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cahn ([personal profile] cahn) wrote2021-05-29 10:13 am
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Half of the Hugo 2020 novellas

These are the novellas available to me from my library -- I don't expect to read any more novellas before the packet comes out (though I have a couple of novels/Lodestones on the way). In the order that I read them:

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com) - In a Western-inflected dystopian future US, Esther runs away to hang out with the Librarians, whose official duty is to pass out state-Approved Literature. Well, Sarah Gailey has improved since the first time I read them? I only wanted to beat my head against the wall some of the time. (Although this may also be a function of knowing that I needed to skim.) Still with a very decided air of "eating your vegetables." Kids, did you know that it's baaaaad to kill people cause they're gay? (Or because of [spoiler]?) Well, now you know! I also never got any sense of the worldbuilding at all -- how did we get to Western-inflected dystopian future from the present day? I have not the faintest idea. (How did Utah become a place of freedom for lesbians? I mean, I super approve, but..) What is the deal with the Librarians -- maybe I missed something, I was skimming a lot of this, but I never figured out how they could both be official and do other things at the same time? How does it work at all that the Librarians are women in a society that is so deeply patriarchical?

Finna by Nino Cipri (Tor.com) - aw, I liked this. Ava and her recent ex, Jules, navigate wormholes that open up in the store where they work, a store which bears more than a passing resemblance to IKEA. (Perhaps we are another world that their wormholes might send them to?) The IKEA-skewering was rather (if grimly) hilarious, and it had less of an "eat your vegetables" vibe than Gailey, to me. (Jules is Black and trans and uses "they" pronouns, and neither of them is entirely-neurotypical, but there wasn't as much Preachy Narration about it.) I was mildly uncomfortable with the end -- that she went to go look for Jules. I don't really see how else it could have ended given how the novella had been constructed up to that point; though it wouldn't have worked thematically, I'd have preferred that she let Jules alone and gone for adventures by herself. I know it wasn't meant to evoke "stalking your ex" but it did a bit for me anyway.But on the other hand it looks like this is part 1 of a series, so maybe my issue is addressed in the next installment.

Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi, Tor Books - About a sister and brother who have not-always-useful-or-comfortable powers, as they grow up amid the Rodney King riots and subsequent events. My reaction when I finished: um, WHOA, give this author a Hugo. This story does exactly what I want from a Hugo winner: it compellingly shows me the vision of the world that Onyebuchi wants me to see. The reader may or may not agree with the vision, but it's powerful either way. Powerful not least because the writing is quite strong -- on a purely craft level, the best writing of any Hugo nominee this year that I've read so far (with the possible exception of Novik, but it's a bit hard to compare the two), with the caveat that I've still got half the novellas to go (and expect there to be excellent writing in there as well). Content note that it's pretty depressing and sometimes/often horrifying, as you might expect; not an easy read.

Not yet read:
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com) [Wayward Children #5] - I liked #4 rather better than #1-3, so hopefully that trend continues
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (Tor.com) [Singing Hills #1] - not yet read, have heard good things and looking forward to it
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com) - I like the things I've read by Clark and expect to like this as well, but based on my previous experiences with Clark am not sure it will wow me as much as the Onyebuchi

So far: Riot Baby > Finna > Upright
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[personal profile] conuly 2021-05-29 05:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Next installment of Finna has nothing to do with those two at all.
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[personal profile] ambyr 2021-05-29 05:31 pm (UTC)(link)
You are much more patient with Upright Women Wanted than I was; I wanted to hurl the entire book into the sun.
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[personal profile] sophia_sol 2021-05-29 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting to hear about the Gailey! I had it recommended to me very enthusiastically by someone whose taste I don't know very well, so I was cautiously optimistic, but I will dial that optimism WAY down I think!
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[personal profile] hamsterwoman 2021-05-29 10:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Interesting -- my rankings are the same as yours for these three, even though I am quite a bit less enthusiastic about Riot Baby (I think it's very good at what it's trying to do! and I think it's worthy of a Hugo, but I personally am not rooting for it / would not be particularly happy if it won, if that distinction makes any kind of sense). Curious to see where the others will fall for you as you read the second half :)

Kids, did you know that it's baaaaad to kill people cause they're gay?

Yeah XD That seems to be the Deep Moral of this book, really.

How did Utah become a place of freedom for lesbians? I mean, I super approve, but..

Yes, I was wondering about that too! And about whatever apocalypse led to this Western future, but clearly that is not a question Gailey cares to explore. Or anything about the Librarians qua Librarians, really, which was disappointing. (Or maybe not, because if they had explored that more, I probably would not have liked the result anyway. Ah well.)

and it had less of an "eat your vegetables" vibe than Gailey, to me. (Jules is Black and trans and uses "they" pronouns, and neither of them is entirely-neurotypical, but there wasn't as much Preachy Narration about it.)

Agreed! it was one of the reasons I liked Finna more than 'Upright Women'.
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[personal profile] rosefox 2021-06-01 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
(Gailey uses they/them pronouns.)