The Nebula Award nominees have been published. Below is the full list, with my (for now somewhat scrappy) observations. I’ve printed off those of the shorter fiction candidates that are available; will read over the weekend and report back.
Best Novel:
Diplomatic Immunity, by Lois McMaster Bujold (read it, and though I’m a Bujoldian myself, I wouldn’t support this for the award – the weakest of Bujold’s books since The Vor Game)
The Mount, by Carol Emshwiller (got rather negative reviews from both infinity plus and the SF Site)
Light Music, by Kathleen Ann Goonan (seems to be part of same series as Crescent City Rhapsody, which I enjoyed; reviewers appear baffled)
The Salt Roads, by Nalo Hopkinson (sounds rather like her Midnight Robber only perhaps better)
Chindi, by Jack McDevitt (only male on the list; I haven’t really enjoyed his stuff before, found it too dry)
The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon (fantastic book, I hope it wins)
Novellas
Potter of Bones, by Eleanor Arnason: online here
The Empress of Mars, by Kage Baker: online here (FictionWise) or here
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (very creepy, though perhaps not quite about to replace Alice in Wonderland)
Stories for Men, by John Kessel: online here (FictionWise) or here (I thought this was very good)
Breathmoss, by Ian MacLeod: online here (also good but I prefer the Kessel)
Novelettes
Mask of the Rex, by Richard Bowes: online here
“Of a Sweet Slow Dance in the Wake of Temporary Dogs,” by Adam-Troy Castro: online here
0wnz0red, by Cory Doctorow: originally published online here
The Empire of Ice Cream, by Jeffrey Ford: originally published online here
The Wages of Syntax, by Ray Vukcevich: originally published online here
Short Stories
Knapsack Poems, by Eleanor Arnason: online here
“The Brief History of the Dead,” by Kevin Brockmeier (published in the New Yorker, 8 September 2002)
Goodbye to All That, by Harlan Ellison (his first nomination since he won both Hugo and Nebula with Jeffty is Five, 26 years ago)
Grandma, by Carol Emshwiller: online here
What I Didn’t See, by Karen Joy Fowler: originally published online here
Lambing Season, by Molly Gloss: online here (an accidental Hugo nominee last year, rather low key but worth reading)
The Last of the O-Forms, by James Van Pelt: online here
Scripts
Minority Report (the only one I’ve seen, but I liked it)
Where No Fan Has Gone Before (Futurama, Apr02)
Spirited Away
Finding Nemo
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
I have yet to decide in my own mind whether including Retro-Hugos in this is cheating, or perfectly logical.