2001 Prometheus Award Nominees

Location: Worldcon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Comments: In the book and the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke envisioned that by the year 2001 humanity have orbital colonies, regular passenger flights to Earth orbit, and a somewhat permanent manned presence on the Moon. The reality was slightly less impressive - 2001 was the year in which we finally got reliable public information concerning where and when the Prometheus Awards were bestowed. Although I'm pleased that the Prometheus Awards data is available, I think I'd rather have orbital colonies.

Best Novel

Winner:

Forge of the Elders by L. Neil Smith

Other Nominees:

Eagle Against the Stars by Steve White

Lodestar by Michael F. Flynn
The Sky Road by Ken MacLeod
The Truth by Terry Pratchett

Hall of Fame

Winner:

The Survival of Freedom edited by Jerry Pournelle and John F. Carr

Other Nominees:
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Orion Shall Rise by Poul Anderson
Star Trek - The Next Generation: The Measure of a Man by Melinda Snodgrass
The Wardove by L. Neil Smith

Special Award

Winner:

Poul Anderson

Other Nominees:
None

Go to previous year's nominees: 2000
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2002

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2001 Hugo Award Finalists

Location: The Millennium Philcon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Comments: J.K. Rowling's Best Novel win for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the 2001 Hugo awards provoked a minor storm of controversy. Many people in the science fiction fan community were outraged that a young adult fantasy could take home the top science fiction award. Apparently they had never bothered to read the actual description of the Hugo Award, which makes it clear that it is to be bestowed upon the most notable works of science fiction or fantasy published in the prior year. Outrage over the fact that a fantasy about a boy wizard at a magical boarding school won an award that specifically says it can be won by fantasy fiction seems to me to be a bit misplaced.

However, one can justifiably argue that the win for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was undeserved, and that some of the other nominees were superior options. If the voters were intent on picking a fantasy novel, why award Rowling's decidedly mediocre offering instead of George R.R. Martin's excellent book A Storm of Swords? Or for that matter, why choose Goblet of Fire over Sawyer's, Hopkinson's, and MacLeod's work? The problem with the Hugo Award for Best Novel wasn't that it went to a juvenile fantasy, but rather that it went to a Milquetoast juvenile fantasy when other, better books were in the running as well.

Jumping down to the Best Dramatic Presentation category one finds a different issue. While the winning movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was the right choice, one has to wonder how in the world Chicken Run got on the ballot. Sure, Chicken Run is a fun movie, but how in the world could it be considered one of the best science fiction or fantasy dramatic presentations of the year is beyond me.

Best Novel

Winner:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Other Finalists:
Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
The Sky Road by Ken MacLeod
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Best Novella

Winner:

The Ultimate Earth by Jack Williamson

Other Finalists:
Oracle by Greg Egan
Radiant Green Star by Lucius Shepard
The Retrieval Artist by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
A Roll of the Dice by Catherine Asaro
Seventy-Two Letters by Ted Chiang

Best Novelette

Winner:

Millennium Babies by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Other Finalists:
Agape Among the Robots by Allen M. Steele
Generation Gap by Stanley Schmidt
On the Orion Line by Stephen Baxter
Redchapel by Mike Resnick

Best Short Story

Winner:

Different Kinds of Darkness by David Langford

Other Finalists:
The Elephants on Neptune by Mike Resnick
The Gravity Mine by Stephen Baxter
Kaddish for the Last Survivor by Michael A. Burstein
Moon Dogs by Michael Swanwick

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Work

Winner:

Greetings from Earth: The Art of Bob Eggleton by Bob Eggleton and Nigel Suckling

Other Finalists:
Concordance to Cordwainer Smith, Third Edition by Anthony R. Lewis
Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear Drafts into Silk Purse Stories by Mike Resnick
Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion by James Gifford

Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature by Andrew M. Butler, Edward James, and Farah Mendlesohn

Best Dramatic Presentation

Winner:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Other Finalists:
Chicken Run
Frank Herbert's Dune (miniseries)
Frequency
X-Men

Best Professional Editor

Winner:
Gardner Dozois

Other Finalists:
Ellen Datlow
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon van Gelder

Best Professional Artist

Winner:
Bob Eggleton

Other Finalists:
Jim Burns
Frank Kelly Freas
Donato Giancola
Michael Whelan

Best Semi-Prozine

Winner:

Locus edited by Charles N. Brown

Other Finalists:
Interzone edited by David Pringle

The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, David G. Hartwell, and Kevin Maroney

Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew I. Porter

Speculations edited by Denise Lee and Susan Fry, published by Kent Brewster

Best Fanzine

Winner:

File 770 edited by Mike Glyer

Other Finalists:
Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian III
Mimosa edited by Nicki Lynch and Richard Lynch
Plokta edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies and Mike Scott
STET edited by Dick Smith and Leah Zeldes Smith

Best Fan Writer

Winner:

Dave Langford

Other Finalists:
Bob Devney
Mike Glyer
Evelyn C. Leeper
Steven H. Silver

Best Fan Artist

Winner:

Teddy Harvia

Other Finalists:
Sheryl Birkhead
Brad Foster
Sue Mason
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Winner:
Kristine Smith

Other Finalists:
James L. Cambias
Thomas Harlan
Douglas Smith
Jo Walton

What Are the Hugo Awards?

Go to previous year's nominees: 2000
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 2002

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