My Hugo Ballot

So, below the cut is the "rough draft" of my Hugo ballot. I will continue to read and consider right up until the deadline, and I reserve the right to change my mind. I will not be posting another version of this, since I suspect this is close enough. There are two categories in which I haven't quite decided yet... those are my focus for the next few days. Again, I won't be updating you on how I decide. There must remain some mystery in the world.

Overall I found the experience to be fun and interesting, although there were enough works that were just plain bad to make it painful at times as well. I approve of trying to get more people to vote and nominate in the Hugo awards, but slates are for losers. The puppies managed to prove how bad slates are this year by nominating stuff that was just awful. Fortunately, some decent works got in despite the slate-mongering morons.

Of particular joy for me was The Goblin Emperor and Ancillary Sword. Goblin was like a comfort read while Ancillary was a mind-twist that I very much enjoyed. I'm looking forward to reading the first novel. I was also delighted to see Edge of Tomorrow, a movie I would not have picked up if it were not on the Hugo ballot. It's become one of my favorites in recent years. I also enjoyed the look into the world of 'zines, and I may end up picking up more of them to look for likely nominees for next year. And lastly, Wesley Chu was a nice find. I'm looking forward to reading more of his works.

In addition, the controversy introduced me to Mike Glyer's File 770 and the fantastic comment sections there. Unfortunately, I've gotten so many book and story recommendations from those threads it may take me a year just to get through them all. What a fine problem to have!

So, without further ado, here's my ballot:

Best Novel
Awarded for a science fiction or fantasy story of forty thousand (40,000) words or more.
1 The Goblin Emperor
2 Ancillary Sword
3 No Award
4 Three-Body Problem
5 Skin Game
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Best Novella
Awarded for a science fiction or fantasy story of between seventeen thousand five hundred (17,500) and forty thousand (40,000) words.
1 No Award
2 Flow
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Best Novelette
Awarded for a science fiction or fantasy story of between seven thousand five hundred (7,500) and seventeen thousand five hundred (17,500) words.
1 No Award
2 The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale
3 The Day the World Turned Upside Down
4 Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Earth to Alluvium
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Best Short Story
Awarded for science fiction or fantasy story of less than seven thousand five hundred (7,500) words.
1 No Award
2 Totaled
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Best Related Work
Awarded to a work related to the field of science fiction, fantasy, or fandom, appearing for the first time during the previous calendar year or which has been substantially modified during the previous calendar year. The type of works eligible include, but are not limited to, collections of art, works of literary criticism, books about the making of a film or TV series, biographies and so on, provided that they do not qualify for another category. Nonfiction collections are eligible here, but fiction anthologies generally are not because all of the individual works within the anthology are eligible in one of the “story” categories. There is no category for “Best Anthology.”
1 No Award
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Best Graphic Story
A science fiction or fantasy story told in graphic form, such as a comic book, graphic novel, or webcomic.
1 Saga Volume 3
2 Sex Criminals Volume 1: One Weird Trick
3 Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery
4 Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal
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Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
This Award can be given a dramatized production in any medium, including film, television, radio, live theater, computer games or music. The work must last 90 minutes or longer (excluding commercials).
1* Edge of Tomorrow
1* The Lego Movie
3 Interstellar
4 Guardians of the Galaxy
5 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
* I have not yet made up my mind which of these two will be on the top.
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Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
This Award can be given a dramatized production in any medium, including film, television, radio, live theater, computer games or music. The work must be less than 90 minutes long (excluding commercials).
1 Doctor Who: Listen
2 The Flash: Pilot
3 Game of Thrones: The Mountain and the Viper
4 Grimm: Once We Were Gods
5 Orphan Black: By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
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Best Professional Editor (Long Form)
This is the first of the person categories, so the Award is given for the work that person has done in the year of eligibility. To be eligible the person must have edited at least 4 novel-length (i.e. 40,000 words or more) books devoted to science fiction and/or fantasy in the year of eligibility that are not anthologies or collections.
1 Sheila Gilbert
2 Anne Sowards
3 No Award
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Best Professional Editor (Short Form)
To be eligible the person must have edited at least four anthologies, collections or magazine issues devoted to science fiction and/or fantasy, at least one of which must have been published in the year of eligibility.
1 Jennifer Brozek
2 Mike Resnick
3 Bryan Thomas Schmidt
4 No Award
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Best Professional Artist
Another person category, this time for artists and illustrators. The work on which the nominees are judged must class as “professional”.
1 Julie Dillon
2 Kirk DouPonce
3 Nick Greenwood
4 Alan Pollack
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Best Semiprozine
This is the first of the three serial publication/work categories. To qualify, the publication must have produced at least 4 issues, at least one of which must have appeared in the year of eligibility (this being similar to the requirements for magazine editors in Best Editor, Short Form), and meet additional requirements.
1 Lightspeed Magazine
2 Strange Horizons
3 Beneath Ceaseless Skies
4 Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine
5 Abyss & Apex
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Best Fanzine
This Award is for anything that is neither professional nor semi-professional and that does not qualify as a Fancast (see below). The publication must also satisfy the rule of a minimum of 4 issues, at least one of which must have appeared in the year of eligibility.
1 Journey Planet
2 Elitist Book Reviews
3 Tangent Online
4 No Award
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Best Fancast
Awarded for any non-professional audio- or video-casting with at least four (4) episodes that had at least one (1) episode released in the previous calendar year.
1 Tea and Jeopardy
2 Galactic Suburbia Podcast
3 Adventures in SciFi Publishing
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Best Fan Writer
This is another person category. Note that it does not just apply to writing done in fanzines. Work published in semiprozines, and even on mailing lists, blogs, BBSs, and similar electronic fora, can be including when judging people for this Award. Only work in professional publications should not be considered.
1 No Award
2* Laura J. Mixon
2* Jeffro Johnson
* I have not made up my mind which order these two will be placed.
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Best Fan Artist
The final category is also for people. Again note that the work by which artists should be judged is not limited to material published in fanzines. Material for semiprozines or material on public displays (such as in convention art shows) is also eligible. Fan artists can have work published in professional publications as well. You should not consider such professionally-published works when judging this award.
1 Spring Schoenhuth
2 Elizabeth Leggett
3 Steve Stiles
4 Brad Foster
5 Ninni Aalto
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The John W. Campbell Award (not a Hugo)
The John W. Campbell Award is given to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work of science fiction or fantasy was published in a professional publication in the previous two years.
1 Wesley Chu
2 Kary English