2016 Hugo Voter Packet Released by MidAmeriCon II

Members of MidAmeriCon II can begin downloading the sample work provided by 2016 Hugo Award nominees.

All five Best Novel nominees are represented. Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves is complete. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is labeled an excerpt, though there are 449 pages of story here, and the file is 500 pages (of what Amazon lists as a 512-page book), so without taking time to read the text one can say it’s at least a very generous portion of the whole. There are excerpts from Ancillary Mercy and Uprooted. And although not flagged as an excerpt, the Jim Butcher file ends on page 116, of what Amazon lists as a 640-page novel, QED.

From my quick inspection, it appeared all the novellas, novelettes and short stories are present. (The text of Cheah Kai Wai’s novelette is in the collection There Will Be War, vol. 10., part of the Best Editor, Short Form packet.) [Update] However, “If You Were an Award, My Love” by Juan Tabo and S. Harris, published on Vox Popoli, about which some objections have been raised, is not part of the download. [Update] The committee states that the story was not submitted to the packet.

The related works section excludes Safe Space as Rape Room – there is a statement with a link to the online text, as previously announced.

The graphic novels are represented by Invisible Republic, Sandman Overture, and The Divine. (Not present are Erin Dies Alone and Full Frontal Nerdity.

Best Editor (Long Form) nominees Jim Minz, Liz Gorinsky, and Sheila Gilbert provided lists of the books they worked on in 2015. There is no entry from Toni Weisskopf. Vox Day’s editorial production for Castalia House is represented by books in the Related Works section. Sheila Gilbert’s statement says she was “including excerpts from one novel written by each author whose work I published in 2015.” I didn’t find any excerpts in what I downloaded, and have written to the committee asking for clarification.

Best Editor (Short Form), in addition to Jerry Pournelle’s book, has a sample issue of Asimov’s edited by Sheila Williams, links to works edited by Ellen Datlow for Tor.com, Clarkesworld issue 100 edited by Neal Clarke (plus links to additional issues and stories), and from John Joseph Adams all the fiction published by Lightspeed in 2015.

There are portfolios from four Best Professional Artist nominees, Abigail Larson, Larry Rostant, Lars Braad Andersen and Michal Karcz. (None from Larry Elmore.)

The Best Semiprozine section has Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #183, a 71-page sampler from Sci Phi Journal, Strange Horizons’ Fund Drive Special 2015 (with an introductory comment disclaiming the Rabid Puppies slate, where it was an unwilling entry), and The Best of Uncanny 2015. Daily Science Fiction provided a link to its site.

The Best Fanzine category has samplers from four nominees (no submission from Superversive SF.)  Three Best Fancast nominees compiled links to eligible works on their sites (Cane and Rinse, HelloGreedo, and Tales to Terrify.) All five Best Fan Writer nominees furnished samplers. The Best Fan Artist packet has work from Ku Kuru Yo, Matthew Callahan and Steve Stiles.

John W. Campbell nominees Alyssa Wong, Brian Niemeier and Sebastien de Castell provided copies of their short fiction or novels.

It is possible more samples will be added later — that has occurred in other years.

Update 05/28/2016: Corrected to show that one short story nominee is not accounted for. The committee says it was not submitted to the packet.

60 thoughts on “2016 Hugo Voter Packet Released by MidAmeriCon II

  1. My feelings after struggling up to the single chapter 5 of ~SJWAL can only be adequately expressed through the medium of Arrested Development gifs (dead dove: do not eat). I thought it was going to be bad in a “The Room” way not a “Star Wars Holiday Special” way :c Silver lining: I have a new level of appreciation for the oeuvre of Timothy the Talking Cat.

    Moving on: now I get to read Penric’s Demon! Excited about this one (the only unread novella I have left) and the Stephen King, and going to give the TWBW stuff a fair go (not expecting much from my initial scan through however). After that I’m not sure if I should prioritise the two doorstop novels I have left or try to expand my knowledge of art and fancasts…

  2. Any idea who Hilary Savage is? Apparently the author of Jethro Johnson’s piece.

  3. Just an FYI: LMB has asked on her fan listserve for brainstorming help for a title. It seems there’s a new Penric story close to ready.

  4. nickphease: Any idea who Hilary Savage is?

    Hilary Savage is the Hugo Packet Coordinator. Evidently she had a role in creating the PDF.

    ETA: Eh. Ninja’d by Hampus!

  5. Unless The Fifth Season skips chapters it looks like it may be the whole thing there. The copy I have from the library has 23 chapters and 2 appendices and extras going to 498 numbered pages.

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