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
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
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
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
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
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
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Other Finalists:
Chicken Run
Frank Herbert's Dune (miniseries)
Frequency
X-Men
Best Professional Editor
Gardner Dozois
Other Finalists:
Ellen Datlow
David G. Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon van Gelder
Best Professional Artist
Bob Eggleton
Other Finalists:
Jim Burns
Frank Kelly Freas
Donato Giancola
Michael Whelan
Best Semi-Prozine
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
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
Dave Langford
Other Finalists:
Bob Devney
Mike Glyer
Evelyn C. Leeper
Steven H. Silver
Best Fan Artist
Teddy Harvia
Other Finalists:
Sheryl Birkhead
Brad Foster
Sue Mason
Taral Wayne
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
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
2001 Hugo Longlist Book Award Reviews Home
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