Stuff for next years Hugos

[alias_sqbr]

One of the perks of having a Worldcon membership is I get to nominate and vote in the 2010 Hugos. But I'm not really up to speed with the Latest In SciFi. So I want to try and start catching up now and hopefully I'll have a decent spread of reading/watching done by the time nominations close next year.

So, what do you guys recommend, for scifi-ish stuff being made/published in 2009? Feel free to promote your friends/yourselves, as long as you genuinely think they deserve it :)

Here's the list of categories and rules. In short: Books/movies must have come out this year, continuing stuff like comics are judged on any stories finished this year, people are judged on work to date.

Here's some recs I've been looking at:
Hugo recs lj comm
Thirty Comics for Hugo Voters by Paul Cornell
NESFA 2009 Hugo Recommendations

Stuff I mean to check out:

# means it's in the library system

Novel:
The Steel Remains#
The City and The City by China Mieville#

Dramatic presentation > 90 mins:
Moon
Up
Coraline
District 9
Torchwood: Children of Earth(*)
Ponyo

Graphic Story:
DMZ: No Future (#: Some but not latest or first)
Echo: Desert Run (#: first)
Rasl (#: first)
Fruits Basket*#
Pluto (#: first)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century, 1910
Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe* (#: some but not latest or first)

Stuff I think is awesome and YOU should check out

Off the top of my head, there's so many categories I'm sure I've forgotten heaps.

Dramatic presentation > 90 mins:
Star Trek
Torchwood - Children of Earth(*) (It seems odd to rec something I haven't had the stomach to finish, but it is very good)
Watchmen

Graphic story:( also see Paul Cornell's reviews)
Digger by Ursula Vernon
Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe*
Fruits Basket*

Professional artist:
Ursula Vernon

Fan writer:
ME
Sam Starbuck (copperbadge)
E. E. Beck ( lightgetsin) Possibly not her real name?
thefourthvine but I don't know her name :(

Fan artist: I'm going to take this chance to promote some local artists :)
ME
Lisa Rye
Christina Lorenz
Nancy Lorenz (her new website is down, I think this is all old stuff)

I have no idea:
Dramatic presentation < 90mins, novella, novelette, short story, related book, editor long, editor short, semiprozine, fanzine

Looking through last years nominations some of these categories really didn't get very many. If I got 30 friends together I could totally get into the "best fanartist" category :D (I wouldn't win, of course, but it would still be awesome)

(And no, I never go to any effort for the Tin Ducks/Ditmars, and I really should. Hey, I bet I really could rort myself into a nomination for best fanartist!)

(*)These are in both since I've read some of the story but not the recent stuff

Comments

[elaran.livejournal.com]

TFV is so much love. Her posts make me laugh like a crazy thing at exactly the right times. :)

[alias_sqbr]

The only reason I haven't friended her is I prefer saving her posts up for really miserable days :)

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

hoping to have something useful to tell you real soon ...

[alias_sqbr]

Well, you do have a little while before nominations close :)

[angriest.livejournal.com]

I am continuing to plug the manga Pluto as an absolute top shelf Graphic Novel contender - the eighth and final volume was published in Japan this year.

[alias_sqbr]

Ooh, and the library system has the first volume on order, too. I already have "20th century boys" by him on reserve.

[furikku.livejournal.com]

Seconding this. Urasawa owns.

[tedprior.livejournal.com]

http://www.gloriousbounty.com/

:)

[alias_sqbr]

Noted :)

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

“The Armies of Elfland”
Eileen Gunn and Michael Swanwick
Asimov’s - April/May 2009

"The Monsters of Morgan Island"
Sandra McDonald
Asimov’s - June 2009

"Sails the Morne"
Chris Willrich
Asimov’s - June 2009

I know that Willrich's story would never win, but I mention it because it's been a long time since I've read a story that was this much fun. And it has rude alien ambassadors.

[alias_sqbr]

Thanks. Of course the problem with these is figuring out how to read them (I'm not a big fan of short fiction so don't do much to seek it out). I know they often release versions of the short stories once nominations are in, I guess I could wait until then.

[serge-lj.livejournal.com]

I doubt they'll make it to the Hugo's fina list, but who knows?

Regarding short fiction... When it comes to SF, I usually prefer greater lengths while going the other way for fantasy. That's probably because SF needs world-building, while fantasy may not be able to sustain its atmosphere if going for longer.

[alias_sqbr]

I prefer long fiction for everything. I don't even like overly episodic tv shows. Which is a pity, since many of my friends are involved with local sff short fiction publishing and I feel bad for not reading much of their stuff!