And the Hugos reading continues! I suspect that I’m only going to be blogging the novelettes and short stories, and not the other categories so much, due to other things needing my attention. I may be able to find the time for other categories, but we’ll see.
And so, the novelettes. I found this category to not be as strong generally as the novellas (but hell, just look at that novella lineup!). These are going to be short and sweet, just my general thoughts about these novelettes.
“The Copenhagen Interpretation”, Paul Cornell
I think this one just wasn’t for me. There was nothing bad about it, nothing that I can point a finger to and say why, but it just didn’t grab me on any level.
“Fields of Gold”, Rachel Swirsky
This was one of my favourite stories out of Eclipse Four (which is saying quite a lot, since that anthology was amazing. I’m becoming a massive fan of Swirsky’s work in general – I love her writing style and I seem to invariably find that the stories she tells resonate with me. This one is no different.
“Ray of Light”, Brad R. Torgersen
I don’t know what it is with my brain and this story – I keep on forgetting what the hell it was about, then I open it up and remember and then wonder why on earth I didn’t remember. Maybe it’s the title? Anyway, I adored this story, through and through. Not too crazy about the aliens in it, but they’re hardly the centre of the story. I love the idea of people trying to survive by living in the remaining heat at the bottom of the ocean. I love the hope that remains, no matter what. Definitely in contention for me.
“Six Months, Three Days”, Charlie Jane Anders
This one was really interesting – I love the way Anders plays around with how life would be if you could see the future (and see the future in different ways). But beyond the concept, it didn’t really grab me – I didn’t find myself empathising much with the characters, and I don’t really know why. I need to read it a few more times and ponder on it a bit.
“What We Found”, Geoff Ryman
This is another one that I need to reread, I think. There was nothing bad about this, and it damn well deserves to be nominated, but something about it just didn’t resonate for me. Definitely a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”, though. Just maybe not for me? I’m not sure.
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For me, my voting is likely to lean towards Fields of Gold or Ray of Light. I’m honestly not sure where I’m going to go on this one, and I’ll have to do some rereading.
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