Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion
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Best & Worst of 2023
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The novel you enjoyed most:
Killing Floor
The book that made you think the most:
Total Consecration Prep.
The weirdest group read:
The Watchers
Your favorite newly discovered author:
Adam Nevill
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy:
More like Historical fiction. The Lincoln Secret.
Your favorite protagonist & villain:
The unseen entity in The Beckoning Fair One.
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future:
Replay
The most difficult read:
Holly
The novels that failed to live up to its hype:
Holly + 11.22.63
Mod
The novel you enjoyed most
- quite a few, among the group reads maybe Hyperion, Ender’s Game and Remnant Population, but this were all re-reads, so the winner is A Case of Conscience
The book that made you think the most
Hyperion and among other books An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
Your favorite newly discovered author
Alastair Reynolds for his Revelation Space Series, which has been the best series discovered by me this year
After a quick review I can respond to most of these questions. I read a lot of good books, so the positive answers were generally harder.The novel you enjoyed most - Tehanu (?)
The book that made you think the most - Amatka (reread)
The weirdest group read - Maybe Up the Line - “weird” for ‘60s datedness
Your favorite newly discovered author - I read C.J. Cherryh (Downbelow Station) and Vonda N. McIntyre (Dreamsnake) for the first time, enjoyed both
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy - The Mountain in the Sea, Tehanu
The book that exceeded your expectations - Moon of the Crusted Snow
Your favorite protagonist & villain ?
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future Maybe Roadside Picnic
The most difficult read - The Cold Six Thousand - generally ugly subject matter and prose
The novel that failed to live up to its hype? I had a few disappointments, none heavily hyped
Mod
The book that made you think the most - Hyperion, Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
The weirdest group read - I agree with Stephen, Up the Line
Your favorite newly discovered author - Alastair Reynolds - didn't finish Revelation Space, but I plan to go back to it
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy - same list as those I enjoyed most, plus Armor, Red Team Blues & The Vampire Tapestry
The book that exceeded your expectations - The Voyage of the Space Beagle. I disliked other books A.E. van Vogt, so I didn't expect much. I was surprised.
Your favorite protagonist & villain - Ofelia (Remnant Population), Charlie (Starter Villain), Edward Weyland (The Vampire Tapestry)
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future - none, I don't re-read much
The most difficult read - Stand on Zanzibar, Cryptonomicon for length & dedication required
The novel that failed to live up to its hype - The Spare Man - worst book of the year easily, even more than Throne of Glass
The novel that disappointed you most - Some Desperate Glory - read some good things about it, and I found it mediocre
Best non-fiction book you read - SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome & Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
I missed the non-fiction question.Best non-fiction book you read - We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland and Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World
No one told me there was going to be a test! I would just answer "C" for everything if it was multiple choice, but let's see if I can fake my way through short answer. I hope I don't get graded down for not showing my work...The novel you enjoyed most - OK this one is easy...
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The book that made you think the most - hmmm, I'm still reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, but I won't finish it this year, so instead I'll go with this one which was like taking a college history course
Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson
The weirdest group read - that's easy, the holiday story with the mouse king and the toy soldier
Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Your favorite newly discovered author
I'll go with Willa Cather whose Death Comes for the Archbishop went down real smooth
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy -
SCIENCE FICTION - It was a very good year for this genre, but I'll go with
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
FANTASY - not a great year for me, but this one stood out
Kull: Exile of Atlantis by Robert E. Howard
The book that exceeded your expectations - this short story collection really caught me off-guard and made me wonder why I'd taken so long to read it
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr.
Your favorite protagonist & villain - hard to pass up narcos and the cops tracking them down, written by one of the best living crime writers who is just about to retire from writing
The Cartel by Don Winslow
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future - my first by these guys, but it won't be my last
Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky
The most difficult read - there were a few but this one almost depressed me to death
To Die In California by Newton Thornburg
The novel that failed to live up to its hype - far from great, it was (like the movie) just OK, and some parts were downright irritating
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The novel that disappointed you most - I'll go with that overdramatic 19th Century soap opera
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Best non-fiction book you read - I could have gone with
Battle Cry of Freedom again but I think my favorite was really
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
although this one was real good too (and they both take place in the mid-1930s so they pair well together)
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
Hey, that wasn't so bad. When do we get our grades back?
I also thought Death Comes for the Archbishop was great when when I read it a number of years ago. Beautifully written historical novel. I still haven’t read any more Willa Cather though.
Mod
The novel that disappointed you most - I had no major disappointments. Three to Conquer was disappointingly mediocre, but my hopes weren’t that high.
Stephen wrote: "I also thought Death Comes for the Archbishop was great when when I read it a number of years ago. Beautifully written historical novel. I still haven’t read any more Willa Cather tho..."I might read My Mortal Enemy in February, if it wins the Classics Group poll, and if I can fit it in.
Mod
The novel you enjoyed most
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (with Embassytown by China Miéville as a runner-up)
The book that made you think the most
I find this question hard to answer. Academic writing? (see below for "hardest to read")
The weirdest group read
Catching up from last year, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Not really a novel. Not really a story. Not really enjoyable, either.
Your favorite newly discovered author
Looking back over my year, most of my reads came from previously read authors. The ones I tried out for the first time this year are: Samanta Schweblin, Charles Stross, Sam J. Miller, Arkady & Boris Strugatsky, C. J. Cherryh, Lavie Tidhar, Marion Deeds, Rachel Swirsky, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Emma Newman, Neil Gaiman, Julie E. Czerneda, Connie Willis, Nalo Hopkinson, Moses Ose Utomi.
Of these, Emma Newman is easily my favourite. Neil Gaiman & Nalo Hopkinson are runners-up. The only ones I really bounced off of were Samanta Schweblin, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Connie Willis. All the others I'm looking forward to reading more from.
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy
Answered above (Paladin of Souls & Embassytown)
The book that exceeded your expectations
Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey. I enjoyed the story but never thought too highly of the writing in it, which was just bare-bones and economical. I didn't think I would care so much about everyone by the end based on that, but I really did. And I keep thinking about it half a year after finishing it. It really was a perfect ending to the series.
Your favorite protagonist & villain
For protagonist, probably soupMiranda from Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky, or maybe the boys from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.
For villain, "we're going on an adventure" from Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Or maybe the entire govcorp economic system in Emma Newman's Planetfall series.
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future
Embassytown could definitely benefit from a re-read.
The most difficult read
Changing the Terms: Translating in the Postcolonial Era by Sherry Simon, because academic postcolonial theorists can't write for shit.
If we're talking "most difficult emotionally" then either The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells, or The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé (in progress).
For fiction, either Embassytown or Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer. Both so worth the work.
The novel that failed to live up to its hype
Fucking Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. What a shitshow of a book. I found a new not-for-me author in this book.
The novel that disappointed you most
Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman. It doesn't have a great reputation, but I did love The Forever War and figured, Haldeman's been finding his way onto our Hugo list for decades, and it's a double winner, how bad could it be? Answer: ridiculously bad.
Best non-fiction book you read
Hard to say, probably the one that will leave a lasting impression is Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari
Mod
Mod
I'm with Kalin on this. Her longer pieces are tough, but while her shorter pieces are better, the ones I've read have been very fluffy. All in all, not someone I'd generally recommend. I'm obligated to finish two more H/N books, but then I'm out.
Oh this is always a fun thread to read and comment on! The novel you enjoyed most Mirror Dance, hands down.
The book that made you think the most The City & the City, also one of my top books of the year
The weirdest group read Cryptonomicon? Why did it need to be so loooong?!
Your favorite newly discovered author Lindsay Buroker, she strikes a great mix of fast paced story telling, cool tech, great characters, and just a dash of romance. I also have grown fond of Vivian Shaw and L.G. Estrella.
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy (Mirror and City above)
The book that exceeded your expectations The Last Colony, I didn't care for the first two book but really took to this one! I also really liked Red Team Blues.
Your favorite protagonist & villain - I liked the villains in Kings of the Wyld! And the MP, Dr. Greta Helsing, in Strange Practice was my favorite - she is a human trained to be a doctor for humans and vampires and zombies and....you name it.
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future - this will always be A Deadly Education, which i re-read this year, again.
The most difficult read a tie between Cryptonomicon and Children of Ruin - these were so hard to get through, just felt like work to read them.
The novel that failed to live up to its hype - Doomsday Book, as others have said, why was this nominated? Twas not good! I really liked Bellwether and had such high expectations. Womp.
The novel that disappointed you most Witch King, Murderbot set the bar quite high and this just didn't do it for me.
Best non-fiction book you read - the ONLY non-fic book I read this year was The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, I love Esther Perel's commentary on modern relationships and this one was particularly interesting, if a bit sad.
Allan wrote: "I'm with Kalin on this. Her longer pieces are tough, but while her shorter pieces are better, the ones I've read have been very fluffy."I'm with Acorn on this, but then again, I only have a sample size of 2 (Doomsday and Bellwether).
Rereading Allan’s comment I just realized that he says The Spare Man is worse than Throne of Glass. Wow. For me (an old man) Sarah J. Maas is pretty much unreadable.
I haven’t read much Connie Willis, but I think reading Doomsday Book may actually have raised her in my estimation. I found the 14th century material powerful. Prior to this I had read only a few short stories, and bounced off Blackout years ago. I took a look at Blackout again and I don’t think the first chapters are as bad as I remembered. Still not convinced I want to read much more of her work, but I have a story collection (Impossible Things) on a tbr shelf and I’ll give it a try one of these days.
Mod
Yeah, I really did not like The Spare Man. I just thought it was poorly written fluff, definitely not deserving of a nomination. The only reason I read Throne of Glass (1st book) is that my daughter is reading the series & I agreed to read one of her books if she read one of mine (Piranesi). She wasn't a reader growing up, but now, in their mid-20's, she and her friends have suddenly discovered the joys of reading. I grew up with no limits on what I read, so I can't say much.
I thought The Spare Man was not much more than just ok, but Dashiell Hammett is a major author for me and I enjoyed rereading The Thin Man, so I’m withholding a final judgment on The Spare Man until I read it again. Even without rereading the earlier book I found the resonances interesting.
Mod
Yes, that's history that made me praise the book highly. It is similar with her depiction of the Blitz in London in 1940 (even if I heard some historians pointed out errors there). Her 'contemporary' parts are very weak IMHO
Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels
Books mentioned in this topic
Throne of Glass (other topics)Impossible Things (other topics)
Blackout (other topics)
Throne of Glass (other topics)
The Last Colony (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
L.G. Estrella (other topics)Lindsay Buroker (other topics)
Vivian Shaw (other topics)
Esther Perel (other topics)
Connie Willis (other topics)
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The novel you enjoyed most
The book that made you think the most
The weirdest group read
Your favorite newly discovered author
Favorite sci-fi & fantasy
The book that exceeded your expectations
Your favorite protagonist & villain
The novel you'd like to re-read in the future
The most difficult read
The novel that failed to live up to its hype
The novel that disappointed you most
Best non-fiction book you read