Hugo Voting Starts

Voting is open in the Hugo Awards. The packets have not yet been released, but I've already got a good start on my reading thanks to having already read four of the five novel nominations. I got the fifth from the library and hope to finish it very soon, at which point I'll write up a post on all five and try to make a decision.

This year I will be using the slate report at File 770 and people's reaction to being on the rabid slate to help decide what works are not worth reading due to being rabid puppy picks. After last year, I do not feel the need to wade through garbage to find the good stuff again. If it's not a "human shield" or "poison pill" pick by the puppies, I probably won't bother with it.

The retro-Hugos seem to have been mostly ignored by the puppies, I think. There's already some material up to help voters.

File 770 has a post analyzing E Pluribus Hugo and the verdict from the people who wrote the paper on it is that it will not do the job it was intended to do. There is a healthy discussion about it, and other possible solutions to slate nominating at the link, go check it out.

And in other award news, the Nebula award winners were announced, and nearly all the winners were women. Many of the winners have also been nominated for the Hugos.