Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

It's time to make our annual choices for one book you are Anticipating and one you're Dreading! This is an open nomination, you can choose from any shelf. The only exclusions are books we've read, some mid-series books and the last five years' nominees.

Nominate away!

Anticipating: Usurpation by Sue Burke.

I've loved all her books to date !

Lachlan wrote: "Anticipating: Usurpation by Sue Burke.

I've loved all her books to date !"

While the Semiosis series is well worth reading, it doesn't qualify for a group read since we are limited to books nominated for the Hugo and/or Nebula awards. Sorry about that, but please feel free to search the group bookshelf for another nomination!

I hope these haven't been read before!

Anticipating:

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg

oops

So many to dread couldn't come up with an answer.

Yep, it is not just Any book, but any novel nominated for Hugo/Nebula, as the group's title suggests :)

Also, no books, which were previous monthly reads (usually they are on read shelf) and no books from the last 5 years, because the newer books, including potentional nominees are in our filial group - SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group.

My nominees:
Anticipating - Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss. I've read the author ages ago and back then was impressed but no other novels were available.
Dreading - Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany

What is the point of a dreading book? I'm not going to read a book I would have any reason to dread, and in fact, I wouldn't even think about it any longer after deciding not to read it.

Ryan wrote: "What is the point of a dreading book? I'm not going to read a book I would have any reason to dread, and in fact, I wouldn't even think about it any longer after deciding not to read it."

Some of the completionists in this group want to read all the nominees even if they expect them to be bad. Nobody's under any obligation to do so, or to nominate a book they dread reading. But people don't necessarily dread (or anticipate) the same books/authors, so a book I'm dreading might be one you genuinely want to try. The idea is also that we choose a book at least once a year that's only competing against other books of the same potential caliber -- that way we don't end up with all the stinkers towards the end of the group's lifespan.

Cinnabelle wrote: "I hope these haven't been read before!

Anticipating:

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg"

Good one! I'm not anticipating this one in particular but would join the group read it if it wins the vote.

My nominations:

Anticipating: Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson

Dreading: Friday by Robert A. Heinlein

Cinnabelle wrote: "I hope these haven't been read before!

Anticipating:

Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg"

I agree, good choice! I just saw this book on my shelf the other day and I wondered why it hadn't ever been nominated. Seems like the fantasy aficionados among us would've got to it. Just a note: it is the first of a five book series (that does not disqualify it). None of the other books in the series were nominated, but I've heard the series is decent - it was recommended to me by a friend.

LVC was the last time Silverberg was nominated for best novel, out of 10 total nominations.

Anticipating: Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ

Dreading: The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester

I would add „Enemy Mine“ from Barry B. Longyear. Was 1979 Nebula Award winner.

Dirk wrote: "I would add „Enemy Mine“ from Barry B. Longyear. Was 1979 Nebula Award winner."

It is great, and Barry B. Longyear is an underappreciated author, but it is a novella, not a novel and currently we first try to finish all nominated novels (even long-standing members are still often have read below 50% of all nominees).

If you're interested, we can have a separate buddy read for this novella, not connected to monthly reads

Dirk wrote: "I would add „Enemy Mine“ from Barry B. Longyear. Was 1979 Nebula Award winner."

Enemy Mine won for Best Novella in 1979, but as the group name says, we are limited to nominees/winners for Best Novel. The best way to look for candidates is to browse the group bookshelf or the group spreadsheet that lists the 629 eligible books.

Anticipating: The Mountain in the Sea

Dreading: The Grace of Kings

Paige wrote: "Anticipating: The Mountain in the Sea

Dreading: The Grace of Kings"

The Mountain in the Sea is not eligible because we exclude the last five years for nominations. Those "new releases" are generally read in our sister group here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
The Grace of Kings works, though.

I'm not going to nominate this month because I like the choices that others have nominated. So far we have:

Anticipating
Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg
Helliconia Spring by Brian W. Aldiss
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ

Dreading
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Friday by Robert A. Heinlein
The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

I will gladly read Heinlein's Friday. It's one of my favorites. One on each list!

Cinnabelle wrote: "I will gladly read Heinlein's Friday. It's one of my favorites. One on each list!"

@Ryan: case in point! I'm dreading it!

Stephen wrote: "Anticipating: Picnic on Paradise by Joanna Russ

Dreading: The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester"

If Picnic on Paradise doesn't win this one, I'm planning to nominate it in December for the short reads theme.

Cinnabelle wrote: "I will gladly read Heinlein's Friday. It's one of my favorites. One on each list!"

It's great to see another RAH's fan!

I have been wanting to reread Friday, but I will not vote for it as "dreading"

There are 4 out of 8 books that I can vote for, so I will abstain from nominating

Polls are up!

Anticipating
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/4...

Dreading
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

I ended up voting for Bester and Russ because I own the two books. I guess that is a legitimate way of of deciding . . .

Their low ratings make me a little wary, though

Looking forward to the final results and new purchases. I only have Heinlein's Friday.

Kalin wrote: "If Picnic on Paradise doesn't win this one, I'm planning to nominate it in December for the short reads theme..."

I'm with you on this. It is one of the shortest books on the list at 152 pages, should be quick to knock it out.

Very tight race in the Anticipating poll, a little less so on the Dreading side.

I've extended the poll a few days to allow more votes to come in. If they stagnate, I'll close them.

Wow. Do you have a tiebreaker procedure?

I changed my vote since my original pick is way behind in last place, so we no longer have a tie.

Cinnabelle wrote: "Wow. Do you have a tiebreaker procedure?"

Usually, we use random.org to resolve ties

I just got a Kindle copy of Lord Valentine’s Castle for C$1.99. i got email notification of the sale. which it says ends today.

I just bought my buck ninety nine kindle copy also. So lucky.

Nice. I read it long ago but I still have copies of the trilogy.

I ended the polls 15 hours early as there has been no movement the last few days. Winners are:

Anticipating
Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg

Dreading
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu

A couple of very solid choices. LVC was the first Silverberg I read, on the recommendation of a co-worker. I will likely re-read it & hopefully continue with the series. Majipoor is a seven book series, with the Lord Valentine books (Majipoor Chronicles & Valentine Pontifex) being the first three. I've had them for years and would like to get them off my shelf.

I am a bit leery of Lord Valentine’s Castle. It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Silverberg would necessarily be good at. However I’ll probably give it a shot.

The Grace of Kings failed to fascinate when I started it a few years ago and I didn’t finish it.

I've DNFed novella, which is a part of The Grace of Kings, maybe the novel will work for me, but I dread it :) as it should be

I am delighted with and dreading the selections. It should be a delicious month.

It'll be my first novel of either author, and I'm more looking forward to Ken Liu maybe because it's more contemporary. Silverberg has so many books and so many (10) on our list, I've even been amassing a pile of his books on my TBR but I haven't given him a shot yet. Fingers crossed.