2005 Hugo Nominees

I haven’t had time to do reviews of the nominated novels this year, though I reviewed Iron Council back in September, and I’m hoping to review Charles Stross’s Iron Dawn before the end of August. Meanwhile, you can find the entire list of nominees here and the winners, posted at the link below.

In addition, my thoughts on the nominated short stories follow, along with links to each.

The Best Christmas Ever by James Patrick Kelly

This would receive my vote, if I were voting this year. A bizarre, satiric reflection on humanity set in a relatively near-future, this story deals concerns Christmas for the last man on earth. Kelly writes well; some readers may be a little disappointed with the conclusion, but this is a strong entry.

Decisions by Michael A. Burstein

The story begins with a familiar time-travel paradox, but then, in a couple of surprise twists, veers into entirely different clichés. It’s a fun story; you may find yourself matching each development with stories and Trek episodes where you’ve seen them used before.

A Princess of Earth by Mike Resnick

On Christmas Eve, a man grieving his deceased wife meets a wandering nude who claims to be John Carter of Mars. It’s an original premise, though I found its development less satisfying.

Shed Skin by Robert Sawyer

This story functions as a kind of draft of Sawyer’s recent novel, Mindscan. Its plot goes in its own direction (it also includes an entirely unnecessary final line, for the benefit of those who need a theme to hit them on the head. Sawyer does this sort of thing way too often).

Travels with Cats by Mike Resnick

Resnick fares better with his second nominated story this year, a reflection on loneliness, literature, desire, and hope.

UPDATE: this story won.

2 replies on “2005 Hugo Nominees”

  1. Hugo Nominees? How about the winners?
    Umm — i believe that the winners for this year’s Hugos have already been
    announced, making this thread a bit stale, no? Or perhaps relevant, but in a
    strange way… see
    AwardWeb:
    Hugo Award Winners

    for the list…

    • Re: Hugo Nominees? How about the winners?

      Sorry. I’ve been dealing with an ill mother and other matters and had the dates mixed up; I thought the Hugos were this coming weekend. Thanks for the link. I’ll make some changes to the wording of this one.

Comments are closed.