Via File 770, I see that the Nebula winners have been announced:
Novel
◾Uprooted, Naomi Novik
Novella
◾Binti, Nnedi Okorafor
Novelette
◾‘‘Our Lady of the Open Road’’, Sarah Pinsker
Short Story
◾‘‘Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers’’, Alyssa Wong
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
◾Mad Max: Fury Road, Written by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
◾Updraft, Fran Wilde
Good for Uprooted! I think Novik has a very good chance to take the Hugo as well. I can’t remember offhand how many past books have taken both the Hugo and Nebula.
Interestingly, Chaos Horizon pegged The Fifth Season as the likely winner for this year’s Nebula. He did think Uprooted had a real chance, though.
Of the others, I did read “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers,” and liked it okay. On the other hand, I liked three of the other short story nominees better — “Cat Pictures, Please” by Kritzer, “Today I am Paul” by Shoemaker, and “Damage” by Lavine. I hadn’t read any of the other short fiction nominees.
I saw the Mad Max movie and liked it quite a bit, way more than Ex Machina, but not nearly as much as The Martian. I sure hope The Martian wins the Hugo.
And of the nominees for the Andre Norton award — here they are if you don’t remember:
Seriously Wicked, Tina Connolly
Court of Fives, Kate Elliott
Cuckoo Song, Frances Hardinge
Archivist Wasp, Nicole Kornher-Stace
Zeroboxer, Fonda Lee
Shadowshaper, Daniel José Older
Bone Gap, Laura Ruby
Nimona, Noelle Stevenson
Updraft, Fran Wilde
— I loved Cuckoo Song and Archivist Wasp and Bone Gap, and, although I haven’t read Updraft and hope I love it, too, based on the ones I’d read, I was REALLY rooting for Archivist Wasp. Though that is a pretty stellar list of nominees and if I’d been a judge, it would have been very difficult to narrow it down.
Congratulations to the winners — and the nominees — and I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest of those YA nominees.
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I have no preference for movie this year–I agree both Mad Max and Martian are fine movies, but both were totally overshadowed by a non-SF movie: Spotlight. Best. Docu-drama. Ever.
I also agree that Mad Max wins hands down for dramatic “presentation” as opposed to”best movie”. The special effects and crowd scenes im that flick were certainly better than Martian.
The only one I’ve actually read at present is “Our Lady of the Open Road,” a good presentation of a near future; less realistic than she probably thinks — arguably a good thing, since it’s also bleaker than I like. Though she tries hard to keep it from feeling hopeless, so points there.
Pete, I have to admit, as an art film with explosions — as I think my brother said a friend of his described it – it’s hard to beat the Mad Max film. AS a story, though, I prefer The Martian.
Well, bleak-but-not-hopeless doesn’t sound unreadable, at least.
If it’s not on your radar already, I recommend “Binti”. I finished it wishing it was longer.
Mona, I’m glad to hear it, since I definitely plan to read it. For me, the cover image does it no favors. It looks like it’s got a horror thing going, which is seldom an inducement for me to try a story. I guess that’s misleading?
Yeah, definitely not horror. I think the cover will make more sense after you read it. There is one scene that is tragic. But the story as a whole is uplifting.