As I no longer read much short fiction, my interest is with the Best Novel category and what a diverse and interesting bunch they are. 6 women and 2 blokes, which as Timmi Duchamp says, is at odds with the small amount of space given to reviews of books written by women. Shit, even my own blog bears this out – most of the books I’ve reviewed in the last three months have been written by men.
I’ve read four of the books that feature (Ancillary Justice, Hild, The Ocean at the End of The Lane and The Stranger in Olondria) and I intend to read at least three of the other four. (I bet you can’t guess the one I’m not keen on).
Of the four I have read, Hild is by far the strongest book (see my review later in the week). Except it’s also a pure historical novel. I understand that it “feels” like a secondary world fantasy, what with all the weird customs and unpronounceable names, but that’s more to do with our ignorance of the time period then any link to fantastic literature. I don’t begrudge the book appearing on the list – I mean it’s fucking fantastic and the more plaudits it gets the better – but it’s not a book I would be nominating for a Hugo award.
I also have a suspicion – without having read it – that the Karen Joy Fowler is also bereft of any speculative content.
The appearance of both books does raise the age old question about the fuzziness of genre boundaries. I do wonder though if Hild had been written by Hilary Mantel, rather than Nicola Griffith, and received a similar number of nominations, whether it would have appeared on the ballot. I’m not talking about a SFWA conspiracy here but questioning whether a non-genre book written by ‘one of our own’ would get precedence over the same book written by an outsider.
All that said, It’s possible that if Nicola and Karen are members of SFWA that they can appear on the ballot even if what they’ve written isn’t genre. It’s also possible that the conveners of the award have the power to put anything on the ballot – genre or not – if it gets enough nominations. I have no idea, but someone I’m sure can fill me in.
I’ve only read one of the books nominated for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. That book is Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson which I adored.
Congrats to all the nominees. Whatever my reservations about non fantastical works appearing on the ballot the SFWA members should be proud for coming up with such a varied and interesting list of fine fiction.
This question used to amuse me no end on Coode Street: Two blokes desperately trying to avoid tumbling down the ‘genre boundary dispute of doom’ rabbit hole and so talking about stories having a “genre feel” when what they really meant was that an author’s genre track record made them read an entirely non-genre novel through a genre lens. Reminds of a scene in a film where the protagonist is trying to sell a bag of oregano as weed by going ‘no… It’s really subtle and mellow!’
I say we need to bring back ‘That’s not SF!?’ as a legitimate response to award shortlists.
That and ‘…but that’s not how a space elevator works!’
I agree. If there’s any hesitation on my part it’s because I liked Hild and want to see it win awards. But I also know it’s not even remotely genre. And you’re right, it’s the whole argument about non genre works having genre sensibilities that results in novels like Hild appearing on SF/F ballots