daveon | Hugo's... Yes, those....

So... the fan categories seem to have gone well - general approval from me all around there anyway. Watching Chris was a joy and seeing James Bacon be the grown up in the room, having spent a chunk of the con being the grown up for him was amusing too...

Inception won - which was good as the only actual adult movie on there.

I voted hard *against* the Dr Who block because I really didn't think they were particularly strong stories and there was something amusing about how apoletic some people were getting over F**k Me Ray Bradbury that meant I had to vote for it. Yes people, I am *that* immature really.

I didn't much like For Want of a Nail, but I did Vote for Emperor of Mars, so that's all good.

However, Best Novel. What on earth were people thinking? Dervish House was the best Novel on the list by far, with Feed and 100,000 Kingdoms both excellent novels too. I was pretty shocked to enjoy Feed, and also shocked at my emotional reaction to it.

Any hoo... it's a popular vote and it tends to get skewed to the US when the Con is in the States...

Which gets me thinking... The UK has a talented crop of authors who've yet to win a Best Novel Hugo and, rightfully should... Assuming London wins their bid, and I can say comfortably that the team running the bid are unlikely to fall foul of a Westercon 66 situation now... this means that British Authors will have probably their best chance in a while with the books in market in 2013, so, based on my fuzzy understanding of the process - probably books beining written next year.

I would like to see a strong British field for a British Worldcon and would like, in no particular order, to see Ian McDonald overcome the travesty that was 2005; or Al Reynolds recognised, because his latest works are full of awesome; Charlie Stross to come out strong with an SF novel; even, on the outside edge something new from Peter Hamilton, or for Steven Baxter to remember what he *used* to write.

Anyway, given the nature of the Hugo's I think the best chance for some of these world class authors to get the win they deserve is going to be by having a home ground advantage.

Something to think about chaps!

Which also makes me think, sexist git that I have been - Justina Robson, Liz Williams, you should be focused on this too... and I'll stop now before Farah Mendleson and/or Cheryl Morgan spot this and give me a list of other British writers to pimp.