Personal Hugo Reflections

The Freehold | September 4-6, 2012 | Ed Raby Sr

[EveningStar]

The Hugo Awards! Nothing does the heart of a sci-fi, horror, fantasy fan more good than to see his favorite author or movie win a Hugo or look on past glories of Hugos gone by. Personally, as I looked through the winners old and new, I began to reflect on how much many of the winners and nominees affected my life and influenced my thought. I felt I had to get this down of digital paper for my own benefit. There may be other authors and movies you as a reader hold dear, but these are the ones that stick out to me...

Part 1 (50s and 60s)

Part 2 (70s and 80s)

Part 3 (90s to the present)

[EveningStar]

ping

[Lurking Libertarian]

You never heard of A Canticle for Leibowitz? Quite possibly the best single novel in the history of the SF genre, and certainly way better than Deathworld, as good a book as that is.

Leibowitz is also one of the few major SF novels to be written from a Christian (albeit Roman Catholic) perspective, though as a non-Christian (I am a Jew) I still love it. Great SF and also great literature.

[EveningStar]

Tell that to the writer. At least two people already have. :)

[spankalib]

Thanks for the post. I bookmarked the site, but in a quick glance, noticed it didn’t have much in the fantasy genre.

Nice to have a conservative take on things. I’ve checked out goodreads...a little...not enough, but reviews can vary widely.

At some point, ‘90’s? ‘80’s? scifi somehow became dry to me...a lot of bells and whistle-stuff, not much in character development. There are some good ones. I like Weber’s Honor Harrington stuff.

I always enjoy book-talk here at FR.
I never cease to learn something.
Is there a book-ping list?

[Argus]

A sci-fi list without Philip K. Dick on it isn’t worth much.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

Whatever you do, never read 2002 Nebula Award winner "The Quantum Rose" - it's a sci-fi bodice-ripper and one of the worst things I've ever had the misfortune to read.

[EveningStar]

Is there a book-ping list?

I don't know.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

Is there a book-ping list?

I think you just volunteered to start one. ;-)

My thought is to post a vanity to the Books/Literature topic soliciting membership.

Please add me. :-D

[JenB]

There have been some very good books in the Hugo awards lists in the last ten years, too bad this guy hasn’t read any of them. Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis would be worth his time.

I’d actually read three of the nominated books this year, but not the winner. Oh well I was rooting for anyone to win over George RR Martin after the complete disaster of a book he put out last year.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

I'm already halfway through book 4, so I'm going to have to read the last one regardless.

[JenB]

Read it in hard book format so when you throw it against the wall in disgust you don’t break an e-reader :)

I sort of exaggerate. The individual scenes were well written and character driven, which is great, it’s just the whole book that didn’t go anywhere. I’ve heard Martin is a discovery writer and it’s increasingly obvious to me you can’t write a multi-book series with dozens of major characters making it up as you go along.

Besides I’m blaming him for this whole gritty grim-dark fantasy trend that’s going on right now. If it weren’t for a couple bright shining epic fantasies I read in the last couple years I’d give up on the genre entirely.

We’ll see, if I can get an agent interested in my book maybe I’ll help reverse the trend :)

[JustSayNoToNannies]

The individual scenes were well written and character driven,

Having finished book 5, I agree.

which is great, it’s just the whole book that didn’t go anywhere.

The story lines progressed - but not toward any obvious conclusion. I would like to find out how it all ends before I die.