2015 Hugo Award Finalists

Location: Sasquan in Spokane, Washington.

Comments: In 2014, the Sad Puppies, spearheaded by the whiny man-child Larry Correia, managed to get a handful of works on the Hugo ballot, which was really the worst possible thing that could have happened to their campaign. This meant that people actually read what they were offering, and once they had, relegated the five pieces of Sad Puppy fiction to the bottom of the award rankings. This was because, as I have written elsewhere on this blog, the Sad Puppy works were simply much worse than their competition. Given that the primary announced goal of the Sad Puppy ballot was to promote works that would otherwise have been left out of the Hugo awards, an honest set of advocates would have been content at this point.

But, as everyone knew already last year, the Sad Puppies were not an honest set of advocates. Despite their oft repeated claims that they just want to get "quality works" by "excluded voices" onto the ballot, the transparently political nature of the Sad Puppies is readily apparent once one pulls back the thin sheet of covering story. Correia has described the slate as part of a "culture war", and expressed hatred for "social justice warriors". The various proponents of the Sad Puppy ballot have expressed similar sentiments, somehow apparently thinking that the rest of the internet cannot see them when they do so, and whining incessantly about how those who have called them out on this are being unfair to them. But the fact is that this is just the tip of the iceberg of falsehoods that the Sad Puppies are comprised of. Their claims about being shut out of the Hugo awards by a cabal of "politically correct leftists" is laughable. Their claims about the history of the science fiction genre in general, and science fiction awards specifically, are either outright lies or almost shocking displays of ignorance. And so on. The Sad Puppy slate is a lie propped up by appeals to other lies promoted by people whose self-image is built on lies.

The other interesting thing that happened is that racist, sexist, homophobic dipshit Theodore Beale, perhaps unhappy at being left off of the Sad Puppy slate, created his own overlapping Rabid Puppy slate that included many of the Sad Puppy nominees, but also added himself and a few other works. This slate appears to have undercut the Sad Puppy slate, as the only finalist from the Sad Puppy slate who was not on the Rabid Puppy slate that got on the ballot is Dave Freer in the Best Fan Writer category. On the other hand, nine finalists from the Rabid Puppy slate that were not on the Sad Puppy slate made the ballot, a fact that mostly seems to have worked to the individual benefit of Theodore Beale and John C. Wright - an author who went on a hate-filled tirade because two girls in an animated television show held hands. In effect, the Sad Puppies were taken over by an even more reactionary group on their right.

This year's ballot contains few finalists who are not tainted by their association with either of the Puppy slates. Oddly, one of the categories most untouched by Puppy finalists is the Best Graphic Story category. I say this is odd because in one of his fact-free complaint-fests, Brad Torgersen accused the "traditional Hugo voters" of ignoring, among other kinds of media, comics. Given that, one would think that the Sad Puppy ballot would highlight a number of graphic stories to correct this alleged injustice. One would be wrong. The Puppies were only able to come up with a single proposed finalist, revealing Torgersen's complaints yet again as the lies they are.

Another interesting thing about the two slates is that they reveal just how limited the Puppy bench is. If the best your slate can offer includes a half-dozen works by John C. Wright and chain-letter quality drivel like Michael Z. Williamson's Wisdom from My Internet, then you're simply revealing how very shallow the pool of talent you are drawing from truly is. Leaving aside the obviously political nature of the Sad and Rabid Puppy slates, the other substantial problem that they now have is this: Having beached a collection of out-of-place and not particularly good whales on the Hugo ballot shores, they will be read by people outside of their little closed political circle. Like most conservatives, the Puppies seem to believe that their views and their preferences are secretly shared by the majority, a belief that almost never turns out to be true. In the case of the Puppy finalists, the worst thing that can happen to the reputations of many of the authors who appear on the slate is that they will be read by a wide array of fans, and if last year is anything to go by, the results won't be pretty.

Because of the very unusual nature of this year's ballot, and to show the influence of both the Sad Puppy and Rabid Puppy slate, I am altering the way that I show the various nominees from my usual method. The finalists who were on neither slate are listed under the heading "Actual Finalist". Those who appeared on either the Sad Puppy or Rabid Puppy slates are listed under those headings, while those who appeared on both slates are listed under "Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks".

Addendum I: On April 14, 2015, the Hugo administrator John Lorentz ruled that Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus by John C. Wright was ineligible for the Best Novelette category, as it had been originally published in 2013. Wright's story was replaced on the ballot by The Day the World Turned Upside Down by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. Lorentz also ruled that Jon Eno was ineligible in the Best Professional Artist category, as he had not published any qualifying artwork in 2014. Eno was replaced on the ballot by Kirk DouPonce. Lorentz also ruled that Big Boys Don't Cry by Tom Kratman (originally published in 2000), and One Bright Star to Guide Them by John C. Wright (originally published in 2009) would not be removed from the ballot because they had been revised substantially enough between their initial publication and their 2014 republication that they could be considered to be new works. In the case of Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus, there appears to have been intentional deception on the part of Wright, as he deleted his 2013 publication of the work when the Rabid Puppy slate was initially produced.

These changes and clarifications do seem to answer one question: Could the Sad and Rabid Puppy finalists have made it on to the Hugo ballot on their own merits without the benefit of slate voting? Given that at least three of the works that got onto the ballot via the slate had been published before and no one had even considered that they might be good candidates for a Hugo nomination, the answer would seem to be a fairly definitive no.

Addendum II: On April 15, 2015, both Annie Bellet and Marko Kloos withdrew their stories from the Hugo ballot. In Kloos' withdrawal statement, he stated that he did not wish to be associated with Theodore Beale and was concerned that a substantial portion of his support for his place on the finalist list had come about as a result of being on Beale's "Rabid Puppy" slate. In her post announcing her withdrawal, Bellet made clear that she was displeased at being used as a political football, and hoped that at some point in the future her stories would be able to be on the Hugo ballot without the benefit of being made part of a political campaign. In an unprecedented move, the Hugo committee replaced the two withdrawn works on the ballot, putting Cixin Liu's The Three Body Problem on the Best Novel ballot, and Steven Diamond's A Single Samurai onto the Best Short Story ballot.

Addendum III: On April 18, 2015, Black Gate withdrew from the Hugo ballot. As this took place after the date on which paper ballots could be altered, they were not replaced on the ballot.

Addendum IV: On April 27, 2015, Edmund Schubert withdrew from the Hugo ballot. Because he had no online platform of his own, Schubert gave his explanation on Alethea Kontis' blog. Just as with Black Gate's withdrawal, Schubert's took place after the date on which paper ballots could be altered, so he was not replaced on the ballot.

Note: I have written a post trying to "unPuppy" the list of Hugo finalists for 2015 and doing some analysis of the results titled 2015 "What Could Have Been" Hugo Finalists. I have also written a post assessing the changes that the E Pluribus Hugo nomination system would have made to the ballot titled The 2015 "E Pluribus Hugo" Revised Hugo Finalists.

Best Novel
(My Votes)

Winner:
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)

Actual Finalists:
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson
Lines of Departure by Marko Kloos [withdrawn]
Skin Game: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Best Novella

Winner:

No Winner

Actual Finalists:
None

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Pale Realms of Shade by John C. Wright
The Plural of Helen of Troy by John C. Wright

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Big Boys Don’t Cry by Tom Kratman

Flow by Arlan Andrews, Sr. (reviewed in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: Vol. CXXXIV, No. 11 (November 2014))

One Bright Star to Guide Them by John C. Wright

Best Novelette
(My Votes)

Winner:

The Day the World Turned Upside Down by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (translated by Lia Belt) (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Novelette)

Actual Finalists:

The Day the World Turned Upside Down by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (translated by Lia Belt) (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Novelette)

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Earth to Alluvium by Gray Rinehart (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Novelette)

Championship B’tok by Edward M Lerner (reviewed in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: Vol. CXXXIV, No. 9 (September 2014))

The Journeyman: In the Stone House by Michael F. Flynn (reviewed in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: Vol. CXXXIV, No. 6 (June 2014))

The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale by Rajnar Vajra (reviewed in Analog Science Fiction and Fact: Vol. CXXXIV, Nos. 7 & 8 (July/August 2014))

Best Short Story
(My Votes)

Winner:

No Award

Actual Finalists:
None

Sad Puppy Picks:

A Single Samurai by Steven Diamond (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Rabid Puppy Picks:

The Parliament of Beasts and Birds by John C. Wright (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Turncoat by Steve Rzasa (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:

Goodnight Stars by Annie Bellet [withdrawn] (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

On A Spiritual Plain by Lou Antonelli (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Totaled by Kary English (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Best Related Work

Winner:

No Award

Actual Finalists:
None

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:

The Hot Equations: Thermodynamics and Military SF by Ken Burnside

Letters from Gardner by Lou Antonelli

Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth by John C. Wright

Why Science Is Never Settled by Tedd Roberts
Wisdom from My Internet by Michael Z. Williamson

Best Graphic Story
(My Votes)

Winner:

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jake Wyatt

Actual Finalists:

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson, illustrated by Adrian Alphona and Jake Wyatt

Rat Queens Volume 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Weibe, art by Roc Upchurch
Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples
Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction, art by Chip Zdarsky

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:

Zombie Nation Book #2: Reduce Reuse Reanimate by Carter Reid (reviewed in 2015 Hugo Voting - Best Graphic Story)

Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form

Winner:
Guardians of the Galaxy

Actual Finalists:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
The Lego Movie

Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form

Winner:
Orphan Black: By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried

Actual Finalists:
Doctor Who: Listen
Orphan Black: By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Game of Thrones: The Mountain and the Viper

Rabid and Sad Puppy Picks:
The Flash: Pilot
Grimm: Once We Were Gods

Best Professional Editor: Short Form
(My Votes)

Winner:
No Award

Actual Finalists:
None

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Theodore Beale

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Jennifer Brozek
Mike Resnick
Edmund R. Schubert [withdrawn]
Bryan Thomas Schmidt

Best Professional Editor: Long Form
(My Votes)

Winner:
No Award

Other Finalists:
None

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Theodore Beale

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Sheila Gilbert
Jim Minz
Anne Sowards
Toni Weisskopf

Best Professional Artist
(My Votes)

Winner:
Julie Dillon

Actual Finalists:
Julie Dillon

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Kirk DouPonce
Nick Greenwood
Alan Pollack
Carter Reid

Best Semi-Prozine
(My Votes)

Winner:

Lightspeed Magazine edited by John Joseph Adams, Rich Horton, Stefan Rudnicki, Wendy N. Wagner, and Christie Yant

Actual Finalists:
Beneath Ceaseless Skies edited by Scott H. Andrews

Lightspeed Magazine edited by John Joseph Adams, Rich Horton, Stefan Rudnicki, Wendy N. Wagner, and Christie Yant

Strange Horizons edited by Niall Harrison

Sad Puppy Picks:
Abyss & Apex edited by Wendy Delmater

Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine edited by Sue Burtsztynski and David Kernot

Best Fanzine
(My Votes)

Winner:

Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, Colin Harris, Alissa McKersie, and Helen Montgomery

Actual Finalists:

Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Chris Garcia, Colin Harris, Alissa McKersie, and Helen Montgomery

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Black Gate edited by John O'Neill [withdrawn]

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Elitist Book Reviews edited by Steven Diamond
The Revenge of Hump Day edited by Tim Bolego
Tangent SF Online edited by Dave Truesdale

Best Fan Writer
(My Votes)

Winner:

Laura J. Mixon

Actual Finalists:
Laura J. Mixon

Sad Puppy Picks:
Dave Freer

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Amanda S. Green
Jeffro Johnson
Cedar Sanderson

Best Fan Artist
(My Votes)

Winner:

Elizabeth Leggett

Actual Finalists:
Ninni Aalto
Brad Foster
Elizabeth Leggett
Spring Schoenhuth
Steve Stiles

Best Fancast
(My Votes)

Winner:

Galactic Suburbia Podcast by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts; produced by Andrew Finch

Actual Finalists:

Galactic Suburbia Podcast by Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts; produced by Andrew Finch

Tea and Jeopardy by Emma Newman and Peter Newman

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:

Adventures in SF Publishing by Brent Bower, Kristi Charish, Moses Siregar III, and Timothy C. Ward

Dungeon Crawlers Radio by Travis Alexander, Scott Tomlin, Dale Newton, Damien Swenson, and Daniel Swenson

The Sci Phi Show by Jason Rennie

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(My Votes)

Winner:
Wesley Chu

Actual Finalists:
Wesley Chu

Rabid Puppy Picks:
Rolf Nelson

Sad and Rabid Puppy Picks:
Jason Cordova
Kary English
Eric S. Raymond

What Are the Hugo Awards?

Go to previous year's finalists: 2014
Go to subsequent year's finalists: 2016

2015 Hugo Longlist     Book Award Reviews     Home