
       

Graphic Story
Title Author Artist Publisher  
The Dresden Files: Welcome to the Jungle Jim Butcher Ardian Syaf Dabel Brothers daa, ca

Dramatic Presentation Long Form (over 90 minutes) [times are mostly from www.imdb.com]
Title Studio Length  
CJ7 Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia 86 min ca, daa
City of Ember Playtone 95 min ca, daa
The Dark Knight Warner Brothers 152 min po, mlo, jam
The Forbidden Kingdom Casey Silver Productions 113 min ca, daa
The Happening Barry Mendel Productions 91 min ca, daa
The Incredible Hulk Marvel Enterprises 112 min ca, daa
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Paramount 122 min ca, daa, ged, mlo, jam
Journey to the Center of the Earth Walden Media 93 min ca, daa
Justice League: The New Frontier Warner Brothers Animation 75 min ca, daa, jam
The Spiderwick Chronicles The Kennedy / Marshall Company 96 min ca, daa

Dramatic Presentation Short Form (90 minutes or less) [times are mostly from www.imdb.com]
Title Series / Studio Length  
       

Key to nominators: ansl: Alice Lewis, arl: Tony Lewis, bsa: Brad Ackerman, by: Ben Yalow, ca: Claire Anderson, cjh: Chip Hitchcock, daa: Dave Anderson, dak: Debbie King, dea: Deb Atwood, dgg: David G. Grubbs, dmg: Deborah M. Geisler, ebh: Lisa Hertel, ec: Elisabeth Carey, esa: Ted Atwood, fo: Frank Olynyk; ged: Gay Ellen Dennett, ies: Ian Stockdale, jam: Jim Mann, js: Joe Siclari, jks: Joyce Scrivner, kp: Kelly Persons, ldtm: Laurie Mann, mdh: Mark Hertel, mlo: Mark Olson, pal: Paula Lieberman, pf: Pam Fremon, po: Priscilla Olson, rk: Rick Katze, sl: Suford Lewis, shs: Steven Silver, sls: Sharon Sbarsky, sp: Sheila Perry, tps: Tim Szczesuil, vjd: Vincent J. Docherty