2009 Hugo Nominations
Mar 20th, 2009 by Bryan
You might have gathered that I am sort of (like totally) into science fiction literature. The Hugo nominations have been posted. This list is the best way to discover things that you might have inexplicably missed during the year.
The list for Best Novel is a formidable one:
- Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK)
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK)
- Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
- Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)
The only one on here that I haven’t read is Saturn’s Children. Guess what is coming soon to my Kindle. 
I really enjoyed all four of the others, and of course I have a serious thing for Gaiman, but my vote would probably have to go to Anathem for the sheer achievement of it.
What are you waiting for? Go read something!
How was Saturn’s Children? I haven’t read that or The Graveyard Book (yet).
I did read Little Brother (fun and provoking), Zoe’s Tale (loved Old Man’s War and this was a good follow-up) and Anathem… Anathem is one of my fav books ever so far (and that’s not a stretch or easy to accomplish). The “world-building,” scope and threads of the story are just magnificent. I’m hoping for a trilogy.
So, my pick is definitely Anathem out of the books I’ve read. Nevertheless, it is great to see so many worthy reads on the list this year. Science Fiction is definitely alive and well these days!
Sam
I haven’t read Saturn’s Children, a book that Cory Doctorow described as “a robopervy tribute to the late late Heinlein.” His review is here. He liked it, but I seem to remember that his review kept me from rushing out to read the book. I will probably try to find it in the library first.
The Graveyard Book is magnificent in an understated, beautiful way. Highly recommended. Even more recommended is Gaiman’s audiobook version, which is one of the best I’ve listened to.
And indeed, Anathem is an incredible achievement. Did you like it better than the Baroque Cycle, taken as whole? (admittedly, not a very fair comparison)
[One edit to point out that on Amazon, the hardback of Saturn's Children is $14.52, the paperback is $7.99, and the Kindle version is... $14.82. Wha? Another item to demonstrate my point about the economics of electronic book distribution. Do they realize that I could torrent it for free in about 5 minutes, if I were inclined to do such a thing?]
I am close to finishing Anathem. It is/was pretty strong. How do you think it compares to his other works?
That is a tough question. I really like Anathem, but I feel like I can’t speak with confidence about it until I read it again. A lot of the philosophy emerges slowly and turns out to be integral to the plot. I want to have another go at it this summer to see how well it holds together now that I already know the point/conclusion of the story.
I like his newer stuff better than the older, although Snow Crash was certainly a seminal work. I think Cryptonomicon is neat, but by far the coolest way to read it is as an epilogue to the Baroque Cycle, which I love. The Baroque Cycle has some of the philosophical sophistication of Anathem but it is at the same time laugh-out-loud hilarious. Also, the central figure, Daniel Waterhouse, is a brilliant character. His weaknesses and flaws serve to highlight the strengths of the “real” characters around him, though in the end he is clearly the hero of the story.
If I were speaking to someone new to Stephenson, I would suggest they read 1) Baroque Cycle, 2) Cryptonomicon, 3) Snow Crash, 4) Anathem. I can’t imagine liking Anathem if you didn’t like the Baroque Cycle, though the reverse is possible, but not likely.
What do you think of Anathem, Will?