Predict the Hugos

And as a Hugo encore, I thought I’d have a go at publicly predicting the nominees so I can look smart/stupid in ten days’ time.

Best Novel
Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold
Blackout, Mira Grant
The Killing Moon, NK Jemisin
2312, Kim Stanley Robinson
Redshirts, John Scalzi
Scalzi hasn’t always made the ballot, but Redshirts did well, seemed to have a lot of buzz, and as a bonus had a UK edition. Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance isn’t great, but Cryoburn was worse and that got nominated, so I think it’s the unstoppable Bujold vote in action (similar to the unstoppable Willis vote). Mira Grant got the second book in a trilogy on the list, I see no reason the concluding volume won’t make it. Robinson is good, well known, and a nice traditional SF pick. I dithered between Jemisin and Saladin Ahmed for the last slot, but I think Jemisin has more buzz and Ahmed has faded. Dark horse: China Mieville. Also wouldn’t be surprised to see James S. A. Corey on there.

Best Novella
“San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats”, Mira Grant
On a Red Station, Drifting, Aliette de Bodard
After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress
“Let Maps to Others”, K.J. Parker
“Legion”, Brandon Sanderson
Dark horse: Robert Reed. He wrote 3 this year, so I’m hedging my bets. Darker dark horse: Ian Sales.

Best Novelette
“The Grinnell Method”, Molly Gloss
“Swift, Brutal Retaliation”, Meghan McCarron
“Arbeitskraft”, Nick Mamatas
“Fade to White”, Catherynne M. Valente
“The Waves”, Ken Liu

Best Short Story
“Mantis Wives”, Kij Johnson
“Immersion”, Aliette de Bodard
“A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight”, Xia Jia
“Peacekeeper”, Mike Resnick and Brad R. Torgeson
“The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species”, Ken Liu

Best Related Work
A Feast of Ice and Fire, Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sarianne Lehrer
The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, Farah Mendlesohn and Edward James
Chicks Unravel Time, L.M. Myles and Deborah Stanish
Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones, Brian Cogman
Writing Excuses season 7, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal

Best Graphic Story
Saga, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
Hawkeye, Matt Fraction, David Aja, Javier Pullido
Saucer Country, Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly
Fables: Inherit the Wind, Bill Willingham and a bunch of artists
Schlock Mercenary, Howard Tayler
Note my optimism in assuming that Girl Genius will not hop straight back in and win again now the category is permanent.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Game of Thrones season 2
The Avengers
The Hobbit
The Hunger Games
Looper
Pessimistic choice: swap out one of the last two for Prometheus.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Doctor Who, “The Snowmen”
Doctor Who, “The Angels Take Manhattan”
Doctor Who, “Asylum of the Daleks”
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, “Read It and Weep”
Fringe, “The Bullet That Saved The World”

Best Editor, Long Form
Lou Anders
Anne Lesley Groell
Malcolm Edwards
Jane Johnson
Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Best Editor, Short Form
Jonathan Strahan
John Joseph Adams
Neil Clarke
Stanley Schmidt
Sheila Williams

Best Professional Artist
John Picacio
Stephan Martiniere
Michael Komarck
Daniel Dos Santos
John Howe

Best Semiprozine
Lightspeed
Clarkesworld
Interzone
Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Escape Pod

Best Fanzine
SF Signal
The Drink Tank
Banana Wings
Journey Planet
World SF Blog

Best Fancast
SF Squeecast
StarShipSofa
The Coode Street Podcast
SF Signal Podcast
Galactic Suburbia
You may notice this is the same as last year’s ballot. This is because I think it might very well be the same, but also I have no idea about podcasts.

Best Fan Writer
Christopher J. Garcia
Adam Whitehead
Stephen H. Silver
Abigail Nussbaum
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