Finalists: 2012 Hugo Awards

The 2012 finalists for the Hugo Award were announced over the weekend!

It’s always fun to see who has been nominated. While I don’t have a ballot, I still hope for some books that I’ve read in the previous year to make the list and that was no exception this year. I loved Embassytown by China Mieville and, while there is a King Kong in the room with A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin, could China pull off the upset?

Can Mira Grant, who is nominated in both Best Novel and Best Novella, win both awards? Can Jo Walton, who has been nominated and won numerous other awards, win her first Hugo?

If this was one of those shows that take place before the actual award shows though, people would be talking about this:

James S.A. Corey is none other than the combination of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck—both of whom work with George R. R. Martin. Could the mentor in Martin lose out to the proteges Abraham and Franck? We’ll just have to wait and see!

Here is the list for Best Novel:

Best Novel

Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor)
A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra)
Deadline by Mira Grant (Orbit)
Embassytown by China Miéville (Macmillan UK / Del Rey)
Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey (Orbit)

There is strong competition there. Who do you think will win and why? I don’t think there is a clear winner, although the leading favorite in pop culture has to be A Dance With Dragons.

The Hugo award finalists were not the only nominees announced. There is also the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in the last two years. I always look forward to this list as well because I love finding new talent and new authors I become fans of. Here is that list:

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer