An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton

The way he thinks-the kind ofĬharacters he writes about, the kind of stories he tells, the kind of worlds he builds-repel me.' Just not sure he's a good writer as opposed to an evil writer. Later she adds: 'I have no hesitation saying he's a good writer, as opposed to a bad writer I'm 'I have read half a dozen assorted Dick novels and hated all of them,' she observes. She doesn't care, for instance, for the work of Philip K. But she is certainly a discriminate reader, and there are a few sub-genres or She is, to put it mildly, omnivoracious in the science fictionĪnd fantasy genres. This transparency is extremely helpful and leads directly to that second question of sensibility. Finally, another significant qualification is her willingness to state what kind ofīooks appeal to her and why, and conversely what books she tends to stay away from, and why. She's coming at this fromĪ place of love. The texts under discussion is her endless enthusiasm for science fiction. Perhaps as important as her first-hand experience with

Many that were nominated or made other shortlists, and often she's read them more than once.Īdmittedly, she hasn't read every nominee and every winner in the years under review, but she'sĬandid about this and explains why it is so. She has read not only many, many novels and stories that won Hugos (and other awards), but also Great (2014), an impressive collection of informal essays on re-reading the classics of our genre. (2011) and has authored many other fine novels, as well as the recent What Makes This Book So Regarding the first question: Jo Walton is herself a Hugo winner for the excellent Among Others Tour-guide through literary history: what are her qualifications, and what's her sensibility? Now, with any such project, a couple of questions immediately arise regarding our prospective It deliversĮxactly what the title promises: a chatty, highly personal review of nearly fifty years of Hugo

Trivia aside, if you care at all about the history of science fiction and how the tastes of the field'sĬommunity of readers and fans have changed over time, you'll want to buy this book. news coverage? (It happened in 1970, for coverage of the Apollo Aldiss was up for a Hugo in 1958 for 'Best NewĪuthor'-and lost (to 'No Award'!)? Did you know that one year the Hugo for 'Best Dramatic Title: An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000ĭid you know that in 1953 a Hugo Award was given out for 'Excellence in Fact Articles'? (The

An Informal History of the Hugos by Jo Walton