Awards - Gemmell and Hugo

It's that time of the year!

From what I gathered in polls and comments in the last few years, the Hugo and David Gemmell awards are far from being an event waited upon impatiently.  However, it's always fun to speculate and talk about our favorites.  Here are the nominees, my personal choices and my predictions (mostly so for the Gemmell since the Hugos are for Sci-Fi and I haven't read much of those last year...).  Feel free to do the same!

Bold = my pick
Underline = my prediction
Italic = my comments...

David Gemmell

Legend Award (Best Fantasy Novel of 2011)

The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
Balckveil by Kristen Britain
Blood of Aenarion by William King
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Note: it was my pick for best book of last year


Morningstar Award (Best Fantasy Debut)

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper
The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe
Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick
The Unremembered by Peter Orullian

Note: I really liked Prince of Thorns but Among Thieves was really awesome, my debut of last year

Ravenheart Award (Best Fantasy Book-Jacket)


Didier Graffet and Dave Senior for The Heroes

 Aaron Briggs for Journey By Night

Frank Victoria for Oracles Fire

Larry Rostant for Among Thieves

Raymond Swanland for Blood of Aenarion

Note: I like the Swanland illustration, really nice in term 'fantasy-ish-ness' but the bloody axe on map, can't beat a bloody axe on a map!!!

***

Hugo

Best Novel

Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)

A Dance With Dragons, George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra)

Deadline, Mira Grant (Orbit)

Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey)

Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey (Orbit)

Note: George winning this would be a big surprise...

Best Novella

Countdown, Mira Grant (Orbit)

“The Ice Owl”, Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)

“Kiss Me Twice”, Mary Robinette Kowal (Asimov’s)

“The Man Who Bridged the Mist”, Kij Johnson (Asimov’s)

“The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary”, Ken Liu (Panverse 3)

Silently and Very Fast, Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA)

Note: 6 nominees due to tie for final position.

Best Novelette

“The Copenhagen Interpretation”, Paul Cornell (Asimov’s)

“Fields of Gold”, Rachel Swirsky (Eclipse Four)

“Ray of Light”, Brad R. Torgersen (Analog)

“Six Months, Three Days”, Charlie Jane Anders (Tor.com)

“What We Found”, Geoff Ryman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

Best Short Story

“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld)

“The Homecoming”, Mike Resnick (Asimov’s)

“Movement”, Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s)

“The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

“Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue”, John Scalzi (Tor.com)

Best Related Work

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Third Edition, edited by John Clute, David Langford, Peter Nicholls, and Graham Sleight (Gollancz)

Jar Jar Binks Must Die…and other Observations about Science Fiction Movies, Daniel M. Kimmel (Fantastic Books)

The Steampunk Bible: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Imaginary Airships, Corsets and Goggles, Mad Scientists, and Strange Literature, Jeff VanderMeer and S. J. Chambers (Abrams Image)

Wicked Girls (CD), Seanan McGuire

Writing Excuses, Season 6 (podcast series), Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Jordan Sanderson

Best Graphic Story

Digger, by Ursula Vernon (Sofawolf Press)

Fables Vol 15: Rose Red, by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham (Vertigo)

Locke & Key Volume 4: Keys To The Kingdom, written by Joe Hill, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)

Schlock Mercenary: Force Multiplication, written and illustrated by Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (The Tayler Corporation)

The Unwritten (Volume 4): Leviathan, created by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, written by Mike Carey, illustrated by Peter Gross (Vertigo)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Captain America: The First Avenger, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephan McFeely; directed by Joe Johnston (Marvel)

Game of Thrones (Season 1), created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss;

written by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, and George R. R. Martin; directed by Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Tim van Patten, and Alan Taylor (HBO)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner Bros.)

Hugo, screenplay by John Logan; directed by Martin Scorsese (Paramount)

Source Code, screenplay by Ben Ripley; directed by Duncan Jones (Vendome Pictures)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who, ”The Doctor’s Wife”, written by Neil Gaiman; directed by Richard Clark (BBC Wales)

“The Drink Tank’s Hugo Acceptance Speech”, Christopher J Garcia and James Bacon (Renovation)

Doctor Who, ”The Girl Who Waited”, written by Tom MacRae; directed by Nick Hurran (BBC Wales)

Doctor Who, ”A Good Man Goes to War”, written by Steven Moffat; directed by Peter Hoar (BBC Wales)

Community, ”Remedial Chaos Theory”, written by Dan Harmon and Chris McKenna; directed by Jeff Melman (NBC)

Best Semiprozine

Apex Magazine, edited by Catherynne M. Valente, Lynne M. Thomas, and Jason Sizemore

Interzone, edited by Andy Cox

Lightspeed, edited by John Joseph Adams

Locus, edited by Liza Groen Trombi, Kirsten Gong-Wong, et al.

New York Review of Science Fiction, edited by David G. Hartwell, Kevin J. Maroney, Kris Dikeman, and Avram Grumer

Best Fanzine

Banana Wings, edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer

The Drink Tank, edited by James Bacon and Christopher J Garcia

File 770, edited by Mike Glyer

Journey Planet, edited by James Bacon, Christopher J Garcia, et al.

SF Signal, edited by John DeNardo

Note: This is the category that generated much talk... Go SF Signal go!!!

Best Fancast

The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe

Galactic Suburbia Podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts (presenters) and Andrew Finch (producer)

SF Signal Podcast, John DeNardo and JP Frantz (presenters), Patrick Hester (producer)

SF Squeecast, Lynne M. Thomas, Seanan McGuire, Paul Cornell, Elizabeth Bear, and Catherynne M. Valente

StarShipSofa, Tony C. Smith

Best Editor, Long Form

Lou Anders

Liz Gorinsky

Anne Lesley Groell

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Betsy Wollheim

Best Editor, Short Form

John Joseph Adams

Neil Clarke

Stanley Schmidt

Jonathan Strahan

Sheila Williams

Best Professional Artist

Dan dos Santos

Bob Eggleton

Michael Komarck

Stephan Martiniere

John Picacio

Note: I don't know which work was taken into consideration but Komarck is the best!

Best Fan Artist

Brad W. Foster

Randall Munroe

Spring Schoenhuth

Maurine Starkey

Steve Stiles

Taral Wayne

Note: 6 nominees due to tie for final position.

Best Fan Writer

James Bacon

Claire Brialey

Christopher J. Garcia

Jim C. Hines

Steven H Silver

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Mur Lafferty

Stina Leicht

Karen Lord

Brad R. Torgersen

E. Lily Yu