It’s the weekend before Hugo nominations close, and I know a lot of people will be filling in their ballots in the next few days. (Last year, roughly two thirds of nominating votes came in in the last five days, roughly half in the last two days.)
I just want to remind you of two very different but eligible candidates for this year’s awards.
For Best Series: the Doctor Who novelisations began with the publication of Doctor Who In An Exciting Adventure With The Daleks by David Whitaker in 1966, and the most recent is the novelisation by James Goss of Douglas Adams’ script of The Pirate Planet, published last year – though four more are coming out next month. These books were tremendously important for me as a young consumer, and no doubt for many others too, and the most recent additions have been very good fun. If you have fond memories of reading them years ago, you have an opportunity to celebrate that past enjoyment this year.
For Best Related Work, I commend to you the Worldcon 75 Helsinki restaurant guide, edited by J. Robert Tupasela. It is totally functional, beautifully designed, imbued with Finnish wit, and a literal life-saver as we starving fans spilled out over the barren wastes of Pasila last summer. In recent years we have twice seen speeches from the previous year’s Hugo ceremony on the ballot for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (in 2006 and 2012). If you enjoyed Helsinki (as I did), consider celebrating that enjoyment with a vote for the Restaurant Guide.
Thanks.