Given that I can vote in the Hugos this year, and think we need more (not less) discussion on the works as they work through this process, I'm going to note down my thoughts on the various nominated works. I'm going to try to keep this pretty high-level.
Most of the stories are available via the Hugo voter packet.
Short stories
"If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" by Rachel Swirsky (not in the Hugo voters package, but free to read on the web). A really short story about love and lost hope. Not really a lot of fantastical elements, but it anyway manages to feel pretty fantastic.
"The Ink Readers of Doi Saket" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. A fragmentary story about unlikely events and the characters of a small village in Thailand. Beautiful language, but I felt it never really tried to use the fantastical element it did introduce.
"Selkie Stories Are for Losers" by Sofia Samatar. Another beautifully told tale about a woman trying to come to terms with her missing mother. Again, I felt it never really tried to use the fantastical element it did introduce.
"The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu continues the theme. Lovely little tale of love that introduces a clear fantastic element, and it is triggered several times but it is hardly ever explored, even though it is discussed early in the story and everyone is exposed to it.
My current favourite: "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" - I realised I had an easier time accepting non-sf than works that introduced sf but never did anything with it.
Novelettes
"The Exchange Officers" by Brad Torgersen. The intro blurb said something about if technology changed the nature of sacrifice, but I can't really say the heroes sacrificed anything (unless killing enemy combatants, like the Aztecs, is considered sacrifice). It's a simplistic tale where you're supposed to root for the heroes because they are American and they are the heroes. And I do wonder if the author thought for five minutes about how a real military assault and close combat in orbit would really work.
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal. This one I read when Tor published it a few months ago. Quiet and understated. In its way, this is way more about sacrifice - and following your dreams, and space exploration - than the Torgersen one was.
"Opera Vita Aeterna" by Vox Day. Quite poorly written story that tries to be philosophical and ask big questions that never manages to tell the simplest story or accomplish anything - it's just some events happening after each other.
"The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling" by Ted Chiang, is pure science fiction about writing, memory, and what we know about ourselves, told in a very understated way that never feels fantastic. I think the story misses one target - it is shown and discussed how writing changes the way one thinks, but the lifelogging and recall service is only presented in the end as a way to improve oneself.
"The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Bodard. On one had a pure sensawunda space operatic rescue mission, on the other a quiet story about love and how it can constrain you.
My current favourite: "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" over "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling".
Most of the stories are available via the Hugo voter packet.
Short stories
"If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" by Rachel Swirsky (not in the Hugo voters package, but free to read on the web). A really short story about love and lost hope. Not really a lot of fantastical elements, but it anyway manages to feel pretty fantastic.
"The Ink Readers of Doi Saket" by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. A fragmentary story about unlikely events and the characters of a small village in Thailand. Beautiful language, but I felt it never really tried to use the fantastical element it did introduce.
"Selkie Stories Are for Losers" by Sofia Samatar. Another beautifully told tale about a woman trying to come to terms with her missing mother. Again, I felt it never really tried to use the fantastical element it did introduce.
"The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu continues the theme. Lovely little tale of love that introduces a clear fantastic element, and it is triggered several times but it is hardly ever explored, even though it is discussed early in the story and everyone is exposed to it.
My current favourite: "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" - I realised I had an easier time accepting non-sf than works that introduced sf but never did anything with it.
Novelettes
"The Exchange Officers" by Brad Torgersen. The intro blurb said something about if technology changed the nature of sacrifice, but I can't really say the heroes sacrificed anything (unless killing enemy combatants, like the Aztecs, is considered sacrifice). It's a simplistic tale where you're supposed to root for the heroes because they are American and they are the heroes. And I do wonder if the author thought for five minutes about how a real military assault and close combat in orbit would really work.
"The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal. This one I read when Tor published it a few months ago. Quiet and understated. In its way, this is way more about sacrifice - and following your dreams, and space exploration - than the Torgersen one was.
"Opera Vita Aeterna" by Vox Day. Quite poorly written story that tries to be philosophical and ask big questions that never manages to tell the simplest story or accomplish anything - it's just some events happening after each other.
"The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling" by Ted Chiang, is pure science fiction about writing, memory, and what we know about ourselves, told in a very understated way that never feels fantastic. I think the story misses one target - it is shown and discussed how writing changes the way one thinks, but the lifelogging and recall service is only presented in the end as a way to improve oneself.
"The Waiting Stars" by Aliette de Bodard. On one had a pure sensawunda space operatic rescue mission, on the other a quiet story about love and how it can constrain you.
My current favourite: "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" over "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling".
