2016 Hugo Award Longlist

One of the benefits of the Hugo Longlist is that one can see the works and people who just missed making the list of finalists, and get a better picture of where the Hugo voters are in terms of the fiction that they regard as worthwhile. In a normal period, this could be used to see who is likely to show up on future finalists lists by looking at who barely missed the cut this time around. For example, in a normal era for the Hugos, one would expect Elizabeth Bear to be poised to garner a finalist nod in the next year or two, based upon her being longlisted in both the Best Novel and Best Novelette categories. Similarly, one would expect to see Ursula Vernon and Amal El-Mohtar on a future finalist list due to their each garnering two longlist nominations in the Best Short Story category.

We are not living in a normal era for the Hugos. This year and for a few years prior to this one has seen a split in fandom driven primarily by the intertwined groups of conservative-leaning Sad Puppies and fascist-leaning Rabid Puppies who organized a succession of slates that others in the Hugo voting community regarded as unethical, and which had a decisive impact on the nominations phase of the Hugo award for 2015 and 2016. Because the two groups of Puppies make up a minority of Hugo voters, they were able to dominate the nominating phase due to a weakness in the rules, but have had much less success in the actual voting. Looking at the Hugo longlist, it is readily apparent why those works promoted by the Puppies have fared so poorly: When taken as a whole, the Puppy supported nominees are noticeably weaker than the nominees that resulted from the choices made by non-Puppy Hugo voters. This had led to the odd result of the last couple of years in which the longlisted nominees in a category, when taken as a group are often a far superior group to the finalists in that category. Despite the claims made by various Puppy spokespeople about how they wanted to bring to light high-quality science fiction that was being neglected by Hugo voters, it is clear that their actions have resulted in lists of Hugo finalists that are clearly inferior to those that would have resulted in the absence of the Puppy campaigns.

To a certain extent, the Hugo longlists, and the works upon them, illustrate why the Puppy campaigns have had such difficulty winning over the Hugo voters. Although the identity of the nominees on the longlist is not revealed until after the Hugos themselves are presented, the voters still know that these other works exist, and in part are mentally comparing the works on the finalist list to them. So when Hugo voters are casting their ballots in the Best Related Work category, they are mentally comparing it to Letters to Tiptree, or Invisible 2, or Lois McMaster Bujold, and all of the finalists are well short of the quality of those possible alternates. Similarly, when a voter is considering the Best Fancast category, they aren't considering the five finalists in a vacuum, but rather considering them in light of the standards set by Galactic Suburbia, Tea and Jeopardy, or Sword and Laser, and the Puppy picks are simply not able to measure up. Even in a category where a reasonable choice had been made, such as Best Graphic Story, the nominees are likely being mentally compared to the alternatives, and while a story like Invisible Republic, Volume 01 isn't terrible, it simply doesn't hold up when compared to Bitch Planet: Extraordinary Machine, Nimona, or Ms. Marvel: Generation Why. What the Pups seem seem not to have realized, and what they seem to still not understand, is that voting for the Hugo Awards is not conducted in a vacuum. Hugo voters are, of course, primarily considering the finalists in relation to one another, but they are also considering them in relation to the other works that were available to be nominated, and previous works that have been finalists and winners. What we see when we look at the Hugo longlist for 2016, is that the Hugo voters had good reason to judge many of the finalists harshly, as they were simply not as good as many of the nominees on the longlist.

Best Novel

Finalists:
Ancillary Mercy by Anne Leckie
The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin [winner]
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Longlisted Nominees:
Agent of the Imperium by Marc Miller
Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
The Just City by Jo Walton
Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Somewhither: A Tale of the Unwithering Realm by John C. Wright
Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

Best Novella

Finalists:
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor [winner]
The Builders by Daniel Polansky
Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold
Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson
Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds

Longlisted Nominees:
The Bone Swans of Amandale by C.S.E. Cooney
The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard
Fear of the Unknown and Self-Loathing in Hollywood by Nick Cole
The Four Thousand, the Eight Hundred by Greg Egan

The New Mother by Eugene Fischer (reviewed in Asimov's Science Fiction: Vol. 39, Nos. 4 & 5 (April/May 2015))

The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn by Usman T Malik
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant
Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson
Waters of Versailles by Kelly Robson
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

Best Novelette

Finalists:
And You Shall Know Her By The Trail Of Dead by Brooke Bolander
Flashpoint: Titan by Cheah Kai Wai

Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu [winner]

Hyperspace Demons by Jonathan Moeller [nomination declined]
Obits by Stephen King
What Price Humanity? by David VanDyke

Longlisted Nominees
Another Word for World by Ann Leckie
Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess

The Deepwater Bride by Tamsyn Muir (reviewed in Fantasy & Science Fiction: Vol. 129, Nos. 1 & 2 (July/August 2015))

Entanglements by David Gerrold
Grandmother-nai-Leylit’s Cloth of Winds by Rose Lemberg
The Heart's Filthy Lesson by Elizabeth Bear

The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild by Catherynne M. Valente (reviewed in Clarkesworld: Issue 100 (January 2015))

Our Lady of the Open Road by Sarah Pinsker
Rathangan by Ian McDonald
So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer

Best Short Story

Finalists:

Asymmetrical Warfare by S.R. Algernon (reviewed in 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer (reviewed in Clarkesworld: Issue 100 (January 2015), 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story, and 2016 WSFA Small Press Award Voting) [winner]

The Commuter by Thomas Mays [nomination declined]

If You Were an Award, My Love by Juan Tabo and S. Harris (reviewed in 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Seven Kill Tiger by Charles Shao (reviewed in 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Space Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle (reviewed in 2016 Hugo Voting - Best Short Story)

Longlisted Nominees
Damage by David D. Levine
Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers by Alyssa Wong
Madeleine by Amal El-Mohtar
Pockets by Amal El-Mohtar
Pocosin by Ursula Vernon

Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight by Aliette de Bodard (reviewed in Clarkesworld: Issue 100 (January 2015))

Today I Am Paul by Martin L. Shoemaker (reviewed in 2016 WSFA Small Press Award Voting)

Tuesdays with Molakesh the Destroyer by Megan Grey
Wooden Feathers by Ursula Vernon

Best Related Work

Finalists:
Appendix N by Jeffro Johnson

Between Light and Shadow: An Exploration of the Fiction of Gene Wolfe, 1951 to 1986 by Marc Aramini

Safe Space as Rape Room by Daniel Eness
SJWs Always Lie by Theodore Beale
The Story of Moira Greyland by Moira Greyland

Longlisted Nominees:
Geek Knits by Toni Carr, (aka Joan of Dark)
A History of Epic Fantasy by Adam Whitehead
Invisible 2 edited by Jim Hines

John Scalzi Is Not A Very Popular Author And I Myself Am Quite Popular: How SJWs Always Lie About Our Comparative Popularity Levels by Theophilus Pratt (aka Alexandra Erin)

Letters to Tiptree edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Alexandra Pierce
Lois McMaster Bujold by Edward James
Queers Destroy Science Fiction by Lightspeed Magazine
Sad Puppies Bite Back by Declan Finn

The Wheel of Time Companion by by Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

Best Graphic Story

Finalists:
The Divine by Boaz Lavie, Asaf Hanuka, and Tomer Hanuka
Erin Dies Alone by Cory Rydell and Grey Carter
Full Frontal Nerdity by Aaron Williams
Invisible Republic, Volume 01 by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman

The Sandman: Overture by Neil Gaiman and J.H. Williams, III [winner]

Longlisted Nominees:

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine de Landro

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Stjepan Sejic, and Roc Upchurch

Saga, Volume Five by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Stand Still Stay Silent - Volume 1 by Minna Sundberg

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson

Best Dramatic Presentation: Long Form

Finalists:
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian [winner]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Longlisted Nominees:
Ant-Man
Inside Out
Jessica Jones, Season 1
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jupiter Ascending
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Predestination
Sense8
Until Dawn
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Best Dramatic Presentation: Short Form

Finalists:
Doctor Who: Heaven Sent
Grimm: Headache
Jessica Jones: AKA Smile [winner]
Life is Strange, Episode 1 [ineligible]
My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Map
Supernatural: Just My Imagination
Tales from the Borderlands: The Vault of the Traveller [ineligible]

Longlisted Nominees:
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4,722 Hours
Daredevil: Cut Man
Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song
The Expanse: CQB
The Expanse: Dulcinea
Game of Thrones: Hardhome
Orphan Black: Certain Agony of the Battlefield
Person of Interest: If-Then-Else

Best Professional Editor: Short Form

Finalists:
John Joseph Adams
Neil Clarke
Ellen Datlow [winner]
Jerry Pournelle
Sheila Williams

Longlisted Nominees:
Gardner Dozois
C.C. Finlay
Paula Goodlett
Liz Gorinsky
Jason Rennie
Mike Resnick
Jonathan Strahan
Lynne M. Thomas
Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas
Ann VanderMeer

Best Professional Editor: Long Form

Finalists:
Theodore Beale
Mike Braff [ineligible]
Sheila Gilbert [winner]
Liz Gorinsky
Jim Minz
Anne Sowards [nomination declined]
Toni Weisskopf

Longlisted Nominees:
Anne Lesley Groell
David G. Hartwell
Jane Johnson
Joe Monti
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Marco Palmieri
Devi Pillai
Miriam Weinberg

Best Professional Artist

Finalists:
Lars Braad Anderson
Larry Elmore
Michal Karcz
Abigail Larson [winner]
Larry Rostant

Longlisted Nominees:
Richard Anderson
Galen Dara
Julie Dillon
John Harris
Kathleen Jennings
Chris McGrath
Rowena Morrill
Victo Ngai
John Picacio
Cynthia Sheppard
Sam Weber

Best Semi-Prozine

Finalists:
Beneath Ceaseless Skies edited by Scott H. Andrews
Daily Science Fiction edited by Michele-Lee Barasso and Jonathan Laden
Sci Phi Journal edited by Jason Rennie

Strange Horizons edited by Catherine Krahe, Julia Rios, A.J. Odasso, Vanessa Rose Phin, Maureen Kincaid Speller, and the Strange Horizons staff

Uncanny Magazine edited by Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky [winner]

Longlisted Nominees:
Abyss & Apex edited by Wendy Delmater
Apex Magazine edited by Jason Sizemore and Sigrid Ellis
The Book Smugglers edited by Ana Grilo and Thea James
Clarkesworld Magazine edited by Neil Clarke
Escape Pod edited by Mur Lafferty and Al Stuart
Fireside Magazine edited by Brian White
Giganotosaurus edited Rashida J. Smith
Interzone edited by Andy Cox

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

Podcastle edited by Graeme Dunlop and Rachael K. Jones

Best Fanzine

Finalists:
Black Gate edited by John O’Neill [nomination declined]
Castalia House blog edited by Jeffro Johnson
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer [winner]
Lady Business edited by Clare, Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan
Superversive SF edited by Brian Niemeier
Tangent SF Online edited by Dave Truesdale

Longlisted Nominees:
Banana Wings edited by Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer
A Dribble of Ink edited by Aiden Moher

Journey Planet edited by James Bacon, Christopher J. Garcia, Colin Harris, Alissa McKersie, and Helen J. Montgomery

Mad Genius Club edited by Dave Freer
Mark Watches edited by Mark Oshiro
Nerds of a Feather edited by The G and Vance Kotrla
Rocket Stack Rank edited by Greg Hullender and Eric Wong
SF Mistressworks edited by Ian Sales
SF Signal edited by Jon Denardo

Best Fan Writer

Finalists:
Douglas Erns
Mike Glyer [winner]
Morgan Holmes
Jeffro Johnson
Shamus Young
Zenopus [nomination declined]

Longlisted Nominees:
Liz Bourke
Alexandra Erin
Eric Flint
Natalie Luhrs
Mark Oshiro
George R.R. Martin
Foz Meadows
James Nicoll
Abigail Nussbaum

Best Fan Artist

Finalists:
Matthew Callahan
disse86
Kukuruyo
Christian Quinot
RGUS [nomination declined]
Steve Stiles [winner]

Longlisted Nominees:
Ninni Aalto
Euclase
Brad W. Foster
Karezoid
Megan Lara
Likhain
Richard Man
Spring Schoenhuth
Piper Thibodeau

Best Fancast

Finalists:
8-4 Play by Mark MacDonald, John Ricciardi, Hiroko Minamoto, and Justin Epperson
Cane and Rinse by Cane and Rinse
Hello Greedo by HelloGreedo
The Rageaholic by RazörFist
Tales to Terrify by Stephen Kilpatrick

Longlisted Nominees:
The Coode Street Podcast by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
Ditch Diggers by Matt Wallace and Mur Lafferty
Fangirl Happy Hour by Renay Williams and Ana Grilo

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

Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men by Jay Edidin and Miles Stokes

The Skiffy and Fanty Show by Shaun Duke, Julia Rios, Paul Weimer, Mike Underwood, David Annadale, Rachael Acks, and Jen Zink

Starship Sofa by Tony C. Smith
Sword and Laser by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt
Tea and Jeopardy by Emma Newman and Peter Newman

Verity! by Deborah Stanish, Erika Ensign, Katrina Griffiths, L.M. Myles, Lynne M. Thomas, and Tansy Rayner Roberts

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Finalists:
Pierce Brown
Sebastien de Castell
Brian Niemeier
Andy Weir [winner]
Alyssa Wong

Longlisted Nominees:
Becky Chambers
Scott Hawkins
S.L. Huang
Rachael K. Jones
Sunil Patel
Natasha Pulley
Kelly Robson
Cheah Kai Wai
JY Yang
Isabel Yap

Go to previous year's longlist: 2015
Go to subsequent year's longlist: 2017

Go to 2016 Hugo Finalists and Winners

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