A few thoughts on losing the Hugo

I am back home after Worldcon.  It was a great weekend.  I am very glad I went, and I’m very glad to be home.  There are a lot of people who are very dear to me who I got to see and spend time with, and some conversations that may, I think, shape some largish part of my day-to-day life for years to come.

As you’ll have heard by now, Jo Walton’s love letter to fandom Among Others won the best novel Hugo, beating out Embassytown which beat out Leviathan Wakes.  I wanted to say a couple words about that.

First:  I am and have been a squeeing Jo Walton fan ever since I read Farthing.  I read Among Others aloud to my Darling Wife, and I think it’s a lovely book.  When Jo won the award, I couldn’t stop grinning for her.  Hell, I’m still smiling about it now.

Second:  I am proud and delighted to be mentioned in the same breath with the other authors who were on the ballot, and in the angry grumbling about how close the nomination count was.  (Leviathan Wakes squeaked on.  I mean *squeaked*.)

Third: This is all fun, and none of it matters.  No one who loved Embassytown should love it less because it got a few less votes than Among Others.  No one who admires Charlie Stross is going to turn away from him because he was a couple nominating votes shy of the short-list this time.

Literary awards are a beautiful kind of nonsense, and I was delighted to be swept up in that dream for a little while, and I’m delighted to wake back up from it.  I love my community with all its little triumphs and its occasional hilarious failures of grace.  I love all the folks who are grumpy because we didn’t win, and I love all the folks who were grumpy that we were nominated in the first place.  I am delighted for Jo and for all the other winners.  I appreciate all the time and attention that people have put into this lovely little event, and who will again next year as well.  Really, it was a delight to come and play.

But now I am home.  I have deadlines and bills and dishes, and this part?  It’s actually the part that I love.

Thank you all for being part of this.  I will be a bit scarce for the next couple of weeks, playing catch-up and all.  And I hope to have more news soon.