2013 Hugo Noms (or nom nom nom if you’re a Mantis Wife)

So the 2013 Hugo nominations are up, and the Twitterverse is abuzz, of course, with what’s been nominated, but also with what’s not been nominated–namely two missing short stories. As you know, 5′s the thing, but this year we’ve got 3 nominated pieces for ‘Short Story’–one the excellent and FUCKING WEIRD (duh in a good way) ‘Mantis Wives‘ by the unpredictable (prose-wise) Kij Johnson.

People are freaking a bit about two other stories not passing the 5% threshold. I think it shows two things, one pointed out by my wife. (1) (my wife’s comment) It shows how disparate the 662 short story voters’ tastes are; what’s good to one might not be good to another–which gives me a lot of hope as a writer. (2) There are A LOT of venues for SFF short stories, so lots of stories got votes, with no aggregate crossing over the 5% threshold; that’s also a very good thing. I know some people who were Hugo-eligible are disappointed (33 voters didn’t like my story!?!), but I think this kerfluffle says some good things about the state of the short story in SFF, namely: lots of people like lots of different things, and there’s a place to find those niche stories (it seems).

I’m not a Hugo voter (yet), but here are my unsolicited thoughts on a few noms. The ones I haven’t read I plan on reading in the coming months, especially all the novella/novelette pieces and Ken Liu’s piece in The Future is Japanese and Mira Grant’s Browncoats piece.

Mantis Wives–way yes! I’m pulling for it for a win. Kij seems to be a critics’ darling because she writes such rich, meaningful prose. Weird, yes. Sometimes. But always important.

2312 (Best Novel). No. I saw Kim read during his tour for this work, and I read a portion of this novel. Not my cup o’ tea. Glad it was someone else’s, though. Straight, hard SF is a favorite, though not mine.

Redshirts (best novel). YES! Has my not-voting vote (so far). Smart, funny, and well-paced with a punchy ending. One of my favorite new novels from last year.

Locke & Key Volume 5 (Graphic Story). Yes! Hill and Rodriguez deserve every accolade for this stunning, engaging, and FUCKING WEIRD series.

Game of Thrones, Blackwater (Dram. Pres., Short Form). YES! If you know me, you know I’m obsessed with this book series (and the show). I thought this episode was very, very good. Best of the season. Does it beat Doctor Who? I have no idea…I don’t watch Doctor Who. I watch Game of Thrones and Parks and Recreation…that’s about it.

Mainly, I read in my free time (which is slight these days), and I’ve got a lot more to read now!

What are your thoughts? Did the Hugos miss the mark? Hit it exactly? And how do you feel about the short story category this year?