2022 Hugo Award: Best Novella

[sophia_sol]

Woohoo I finally got through another Hugo category! Here's how I'm voting for the novellas this year. Links to full reviews in the titles.

1. Elder Race, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I LOVED THIS. I was not expecting it at all and it blew me away!

2. The Past is Red, by Catherynne M Valente

Yes, I'm surprised as you are that I'm ranking a Valente this high, but you know what, every now and then she manages to write something that really works for me, and this does.

3. Fireheart Tiger, by Aliette de Bodard

Loved everything about this one except that the romance felt too rushed.

4. A Spindle Splintered, by Alix E Harrow

Although I don't love everything this book is doing, I still really liked it!

5. No Award

6. A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers

I've loved most of the Becky Chambers books I've read in the past, but this one just really rubbed me the wrong way in a number of aspects. DNF.

Not ranking: Across the Green Grass Fields, by Seanan McGuire

I find myself so deeply irritated by something or other about every single book in this series I've read over the years for the Hugos and I'm not gonna keep on trying.

Comments

[lirazel]

We'll see! I will certainly report back about how I feel about it!

I'm like "okay but what kind of book is it. what are the vibes. what is the plot. is it good." Representation is great! But it doesn't actually tell you anything about whether you'll enjoy the book as a book!

I think there are some people who view reading a book as kind of like...checking things off a list? Is there queer rep? Is there sufficient racial diversity? And this is so the opposite of how I read that I can't really wrap my head around it.

Or maybe they don't really read like that, they just perform about those things when they talk about books online.

[sophia_sol]

I also think that there are some people for whom the most important thing is that they can see themself in the main character (or any character), and so a character who doesn't have a lot of characterization beyond "is X sexuality/race/gender/ethnicity/neurotype/whatever" is actually exactly what they want because they can project themself onto that character. Which is SO SO different from how I read!

[lirazel]

I think you may be right. That is absolutely not how I read, either, or ever have. I'm of the Fran Lebowitz school--for me, a book is not a mirror, it's a door. Always.

[sophia_sol]

yes, EXACTLY!