kaberett | Hugo notes

To be added to as I go along...

Best Novel (Stross yet to go):
1. Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie -- it is a very long time since I last had to immediately reread a book because I couldn't settle to anything else. So so SO good. SO GOOD.
2. the Mira Grant: I thought anything written under than name would be too creepy for me, but (1) apparently not and (2) adoradog. To the extent that, slightly to my surprise, I appear to be intending to purchase the full work. Having read the whole thing - yes, it's kind of predictable, but I still like what it's doing with ethics & identity.
3. Neptune's Brood, Charles Stross -- not sufficiently grabbed to want to read the whole thing, but enjoyed as far as I got. Peut-etre it becomes more interesting as you go along? But I am not inclined to buy the rest...
4. Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan etc -- kind of pulpy in a way I am thoroughly not in the mood for. I appear prone to be irritated by inaccurate geology, so I suppose it's a pity that it pretty much starts with implausible geology.
4. No award
Unranked: The White Supremacist -- nope nope nope nope nope [i.e. I got two pages into the first book of the trilogy before I decided I didn't want my face getting stuck that way, and also I liked lower heart rates than I was experiencing).

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I thought anything written under than name would be too creepy for me, but (1) apparently not and (2) adoradog. To the extent that, slightly to my surprise, I appear to be intending to purchase the full work.

Oh, that's great! *^^* I don't love Parasite in anything like the way I love Newsflesh, but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to Symbiont this fall. I was very glad it got nominated this year.

(As a data point, in terms of visceral creepiness, I found Parasite creepier than Newsflesh, not less. But that may be because parasites give me a stronger "ewww!" reaction than discussions about a virus that zombifies all mammals do. [On the flip side, Newsflesh is much harder on me emotionally, but...it's finished, while there are still two Parasitology books to come, so who knows what could happen?])

And...I haven't read anything else on the list, although I bought Ancillary Justice last month and am excited to read it.

I am pretty relaxed about parasites but Deeply Grossed Out by zombies, so :-)

READ ANCILLARY JUSTICE OH MY GOSH READ IT IT IS SO GOOD I REALLY REALLY WANT TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT IT

I gather that's not uncommon about zombies. ^^; It makes me so sad when it means I can't share the object of my adoration, but it's also hard to argue with, given the inherent nature of zombies. (Not that I'd argue anyway, for the record! A gut reaction is a gut reaction.)

Ancillary Justice is high on my list, I swear! I'm making a real effort to not let myself fall into the usual pattern of never getting to my purchased books because I'm too focused on must-be-returned library books. HOW are there so many awesome books? (Although it's an amazing problem to have.)

oh oh oh oh ow:

Words failed him. After a moment of staring soundlessly out the windshield, he slammed his fists into the steering wheel.

It was such an abrupt motion that I didn't see it coming. I shrieked, flattening myself against the car door. If we'd been moving at all, I probably would have fainted again. As it was, the traffic was at a standstill, and I was able to keep myself awake.

Nathan looked instantly contrite as soon as he realized what he had done. Wincing, he said, "I'm sorry, Sal. I didn't mean to scare you. I just... she... fuck."

I took a deep breath, trying to force my frantically beating heart to calm down. It was funny; at moments like this, my heartbeat didn't sound like drums at all. It just sounded like being afraid of the world.

Once I was sure I could talk again without throwing up, I said, "Don't do that in the car, okay? If you do that in the car again, I'm going to have to get out." I wasn't sure I didn't need to do that anyway. This was the second time in the same week that Nathan had taken his hands off the wheel, and that was something I couldn't handle.

Ohh, SAL. ;_;

I love Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire and am glad she is nominated (haven't read Parasite yet, although I own it) but Ancillary Justice blew my mind and I think deserves the win.

I really hope so! It just... I keep thinking I should really write a post about why I care about it so much and then going "NO ACTUALLY I JUST NEED TO MAKE PEOPLE READ IT"

Wait, are you going to Loncon?? (I am, quite a recent development) Or just voting?

Yep, I'm going :-) (Around various Shenanigans occurring that w/e including my parents' celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary...)

Oh, shiny! I shall be there also! (and helping with tech)

:D Then hopefully I will see you there!

:D (ffff I would really like to arrange to actually see you under other circs, but... brains and bodies? will understand if it doesn't work out)

Ancillary Justice is amazing.

isn't ittt

I had some trouble getting into Ancillary Justice at first (but still liking the story - just, it took my brain more time than I would have expected to dissociate pronouns from visual cues) but once my brain made the switch, it was an amazing read.

hah, yeah. if it helps any, it took me a while as well, which I rather suspect is because the neuter pronoun is one I am used not only to being strongly gendered, but to strongly gendering me; I suspect I'd have been less unsettled by it if it'd been a pronoun I'm accustomed to using as neuter. (interestingly this is not a universal thing -- I appear to have hit the point where my subconscious assumption is that, in the absence of other evidence, men have cunts. SO.)

I really really liked Ancillary Justice, really liked Neptune's Brood, and was meh about Parasite (I found it a bit ... obvious?). I am currently reading Warbound (having ignored the other works by the author), and it's Not Very Good.

I've not worked out what to do about WoT: there's clearly not time to read it all before the voting deadline (and I'd like to have a go at the shorter categories).

I am torn on Neptune's Brood; probably going to rank it under Parasite. I agree that the Mira Grant is obvious, but... frown. Just read Neptune's Brood extract on the plane and am going to try to put my Feelings about it into sensible words shortly.

FWIW, I have difficulty imagining an extract doing Neptune's Brood justice? OTOH, Stross is definitely a very particular flavour.

WoT went steadily downhill; read the first volume. If you're the kind of freak who loves it, you'll read all the others anyway. :-)

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