Ahira's Hangar

the nominees:
NEBULA AWARDS

Novel

The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade, Sep 09)
The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak (Bantam, Nov 08)
Flesh and Fire, Laura Anne Gilman (Pocket, Oct 09)
The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey, May 09)
Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor, Sep 09)
Finch, Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press, Oct 09)

Novella

"The Women of Nell Gwynne’s", Kage Baker (Subterranean Press, Jun 09)
“Arkfall,” Carolyn Ives Gilman (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Sep 09)
“Act One,” Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Mar 09)
"Shambling Towards Hiroshima", James Morrow (Tachyon, Feb 09)
“Sublimation Angels,” Jason Sanford (Interzone, Oct 09)
"The God Engines", John Scalzi ( Subterranean Press, Dec 09)

Novelette

“The Gambler,” Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2, Pyr Books, Oct 08)
“Vinegar Peace, or the Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage,” Michael Bishop (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jul 08)
“I Needs Must Part, The Policeman Said,” Richard Bowes (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Dec 09)
“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast,” Eugie Foster (Interzone, Feb 09)
“Divining Light,” Ted Kosmatka (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Aug 08)
“A Memory of Wind,” Rachel Swirsky (Tor.com, Nov 09)

Short Story

“Hooves and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela,” Saladin Ahmed (Clockwork Phoenix 2, Norilana Press, Jul 09)
“I Remember the Future,” Michael A. Burstein (I Remember the Future, Apex Press, Nov 08)
“Non-Zero Probabilities,” N. K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld, Nov 09)
“Spar,” Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, Oct 09)
“Going Deep,” James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jun 09)
“Bridesicle,” Will McIntosh (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Jan 09)

BRADBURY AWARD (dramatic presentation)


Star Trek, JJ Abrams (Paramount, May 09)
District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell (Tri-Star, Aug 09)
Avatar, James Cameron (Fox, Dec 09)
Moon, Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker (Sony, Jun 09)
Up, Bob Peterson and Pete Docter (Disney/Pixar, May 09)
Coraline, Henry Selick (Laika/Focus Feb 09)

ANDRE NORTON AWARD (young adult)


Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker (Tachyon, Jul 09)
Ice, Sarah Beth Durst (Simon and Schuster, Oct 09)
Ash, Malinda Lo (Little, Brown and Company, Sep 09)
Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev (Feiwel and Friends, Jul 09)
Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi (Tor Aug 08)
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009)
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her
Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente (Catherynne M. Valente, Jun 09)
Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld (Simon, Oct 09)

*********
Flesh and Fire was that fantasy about wine making I read a while back. It was OK, but very much a "first book in a series" if you know what I mean by that.

City and the City and Finch are both first rate.

I have not read the other nominated best novels, but have heard truly great things about Windup Girl.

I've heard of two of the novels, but that's it.

--A

You're one ahead of me, Av. But I've actually seen three of the movies!

Hahaha, I haven't seen any of them. But I have heard of them all.

--A

Up is really good. Star Trek was fun. Have not seen any of the others, though supposedly Moon is quite good.

I've seen three of the films myself: Star Trek, Avatar and Moon.
Avatar and Trek are terrific big budget spectacles. Moon is a low-key, deeply affecting and thoughtful film. It lingered in my mind long after the credits rolled.

Needless to say, I don't know any of the nominated books.
I am so out of touch it's not even funny. Okay, it is, but it's still awful how few sf books I've read.

The "young adult" category is curious to me. What does it really mean?
It seems vaguely patronizing to me: books for young people who aren't smart enough to read "grown-up" sf?

Those are books intended for teens; many of them are as good as or better than a lot of books intended for adults. As far as I know, there is no stigma involved in calling a book a YA and some of the greatest best sellers in fantasy and science fiction come from that subcategory.

I still hit the childrens section of the libraries to take out YA stuff. Some of the best sci-fi and fantasy books I've read have been those.

--A