A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley is a collection of essays, not all of them about feminism or geeks or revolution (but enough to matter).

I came into this expecting to be pounded over the head by some overly aggressive drivel, but was pleasantly surprised to find it's a great book about writing and being a writer and dealing with life while being a writer. Yes, there's a lot about feminism and why it matters, but it's more about just living and dealing with the realities of being a woman. I really enjoyed it, much more than I was expecting to.

The good: Hurley has a strong voice, and tells about her experiences in plain language. She doesn't shy away from the tough topics, which means I was uncomfortable while reading some of her pieces - but it was that discomfort that arises from knowing such topics aren't discussed enough, not from the discussion itself.

The bad: I don't find Hurley to be sympathetic in the earliest essays in the book, which slightly put me off finishing it (and is why it's literally the last thing I'm reading for the Hugos this year). That feeling went away eventually, but it did stop me from reading for awhile.

Conclusion: I'm not sure where this will go on my ballot. Third? Fourth? First? It's just as likely to change between now and the end of the week.

Best Related Work: I've read all the entries. Check them out in my Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists.

A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - Traveler of Worlds by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

Traveler of Worlds: Conversations with Robert Silverberg by Robert Silverberg and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro is a wide-ranging book of transcribed conversations between the two authors about Silverberg's life and writings.

The good: Lots of great information about Silverberg in here, his opinions, his work - it may not be all-inclusive, but it's one heckuva way to get to know the guy. The back and forth between the two is natural, and I was amused by the inclusion of the cat's activities at one point. The conversations ranged all over the place, but Zinos-Amaro seems to have managed to keep Silverberg mostly on track and edited the book to keep similar conversations in the same chapters.

The bad: Because these are conversations are a particular point in his life, looking back, there is really only one point of view. After reading the Gaiman and Le Guin books, which seemed to dash all over the place and were both written over the course of years, this book felt a little like a one-trick pony. There were also a couple of spots where Silverberg expressed opinions I found... unlikable. That's his right, and even his duty, but I was surprised to find myself respecting him less after reading those conversations. I believe that is a fault in me, not him, but it did affect how I responded to the work.

Conclusion: This probably gets the third or fourth spot at the moment. I'm sure my entire ballot order will change at least three more times in the days I have to finish it.

Best Related Work: I've read The Women of Harry Potter, The Princess Diarist, The View From the Cheap Seats, Traveler of Worlds, and Words Are My Matter. I still need to read The Geek Feminist Revolution.

Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists

A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - Words Are My Matter by Ursula K. Le Guin

Words Are My Matter: Writings About Life and Books, 2000-2016 by Ursula K. Le Guin is a collection of essays, book reviews, book intros and other writings.

Like Neil Gaiman's book, this is one that was hard for me to put down. Unlike Gaiman, I think Le Guin left less of herself on the pages of this book, while still giving us far more than you'd expect. This is another large book with a lot in it, and I admit to wanting to savor it much more than I have time to. The result is another book that I recommend for reading in bursts - a great bedside book.

The good: Lots of different pieces in here, starting with a lot of bits and pieces and poetry, and moving into lovely introductions on various writers. I loved the bits and pieces, and was slightly less interested in the intros and reviews, although they were very well-written. There is a lot to digest in this book, and if I had a couple more months to go over it, I would find more treasures.

The bad: I have always felt a distance from Le Guin that I cannot explain, and I still feel it in this writing. I don't connect with her works like I do with my favorite writers, although I enjoy them. There are a lot of reviews and intros of books that I wouldn't call science fiction or fantasy in here as well - not a problem with the book itself, but problematic for me giving it a high spot in this Hugo category.

Conclusion: Probably the number two spot on my ballot at the moment.

Best Related Work: I've read The Women of Harry Potter, The Princess Diarist, The View From the Cheap Seats, and Words Are My Matter. I still need to read The Geek Feminist Revolution, and Traveler of Worlds.

Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists

A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman

The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman is an anthology of essays, introductions and speeches given by Gaiman over the years.

This is actually a really long book and it took me longer to read than I expected. It's just got so much substance to it that I would get caught in an essay and read it to the end, then want to read the next. This is absolutely a perfect book for short readings - have it by your bedside and read an essay/intro/speech each night. It's definitely not as good to power through it, like I did, even when the subject matters were great.

The good: You can learn a lot about Gaiman and his life from this book - it's practically an autobiography if taken all together. You can also learn a lot about his philosophy of writing and get a great deal of hints and helps on how to write. He wrote many introductions to works - some I was familiar with and some I was not. The ones I was familiar with I found myself nodding along as I read or thinking about the work in a slightly different way. The ones I wasn't familiar with I found myself wanting to read. There is a LOT of material here, and that makes it a good collection to give to any fan of Gaiman or good writing.

The bad: If I have to nitpick, there is some duplication of stories. It's only natural, he's writing about the same types of subjects, so there will be some repetition of tales of how he grew up and got into reading certain types of books and such. But some might find it difficult, especially if trying to read straight through - which is why I recommend reading this book in bits and pieces, if you can.

Conclusion: Yes, the best of the three I've read so far. But there's still three more to go.

Best Related Work: I've read The Women of Harry Potter, The Princess Diarist, and The View From the Cheap Seats. I still need to read The Geek Feminist Revolution, Traveler of Worlds, and Words Are My Matter

Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists

A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher is about Fisher's time working on Star Wars based on diaries she kept from that time.

Keeping in mind that Princess Leia was one of my first heroes, ever, and that I haven't read much of Fisher's writings although I was well aware they existed, this was a tough read for me. I spent years imagining myself as a kick butt princess type running around the galaxy saving the male heroes from themselves. I played with Princess Leia action figures. I internalized the character. So reading how the actress felt, both at the time of the filming and after years of introspection, was a little painful for me.

The good: I cannot believe how blunt Carrie Fisher is, even now. She is plain spoken about things that most people would avoid saying completely. And although she dances around the truly personal stuff, she doesn't shy away from her emotions and fears. The entire bit about the affair seemed to be both a "don't blame me!" and "Wow, I've felt guilty about this for 40 years." at the same time.

The bad: It was genuinely painful for me to read her diary entries. In addition to looking at the pain and confusion of a woman just leaving her teen years, Fisher's recent death made those moments seem even more sad in retrospect.

Conclusion: This was excellent, but also painful to read. It's climbed to the top of the ballot for the moment.

Best Related Work: I've read The Women of Harry Potter and The Princess Diarist. I still need to read The Geek Feminist Revolution, Traveler of Worlds, The View From the Cheap Seats, and Words Are My Matter

Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists

A Hugo Review: Best Related Work - The Women of Harry Potter by Sarah Gailey

The Women of Harry Potter by Sarah Gailey describes five of the women from the Harry Potter books as individuals.

The idea isn't bad. Look at some supporting characters in a book and describe them using the information in the book to flesh out who they really are and what they are really like. The posts included as part of this finalist cover Ginny Weasley, Molly Weasley, Dolores Umbridge, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood (a post about Minerva McGonagall was published this year on January 3rd).

The good: Each essay is a stirring commentary on these women who are not the main character of the series, and each essay defines the impact they had on the series. For four of the essays, the focus is on how they are able and willing to fight for what they believe in, in the case of the fifth, the focus is on how her mistakes backfired on her.

The bad: These aren't really in-depth, and just touch the surface of each character... a nitpick if there ever was one, because I think these essays do exactly what they set out to do.

Conclusion: Well, since I haven't read any of the other works yet, this is at the top of my ballot.

Best Related Work: I've read The Women of Harry Potter. I still need to read The Geek Feminist Revolution, The Princess Diarist, Traveler of Worlds, The View From the Cheap Seats, and Words Are My Matter

Reviews of 2017 Hugo Finalists

A Sunday Review

My book this week was Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.

This is another recommended book that I'd heard about a long time ago and considered reading. Until I decided to try nominating for the Hugos, I really wasn't sure if I would read it, but the instant I got my membership for Sasquan I put it on hold at the library. I finally got it, and it took me a solid week to read.

First up: the completely non-spoiler review. This is one of those books that makes you think hard about what is important in life and in the world. It's a very bleak story at the start, with plenty of descriptions of technology and ingenuity. There are heroes and villains, unexpected moments of this and that, and multiple scenarios played out along the way. It's a big book, and it's very interesting, but it has flaws.

Ok, Spoilers ahead (use rot13 to read). Guvf vf n obbx bs gjb znva cnegf. Gur svefg gjb guveqf bs gur obbx vf n qvfnfgre fgbel bs gur tevzzrfg glcr. Bs pbhefr, gur svefg cneg vf qvivqrq vagb gjb cnegf: gur qvfnfgre vgfrys naq gur cbyvgvpny znarhiref nsgre nzbat jung'f yrsg bs gur uhzna enpr. Gur svany cneg bs gur obbx gnxrf cynpr 5000 lrnef yngre naq srryf yvxr n pbzcyrgryl qvssrerag fgbel... naq lrg gur svefg cneg jbhyqa'g or pbzcyrgr jvgubhg gur frpbaq naq gur frpbaq jbhyq oneryl fgnaq nybar jvgubhg gur svefg.

V'z ernyyl tynq Qbbo tbg gb frg sbbg ba Pyrsg. Orlbaq gung, gubhtu... jbj, jung n qrcerffvat "raq" gb gur uhzna enpr. V shyyl rkcrpgrq zber crbcyr gb znxr vg gb gurve arj ubzr. Jura gur fgbel mvccrq guebhtu gubfr guerr lrnef naq gurer jrer bayl 20-fbzr crbcyr yrsg, V jnf fubpxrq. Ohg ng yrnfg V svanyyl tbg gur zrnavat bs gur gvgyr bs gur obbx jura gurl tbg qbja gb frira. V ungrq gung Whyvn jnf bar bs gurz. Juvyr V unq n ivfpreny ernpgvba gb gur arj ivyynva, V qvqa'g svaq ure nf zranpvat nf Whyvn.

Jvgubhg Whyvn, n ybg zber crbcyr jbhyq unir fheivirq. Gur obyvqr fgevxr gung xvyyrq fb znal jbhyq unir orra hayvxryl gb uvg, orpnhfr gur flfgrz jbhyq abg unir orra pbashfrq ol gur snxr obyvqr, naq gur fjnez jbhyq abg unir tbar bss ol vgfrys gb qvr fybjyl. Sbe gung znggre, gur Znegvnaf? Gurl jbhyq unir yvirq nf jryy, nffhzvat gurl qvqa'g znxr vg gb Znef, n snpg gung vf arire ernyyl nqqerffrq, nygubhtu vg vf rkgerzryl hayvxryl.

V sbhaq zlfrys trggvat n yvggyr oberq ol nyy gur grpuavpny vasb-qhzcf. Lrf, gurl ner snfpvangvat naq vg'f avpr gur nhgube fcrag gvzr guvaxvat nobhg ubj guvatf jbhyq npghnyyl jbex, ohg nsgre gur svsgu be fvkgu gvzr gur fgbel vf vagreehcgrq ol na vasb-qhzc ba gur grpu, V whfg jnagrq gb fnl, "Trg ba jvgu gur sernxva' fgbel, nyernql!" Fbzr bs gubfr grpuavpny ovgf jbhyq unir orra terng nf na nccraqvk sbe crbcyr jub ernyyl jnag gb ernq gurz. Fbzr jbexrq va cynpr. Ohg birenyy, gurl qenttrq gur fgbel gb n unyg, ercrngrqyl. Ol guvf gbxra, guvf obbx naablrq zr nf zhpu nf gur Guerr-Obql Ceboyrz, juvpu nyfb xrcg orvat qenttrq gb n unyg ol bire-rkcynangvba. Ybbx, V ybirq Gur Znegvna, naq vg'f nyy grpuab fghss, ohg gurer unf gb or n onynapr, naq V guvax Frirarirf sryy ba gur "gbb zhpu vasbezngvba" fvqr bs gur fpnyr n srj gbb znal gvzrf.

Gur bgure fheivibef jrer n ovg bs n fhecevfr gb zr. V sryg, fgbel-jvfr, gung Qvanu'f snzvyl unq gb fheivir gur qvfnfgre, ohg znlor abg gur ragver 5000 lrnef. V jnf yrff fher bs gur fhoznevar perj. Ohg vg jnf cerggl pyrne gb zr gung jura Xngu Gjb fnj gur fgenatre, gung jnf Qvanu'f eryngvirf, ubcrshyyl abg vaoerq. Gur sbyx bs gur frn jrer n uhtr fhecevfr, ohg gur rkcynangvba sebz gur cubgbf jbexrq sbe zr.

Gur obbx qrcerffrq zr. V ernyyl sryg gur cbjre bs gur qvfnfgre fgbel, naq V'z abg fher ubj ybat vg'yy gnxr zr gb trg bire vg. Jung jbhyq V qb vs V unq gjb lrnef gb yvir? Uneq gb fnl. Uneq gb pbzceruraq. Vg qvqa'g dhvgr tvir zr avtugznerf, ohg V qvq guvax nobhg vg n yvggyr gbb zhpu.

In conclusion, this is a thought-provoking and powerful work, dragged down a bit by too much technical information. Like the Three-Body Problem, I'm sure many people loved it much more than me, but, like TBP, I probably won't nominate it for a Hugo or vote for it if it makes the ballot: because reading it sometimes felt like a chore of plowing through too much techno-speak to find the story underneath.

---

I also read a novelette:

• "Tasha's Fail-Safe" by Adam Troy-Castro is a solid little stand-alone story about a terrifying method of protecting a person's secrets. I wasn't aware until after reading the story that one of the characters has appeared before, although that little factoid cleared up a couple of lines in the novelette that hadn't made much sense. I enjoyed the story enough I might just look up more of the character in the future. As for the Hugo nominations, I don't know. It's good and it sticks with me, so it has a chance.

---

I've also read short stories:

• "Find a Way Home" by Paul Cornell is a story I couldn't resist reading for personal reasons. Many years ago I was in an online discussion group with Paul, and he ended up Tuckerizing me in a Doctor Who novel. That said, I've followed his career with much interest ever since, especially enjoying his connections to Fortean society. This is a very Fortean story. A young man sees a UFO... then events continue from there, including na ENS enqne bcrengbe qbvat jung znal crbcyr wbxr nobhg gur zvyvgnel qbvat ertneqvat HSBf. This is a fun and somewhat happy story, and manages some character growth in just a few pages, which is impressive. Not bad at all. Hugo-worthy? I'll see if it sticks with me before I decide.


• "Hic Sunt Monstra" by Brian Trent is a story about echoes, and echoes of echoes. Reading it, you may take awhile to figure out exactly what is going on, but eventually you find the sense of it. Only, have you taken that sense to its logical conclusion? I found it surprisingly chilling once I got to the final line and was hit on the head by the obvious. This is a strong contender for my Hugo nomination ballot. note: the link directly to the story may be for a limited time.

---

Here are some items for consideration for Related Work:

• Where's the Beef? by George R.R. Martin is a piece that demolishes the idea that a cabal of "social justice warriors" has been controlling the Hugo Awards and blocking conservative writers from having a chance at honors. While I still think the related works award should go to works directly about science fiction or fantasy, this is definitely worthy of a look for its mentions of great and deserving works along with its analysis of Hugo voting over "recent" years. I don't know if I'll nominate it, but I think people ought to read it. And it's blessedly short.


• The Future’s Been Here Since 1939: Female Fans, Cosplay, and Conventions by Erica McGillivray makes me want to get my costume ready even more. This piece covers the history of Cosplay, which started at the first Worldcon in 1939 and finally got dubbed as "cosplay" in 1983, and the more recent backlash against it. There's also a strong argument made for how the female side of fandom has embraced masquerades even more than men, which has also resulted in a backlash. There are some great links in here that give more background, but the piece itself is enough to get a person started on looking at cosplay and its history. Definitely worth a read.

---

My Hugo Suggestions were most likely recommended in the comment sections on File 770, Renay's Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, or the Hugo 2016 Wikia. I've also been getting various magazines and/or visiting their websites to look for good short fiction. For my current list of Hugo 2016 readings, check out my Hugo 2016 Posts page.

---

Here are reviews of the DCBS comic books that I've gotten around to reading and reviewing, sorted by the original shipping date:

• Jul 29th
• Hoax Hunters 2015 #5 - I really hope when I gather these all together and read them all at once that they'll make more sense. As it is, this issue is nearly incomprehensible. The colorist is still making everything too dark and murky, as well. I love the concept and enjoyed the first few issues, so I'm continuing to read... but if this doesn't improve I'm not sure I want to keep up with it.
• Doctor Who 9th #3 - Lucky Rose will have to continue to be lucky to get out of that cliff-hanger... I have confidence in Captain Jack and the Doctor, though. I'm still waiting to find out exactly what's going on in this, but at least we got one reveal in here.
• Doctor Who 10th #13 - I'm still curious about Cleo, but I really like some of the other characters. Dorothy's change is interesting, and I hope it's not nearly as tragic as it feels like it's going to be. This will read much better all at once in a collection, but that's been the case with most of the Doctor Who comics.
• Doctor Who 12th #10 - More of the thinly disguised Rat Pack and Clara, just hanging around together. I like the Doctor's not-at-all subtle discussion with Sonny about his life. The whole thing wrapped up ok, if a little cheesily. Not a bad issue.

---

Past Sunday Reviews -- Comics at Amazon.com -- Previews -- My Wishlist -- My Kindle Wishlist -- My Camera Wishlist