Final Nebula Nominees List

In typical SFWA fashion, news that this year's Nebula Award nominees have been finalized dribbled out through odd, unofficial channels -- I found out via SF Awards Watch, who found out from John Scalzi, who didn't mention where he got it from. (Gnomes, I assume.)

And those nominees are:

Novels

• Odyssey - McDevitt, Jack (Ace, Nov06)
• The Accidental Time Machine - Haldeman, Joe (Ace, Aug07)
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union - Chabon, Michael (HarperCollins, May07)
• The New Moon’s Arms - Hopkinson, Nalo (Warner Books, Feb07)
• Ragamuffin - Buckell, Tobias (Tor, Jun07)

Hey, I've actually read three of these! And I want to read both of the others -- I even have a copy of Ragamuffin looking at me balefully from the shelf. I have a feeling it's going to go to either McDevitt or Haldeman, even though (to be honest) their books are entertaining and fun, but not really Nebula-level.

Novellas

• “Kiosk” - Sterling, Bruce (F&SF, Jan07)
• “Memorare” - Wolfe, Gene (F&SF, Apr07)
• “Awakening” - Berman, Judith (Black Gate 10, Spr07)
• “Stars Seen Through Stone” - Shepard, Lucius (F&SF, Jul07)
• “The Helper and His Hero” - Hughes, Matt (F&SF, Feb07 & Mar07)
• “Fountain of Age” - Kress, Nancy (Asimov’s, Jul07)

I've read exactly none of these. Good year for Gordon, though. Based on absolutely nothing, I'm going to predict Wolfe will will.


Novelettes

• “The Fiddler of Bayou Teche” - Sherman, Delia (Coyote Road, Trickster Tales, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Ed., Viking Juvenile, Jul07)
• “Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter” - Ryman, Geoff (F&SF, Nov06)
• “The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs Of North Park After the Change” - Johnson, Kij (Coyote Road, Trickster Tales, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, Ed., Viking Juvenile, Jul07)
• “Safeguard” - Kress, Nancy (Asimov’s, Jan07)
• “The Children’s Crusade” - Bailey, Robin Wayne (Heroes in Training, Martin H. Greenberg and Jim C. Hines, Ed., DAW, Sep07)
• “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” - Chiang, Ted (F&SF, Sep07)
• “Child, Maiden, Mother, Crone” - Bramlett, Terry (Jim Baen’s Universe 7, June 2007)

I don't recall ever seeing a story from a Marty Greenberg anthology being Nebula-nominated in the past, so good work to Bailey there. I believe the title of the Ryman story is actually "Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)." And, once again, I haven't read any of these. Should I make a prediction? Oh, let's not.

Short Stories

• “Unique Chicken Goes In Reverse” - Duncan, Andy (Eclipse 1: New Science Fiction And Fantasy, Jonathan Strahan, Ed., Night Shade Books, Oct07)
• “Titanium Mike Saves the Day” - Levine, David D. (F&SF, Apr07)
• “Captive Girl” - Pelland, Jennifer (Helix: A Speculative Fiction Quarterly, WS & LWE, Ed., Oct06 (Fall06 issue — #2))
• “Always” - Fowler, Karen Joy (Asimov’s, May07 (Apr/May07 issue))
• “Pride” - Turzillo, Mary (Fast Forward 1, Pyr, February 2007)
• “The Story of Love” - Nazarian, Vera (Salt of the Air, Prime Books, Sep06)

I've only read the Duncan story, so I'll refrain from predictions here as well. Pelland is the only one of the six to have commented on this blog, as far as I can remember, so I'll be rooting for her story.

Scripts

• Children of Men - Cuaron, Alfonso & Sexton, Timothy J. and Arata, David and Fergus, Mark & Ostby, Hawk (Universal Studios, Dec06)
• The Prestige - Nolan, Christopher and Nolan, Jonathon (Newmarket Films, Oct06 (Oct 20, 2006 — based on the novel by Christopher Priest))
• Pan’s Labyrinth - del Toro, Guillermo (Time/Warner, Jan07)
• V for Vendetta - Wachowski, Larry & Wachowski, Andy (Warner Films, Mar06 (released 3/17/2006 — Written by the Wachowski Brothers, based on the graphic novel illustrated by David Lloyd and published by Vertigo/DC Comics))
• “World Enough and Time” - Zicree, Marc Scott and Reeves, Michael (Star Trek: New Voyages, http://www.startreknewvoyages.com, Aug07 (Aired 8/23/07))
• “Blink” - Moffat, Steven (Doctor Who, BBC/The Sci-Fi Channel, Sep07 (Aired on SciFi Channel 14Sep07))

Have I ever mentioned that I'm not fond of this category?

I'm not fond of this category.

And I really don't care who wins it, either.

Andre Norton Award (not actually a Nebula, by the way)

• The True Meaning of Smek Day - Rex, Adam (Hyperion, Oct07)
• The Lion Hunter - Wein, Elizabeth (Viking Juvenile, Jun07 (The Mark of Solomon, Book 1))
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling, J. K. (Scholastic Press, Jul07)
• The Shadow Speaker - Okorafor-Mbachu, Nnedi (Jump At The Sun, Sep07)
• Into the Wild - Durst, Sarah Beth (Penguin Razorbill, Jun07)
• Vintage: A Ghost Story - Berman, Steve (Haworth Positronic Press, Mar07)
• Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass-Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog - Wilce, Ysabeau S. (Harcourt, Jan07)

I've read two of these and bits of another one (which was a bit too YAish for my taste at that particular moment -- no harm, no foul). And I want to read SmekDay. But I have no idea who will win -- except for the sure knowledge that Rowling won't.

Winners will be feted (if they bother to show up) during the gala Nebula banquet, held during the annual Nebula Weekend (less than a convention, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick) at Austin, Texas's Omni Hotel the weekend of April 25th. Sadly, I won't be in attendance this year, since I don't work for someone willing to foot the bill. Oh, well. The expense account is a harsh mistress...