Actually, I don't have any particular opinions about the Hugo nominations. Amid the same old, same old, (i.e. an excess of Doctor Who) there's a lot of shrieking that the WRONG books and the WRONG authors are nominated.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. The nominations process is as easy to rig and suborn as the election of your high school student council. If you've got a bunch of friends who can stuff the box for you, you're on the ticket. If you can sustain that momentum in the actual voting, you win a Hugo.
What's more to the point for me is that I only recognize the names of a couple the authors and I've read none of the novels, novellas, novelettes (whatever the hell that is) or short stories. I've read 3 of the 5 graphic stories, seen 3 of the 5 movies. Read none of the 'zines, listened to none of the podcasts.
The Hugo nominations underscore how alienated I feel from the world of science fiction writing. There's irony here and a message for someone who wrote and published a science fiction superhero novel. The irony is easy to recognize; I'm still trying to figure out what the message is.
Or perhaps I know what the message is, but am having a hard time accepting it.
UPDATE: Dang. I completely forgot that I was going to stop doing introspective, depressing, "me-centric" blog posts.
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Help keep the words flowing.
This should come as no surprise to anyone. The nominations process is as easy to rig and suborn as the election of your high school student council. If you've got a bunch of friends who can stuff the box for you, you're on the ticket. If you can sustain that momentum in the actual voting, you win a Hugo.
What's more to the point for me is that I only recognize the names of a couple the authors and I've read none of the novels, novellas, novelettes (whatever the hell that is) or short stories. I've read 3 of the 5 graphic stories, seen 3 of the 5 movies. Read none of the 'zines, listened to none of the podcasts.
The Hugo nominations underscore how alienated I feel from the world of science fiction writing. There's irony here and a message for someone who wrote and published a science fiction superhero novel. The irony is easy to recognize; I'm still trying to figure out what the message is.
Or perhaps I know what the message is, but am having a hard time accepting it.
UPDATE: Dang. I completely forgot that I was going to stop doing introspective, depressing, "me-centric" blog posts.
||| Comments are welcome |||
Help keep the words flowing.
What you say about the Hugos can probably be said about any award, literary or genre. Once again, it all comes back to the size of your, um, social network. The schmoozers, the gladhanders, those who toe that line between marketing and spam, get the chicks, I mean sales, publicity, agents coming to them, etc. The rest of us hope for lightning to strike, or whatever.
ReplyDeleteMy respect for the Hugo has gone down a lot in recent years.
DeleteWhat Larry said (love the line about "get the chicks, I mean sales"). We could start a Friday Flash association, make up some categories, give each other awards, get some press. I know some people who work for newspapers that get stories picked up internationally. It could happen.
ReplyDeleteI just don't know if the readers would care.
And then all the non Flash writers would sneer and snark about those insider, clubby elites. And the readers still wouldn't care.
DeleteI've actually heard of the novels, but very little of anything else.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am all for Friday flash awards!
Girl Genius is quite a good webcomic. None of the novels rang any bells with me.
DeleteI seem to be having trouble commenting on my own blog post.
ReplyDeleteI can't even see the cutting edge of sci-fi from where I sit, waiting for things to show up at the library before they get put on my ever-growing to-read list. I did, however, read "We Have Always Fought." This is worthy of recognition, as are some of the others, probably.
ReplyDeleteThere can be no objective standard for nominations of awards of this type, much less for the voting. Still, it serves its purpose to remind people that there is such a thing as "good sci-fi and fantasy."
I quit reading contemporary SF a long time ago -- will still pick up the old friends: Heinlein, Herbert, Bradbury (who crosses over into "&F" a lot). I don't think I know ANY of the books, graphic novels, etc and I can pretty much guarantee I haven't seen the movies unless the lead character wears glasses and has a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. (Don't get out much these days.)
ReplyDeleteBottom line about awards -- any awards -- is they're all popularity (or who can do the best job of twisting arms or providing favors) from the Oscars on down. Ok, maybe not the Nobels, but otherwise.
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