2009 Hugo Award Nominations

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

There are two major literary awards in the science fiction and fantasy genre–the Nebulas, given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and the Hugos, voted on by the members of Worldcon (which will be held this August in Montreal). The Hugo nominees were announced yesterday, and I always consider them a great reading list if you’re interested in genre fiction.

As usual, Asimov’s dominates the novella/novelette/short story categories, and there are some familiar names, like Nancy Kress, Mike Resnick, and Michael Swanwick. The graphic novel category includes some Vertigo favorites like Fables and Y: The Last Man, as well as the first comic offering in Jim Butcher‘s Dresden Files series. Interestingly, there are two young adult novels up for best novel, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother (available for free download) and Neil Gaiman‘s The Graveyard Book, in the company of a GAS favorite, Anathem, by Neal Stephenson.

The long-form dramatic presentation category is favoring comics-based movies like The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and Hellboy II. And as for the past few years, up for short form are episodes of Battlestar Galactica (“Revelations”) and Doctor Who (“Turn Left” and “Silence in the Library”), as well as Lost (“The Constant”) and Joss Whedon’s Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. (Of course, “Silence in the Library” is probably the favorite – DW episodes penned by Stephen Moffat have taken the award three years in a row.)

There are several other categories, including the John W. Campbell award for Best New Writer, which can be one to keep an eye on; past winners have included Orson Scott Card, Karen Joy Fowler, and Cory Doctorow.

[Image Source: Flickr]