2012 Nebula Awards
Feb. 20th, 2013 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wealhtheowThe Nebula Award Nominees have been posted, and I'm not excited by the novel list. I thought Throne of the Crescent Moon was boring and clunky. A lot of other people seemed to find Ironskin unsatisfying, particularly the ending. And Glamour in Glass is the sequel to Shades of Milk and Honey, whose first chapter I found so amateurishly written
that I never read the rest of it, despite loving Regencies AND fantasy.
The inclusion of books I didn't like is one thing; the exclusion of books I loved is another. People who liked Throne of the Crescent Moon or Glamour in Glass should have loved Kari Sperring's The Grass King's Concubine, as it combines both an innovative non-European backdrop of Crescent Moon and the manners and interesting magic systems of Glamour...but is far better written, with characters I adored and a plot that kept me breathless. And Rachel Hartman's Seraphina was excellent as well, positing a kingdom where a half-dragon girl must foil a xenophobic plot. (It's up for the Andre Norton YA award, but it's less YA than Ironskin.) Or what about Nick Harkaway's excellent Angelmaker, which combined a fast-paced thriller with philosophy? And if sequels get to be included, why not Bitterblue (that insightful fantasy of a kingdom trying to recover after tyranny) or Minority Council (in which a basically homeless undead magician must fight for the indigent of London)?
I'm further amused that John Carter got nominated for anything at all, ever.
Ah well. At least the list gives me some new short stories to check out.
(sample dialog: "He slashed at the grass with his walking stick and turned to his elder daughter as they walked through the maze comprising the heart of the shrubbery on the south side of the house. “Had you heard that Lady FitzCameron’s nephew is to be stationed in our town?”
“No.” Jane adjusted the shawl about her shoulders. “They must be pleased to see him.”
“Indeed, I believe that Lady FitzCameron will extend her stay rather than returning to London as she had planned.” He tugged at his waistcoat and attempted to speak idly.")that I never read the rest of it, despite loving Regencies AND fantasy.
The inclusion of books I didn't like is one thing; the exclusion of books I loved is another. People who liked Throne of the Crescent Moon or Glamour in Glass should have loved Kari Sperring's The Grass King's Concubine, as it combines both an innovative non-European backdrop of Crescent Moon and the manners and interesting magic systems of Glamour...but is far better written, with characters I adored and a plot that kept me breathless. And Rachel Hartman's Seraphina was excellent as well, positing a kingdom where a half-dragon girl must foil a xenophobic plot. (It's up for the Andre Norton YA award, but it's less YA than Ironskin.) Or what about Nick Harkaway's excellent Angelmaker, which combined a fast-paced thriller with philosophy? And if sequels get to be included, why not Bitterblue (that insightful fantasy of a kingdom trying to recover after tyranny) or Minority Council (in which a basically homeless undead magician must fight for the indigent of London)?
I'm further amused that John Carter got nominated for anything at all, ever.
Ah well. At least the list gives me some new short stories to check out.
