2021 Locus, Nebula, and Hugo lists

[Silvana]

If you're a data nerd, you might want to check out this detailed stat: http://www.thehugoawards.org/content/...

I have four runner-ups in my ballot, okay then ;p

[Leonie]

Silvana wrote: "If you're a data nerd, you might want to check out this detailed stat: http://www.thehugoawards.org/content/...

I have four runner-ups in my ballot, okay then ;p"

That was really interesting. Mind you, I really, really, like "Upright Women Wanted," so I was sad to see how far down the list it ended up.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

That was interesting. Thanks for posting that.

[Silvana]

No problemo...

Btw, I wonder whether you all will go back to the packet and read the ones you haven't. I plan to peruse the semiprozine ones at least, so I could at least reach my reading target this year.

Yet I've to confess I have not actually finished all the previous year's packet either LOL

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

So Mary Robinette Kowal has apologised for the awards ceremony being sponsored by Raytheon Technology.

https://discon3.org/news/statement-an...

I like what this commenter says about the furore.

"What a joke. Half the Golden Age writers worked for either the DoD or defense contractors at some point or another (Asimov, Heinlein and L Sprague de Camp all worked together at the Naval Air Experiment Center; Heinlein in the Navy itself; Niven - SDI, DHS and others; Pournelle - who can count? Army, Boeing, Aerospace Corp and Rockwell; Cornwainer Smith/Paul Linebarger - psy-ops; Ben Bova - Project Vanguard) plus the dozens who served (many of them volunteers) in the military (Clarke, Kornbluth, Haldeman,Vonnegut, Gene Wolfe, David Drake, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Elizabeth Moon, Sandra McDonald, John Ringo, etc.) Greg Bear worked at Sandia Labs, advised the Army and CIA.

I know I’m forgetting a bunch of folks from JPL, Los Alamos, various contractors, etc. Suffice it to say, a lot of SF has come out of the military industrial complex."

Though my position on it is that we should have considerably more SFF stories that don't have products of companies like Raytheon Tech and Lockheed Martin playing prominent roles.

I said on the groups discord channel earlier that Murderbot from the best novel winner, Network Effect, will probably be built by Raytheon Tech. Its interesting to look over the previous nominees and winners of Hugos and Nebulas to see how large a role weapons manufacturers have had and still have in SFF.

(Also, f*** the "classics". Except Vonnegut, I like me some Vonnegut)

[Silvana]

Ryan wrote: "So Mary Robinette Kowal has apologised for the awards ceremony being sponsored by Raytheon Technology.

https://discon3.org/news/statement-an...

I like what this c..."

Murderbot by Raytheon Tech OMG

[Quantum]

Ryan wrote: "So Mary Robinette Kowal has apologised for the awards ceremony being sponsored by Raytheon Technology.

https://discon3.org/news/statement-an...

I like what this c..."

It's an excellent idea to have guidelines for upcoming Worldcons. Disallowing some companies from sponsorship would be a slam dunk, but in other cases it could be in a gray area because much technology is dual-use.

[Rachel]

So my spouse works fir Raytheon and while yes they make drones and other weapons he’s currently working for the group doing the NOAA satellites which are for the greater good \ monitoring he changing climate is definitely a plus. Also they supposedly treat employees well, he gets the whole week off between Xmas and New Years and got a bit of paternity (tho he should have had more).

On the other hand - evil Aytheon is totally a possibility

They also do the maintenance on the Air Force one type stuff

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

How does he, as a member of the science/sff community, feel about being rejected by the Hugos committee with that statement?

[Rachel]

Dunno I’d have to ask I haven’t shared it yet oth him cause holiday craziness- I’m much deeper into SFFdom than him tho he’s on board with big names like Sanderson, Scalzi, likes murderbot and various other things I throw at him.
I should ask

[Bonnie]

Allison wrote: "Exciting! How is it?"

Remember it was almost in a mod-poll, but then its wider publication release had been postponed because of the pandemic? (I have not done "research" on this) it seems they are re-issuing it with a new name:
The City Inside .

Since I've read it now I can say, that indeed IMO "Chosen Spirits" isn't a great name for it since it is not about spirits! (Or is this like the Brit/U.S. names for the TV show Spooks/MI-5?) It takes place in Delhi so "City Inside" might allude to the spirit of the city of Delhi, plus all the cyber-excitement they've got going on there, and how technology changes people.
New cover too:



https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

oooo nice!