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emperor at 10:14am on 05/07/2019 under hugo awards 2019
emperor at 10:14am on 05/07/2019 under hugo awards 2019I've now read all of these, and will probably vote thus. There are several fine works here, but nothing that I thought was Really Outstanding.
- Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik. I loved this - it really drew me in, and I thought the different point-of-view characters were nicely differentiated. It's obviously inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, but isn't just a retelling of that. I thought the Staryk were nicely other, and that was paralleled in how the Jewish characters are treated as other by other townsfolk.
- Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee. A very satisfying ending to the trilogy that began with Ninefox Gambit. It didn't have as much new to offer (which is perhaps inevitable in the third-of-a-trilogy) as Ninefox Gambit.
- The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal. There's a lot to like in this book (and a lot to make you cry), and the world needs more stories of lady astronauts. I felt like the plot had an air of inevitability to it, though - I was pretty sure of the ending from quite early on, which maybe took some tension out.
- Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers. I think I am mostly sad that this isn't the sequel to A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet that I really want to read! It's an enjoyable series of events, but I didn't find myself wanting to find out what happened next.
- Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse. I thought I'd really like this (everyone likes Coyote stories, right?), but while it was engaging enough, it didn't really leave an impression on me.
- Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente. I hated this, and I thought I'd really like Eurovision fan-fic. I found the style really grating (which is probably at least partly because Douglas Adams isn't my thing, and I think that's what the author was aiming for), and didn't care about the plot or any of the characters.
(no subject)