The 2012 Nebula Awards for work published in 2011 were presented this past weekend in Arlington, Virginia.
Novel: Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor)
Novella: "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" by Kij Johnson
(Asimov’s October/November 2011)
Novelette: "What We Found" by Geoff Ryman (F&SF September/October 2011)
Short Story: "The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu (F&SF March/April 2011)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book:
The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House)
The previously announced 2011 Grand Master Award was presented to Connie Willis for her lifetime contributions and achievements in the field. John Clute received the Solstice Award. The late Octavia Butler was also named a Solstice Award winner.
Among Others by Jo Walton was an excellent best novel winner. A coming-of-age story set mostly in and around a British boarding school, the story subverts fantasy readers' expectations by allowing major events to happen before the story begins, showing instead the aftermath and consequences of what has gone before. The novel operates several levels, one of which is the formation of a writer's sense of story as our main character, a school girl, reads and reacts to dozens of fantasy and science fiction novels of the 1960s and '70s. (Click to enlarge images.)
"The Man Who Bridged the Mist" by Kij Johnson is a wonderful novella about a man in charge of building a bridge over a mysterious substance known as mist. The story exists somewhere between the genres of fantasy and science fiction. A satisfying choice for the award.
"What We Found" by Geoff Ryman is about sexual identity and science and family. An exceptional story by the under-appreciated Geoff Ryman.
"The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu portrays a boy coming of age caught between the differing culture and language of his parents, one from China and one from the United States.
I haven't read The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman, although I've heard many good things about it. I hope to read it soon.
Overall, a strong year the Nebula Awards, certainly a better year than last year.
Related posts:
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announce the 2012 Nebula Awards (for 2011 work)
Rose Fox live blogs the evening of the 2012 Nebula Awards
I was thrilled to see Jo Walton win the award. I feel deeply for this novel when it was first released, turning back to page one and starting it all over again (reading it aloud to my wife) as soon as I finished it the first time.
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across The Freedom Maze earlier this year and for some reason the story description caught my attention and I took it home and devoured it. Loved it. One of my favorite books of the year. Equally thrilled with its win.