Hugo voting deadline!

Diane from the World Science Fiction Convention sez, "Just wanted to drop you a quick note to say that the voting deadline for the Hugo awards is this Friday. Eligible voters must vote online by July 3rd, 23:59PM EST. People should vote as early as possible in case of computer problems and to ensure their ballot is received before the deadline."

You get a vote if you're signed up to attend the WorldCon (it's in Montreal this year). It's one of the best Hugo ballots I've seen in all my years as an sf reader. And yes, I'm eligible twice, once for best novel (Little Brother) and again for best novella (True Names, with Ben Rosenbaum).

Final Ballot for the 2009 Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award

[#1 posted by rosenkrantz, July 1, 2009 2:54 PM]

When the ballots came out months ago, I was surprised to see that many of the books up for best novel were, well, books written for or about juveniles, or kids.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi

So 3 of the 5 books nominated fit into this category. Graveyard Book was great of course, but it was very much a kids book. Zoe's Tale - i had no interest in reading a rewrite of Scalzi's last book told from the main character's 15 yr old daughter's POV.

Does the writing & subsequent nomination of "kids books" in sci fi represent a true shift towards a younger reading base? Or is it just a marketing band wagon jumping onto the "Twilight" and the JK Rowling & Lemony Snicket kids books (which were read and bought at a lot of adults also.) No one can argue that over the last 5-10 years the juvenile reading category has received a huge shot in the arm.

The only issue I have with "kids books" is they play by kids' book rules. In none of the above books kids are (a) never really ever placed in any real danger (b) and certainly never killed or harmed. Thus the literary suspense is lessened as the characters are never really going to face any sort of extreme situation. Of course I don't mean to say that main characters have to be in danger for the book to be good but that's usually the case right?

Sorry Cory but didn't read Little Brother. Not sure if any kids were harmed or killed in it.

[#2 posted by MichaelWalsh, July 1, 2009 3:14 PM]

Well, that's what a majority of the Worldcon members who bothered to nominate happen to like.

[#3 posted by rosenkrantz, July 1, 2009 3:47 PM]

I was referring to more the writing of than the nomination of.

[#4 posted by encuentraTuJob, July 1, 2009 5:01 PM]

We have to sign up to vote?

[#5 posted by futbol789, July 1, 2009 7:22 PM]

@1 and 3
yeah, danger absolutely helps. But, it seems like you read one of the three mentioned and then crticized the Twilight genre. Gaimen's book starts with a boy's family being knifed in the middle of the night. Little Brother sees characters tortured, with all the resulting psycholgical trauma. And Scalzi's book sees main characters die. So, you might be a bit off on that one.

I'm not sure what qualifies as genuine peril though. like is it only genuine if they actually die? But it seems to me that some of the books truly aimed at 12 or 13 year olds or even younger have some genuine peril these days. I'm thinking of frank beddor and James Owen.

But, hey, once you read them, it's your prerogative as the appreciator of the so called art to run it down all you like. Don't judge a book by it's in store location, or some such retarded cliche.

[#6 posted by Anonymous, July 1, 2009 7:52 PM]

Erm, I'm a bit new to the Hugos, so forgive my ignorance - what's with the Ultraman bust? Is it one of the prizes? If so, I am suddenly filled with a desire to write.

[#7 posted by singingdragon, July 1, 2009 8:20 PM]

@Rosenkrantz

How exactly are you coming to the conclusions you did about these books? You specifically said you didn't read Little Brother, and it sounds like you didn't read the other two, either. All three have children being tortured, or killed, or hunted by beings with every intention of killing them, or something. I didn't read Anathem, but the other "adult" nominee, Saturn's Children, is only more mature insofar as it has more sex in it and is a bit longer. The main character in that book wasn't in significantly more danger of grievous harm or death.

[#8 posted by Antinous / Moderator, July 1, 2009 8:24 PM]

I don't think that Cory was suggesting that readers join up just to vote. Quite a few BB readers are going to WorldCon.

[#9 posted by rosenkrantz, July 1, 2009 8:27 PM]

@6

I wasn't actually complaining about "these" books or saying they were inferior. I was asking whether juvenile sci fi books was a rising trend or is it just a fluke this year.

But to address the points, I read graveyard book and tho the parents are killed (off camera and just before the book starts) - Bod is never in any real danger at all and we know that as its a kids book. Thus the suspense is lessened.

I read the Scalazi book Zoe's Tale parallels and neither Zoe nor her parents die or come under any - hence the kids book rules.

[#10 posted by Nelson.C, July 2, 2009 5:46 AM]

Anon @6: Each year's Hugo has a Gernsbackian rocket, as at the right of the picture, but each design is individualised, often to the locale of that year's WorldCon. This picture is of the 2007 Hugo, which was presented in Yokohama that year, hence Ultraman and Mt Fuji (out of shot). Here's a more complete view.

[#11 posted by MichaelWalsh, July 2, 2009 6:34 AM]

This is not the first time some YA fiction has been on the Hugo ballot:

Have Space Suit, Will Travel (1959) and Starship Troopers (1960) (originally written as part of RAHs YA contract with Scribner's).

And to #4 "We have to sign up to vote?" Why yes, the Hugos are decided by the membership of the annual World SF Convention - so you have pay essentially annual dues; of course the earlier you join the less expensive it is. Details here: http://wsfs.org/