The voting deadline for the 2022 Hugo Awards is this week, so this is about as final as my Ballot will get. The categories I’m voting in are a bit on the slim side this year, but you only have time and motivation to do so much. Let’s take a gander:
Best Novel
- Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir [My Review]
- Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki [My Review]
- A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine [My Review]
- The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, by Becky Chambers [My Review]
- She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan [My Review]
- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark [My Review]
Everything after #2 could shift around a bit depending on my mood, and a part of me thought about throwing a “No Award” at #3 and leaving it at that, but that’s unfair. These are all solid books, even if some are not especially my cup of tea. I have no idea what to expect when it comes to the winner. Project Hail Mary seems to be getting a lot of criticism because there’s too much science and math (in Science Fiction? No way!) and not enough character, but it’s always hard to tell how representative such sentiments are…
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Harder to complain about voters’ tendency to favor bland blockbusters over anything artistic or weird when you’ve got The Green Knight as a finalist. Even Wandavision takes some pretty bold chances (even if the ending rubs me the wrong way). Still, pour one out for Werewolves Within, I’m Your Man, Finch, and Malignant, amongst others.
Additional Categories
- I took a look at some short fiction categories, but didn’t get anywhere close to having read enough to actually vote.
- I might catch up with the Dramatic Presentation, Short Form episodes I haven’t seen yet (but I doubt any would surpass For All Mankind: The Grey.
- I might also catch up with some of the fan awards (Fan Writer and Fanzine both have folks I already follow, so might as well make it official).
And that about covers the 2022 Hugo Awards Final Ballot… stay tuned in a few weeks for the results!