2014 & 1939 Hugo awards

[Camy]

This years World Fantasy convention is taking place in London. During the convention the presentation of the Hugos takes place, the equivalent of the oscars for fantasy writers.

This year 'The Wheel of Time', written by Robert Jordan and completed by Brandon Sanderson, is up for best novel. Including the prequel it's a massive fourteen book saga that, like Lord of the Rings, every fantasy reader should have a go at.

If you join loncon3 as a supporter, which costs £25, you not only get to vote, but you get the voters packet. The voters packet includes the ebook version of the entire Wheel of Time as well as most of the other novels, novellas, short stories, etc. Also, this year, they are awarding retro Hugos for 1939 (a year in which, not surprisingly, Hugos didn't get awarded). I believe the voters packet includes all those novels, etc, too.

So, for £25 you get to vote and get a lot of ebooks.

Here are the finalists for 2014, and for 1939.

Go Rand!

[The Pecman]

Thanks for that, Camy. I've been to three or four WorldCons in my time, and always enjoyed going. (Missed the last one that was in Anaheim, and I really should've gone.)

Better people than me have said, when it comes to science-fiction (never "sci-fi"!), "fandom is a way of life" -- FIAWOL -- and I understand that philosophy very well.

I'll check out The Wheel of Time when I get a chance.

[Merkin]

That's an Amazing array of ebooks, including many classic, you get for your L25/$42.75. It's well worth the investment whether you want to vote or not.

I looked at both lists, and became immensely depressed over the fact that I recognize more writers and artists from the 1939 list than the current one. I was barely alive in 1939 and my reading skills nonexistant, so I have to reckon that the stars of 1939 science fiction and fantasy literature had careers that persisted well into the mid-century, which was when I was a serious reader of that genre. That in itself says a lot for literary quality and staying power for any writer.