Hugo Finalist Analysis — Part One, Fiction

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

I’m going to split this up because there are so many categories. So, part one will be the straight up fiction writing: Novel, novella, novelette, short story, graphic story or comic, Best Series, Lodestar and Astounding.

Part two will be the editing categories: Best Editor, Long Form, Best Editor, Short Form, Best Semiprozine, Best Fanzine.

Then part three will be non-fiction and art: Best Related Work, Best Fan Writer, Best Fancast, Best Fan Artist and Best Professional Artist.

I’m also going to put the Dramatic Presentation categories in part three because I probably won’t have as much to discuss there.

So, let’s start with:

Best Novel

1. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine. I didn’t like this one quite as much as the first book (A Memory Called Empire), but I still liked it a lot.
2. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. Haven’t read it yet. I know what to expect from Becky Chambers, though, and it should be a nice cozy read.
3. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. Haven’t read this one either. The title says it’s science fiction. The blurb says it’s…everything. Okay, then. Queer alien courtship and donuts is something I can get behind.