2022 Hugo Nomination Recommendations
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ladybusinessAnother year, another Hugo nomination season! Once again, nominations for the Hugo Awards are open, to anyone who is currently a member of this year's upcoming Worldcon in Chicago or last year's Worldcon in Washington, D.C. as of January 31st. Nominations are open until March 15th, so that's plenty of time to read all those things you've been meaning to get to before nominations close… right?
Never fear, the editors of Lady Business are here to provide our suggestions as you decide what to prioritize on your To Be Read/Watched/Played. Of course, this is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that might be worthy of a Hugo nomination, and nor is it meant to be. It's just a selection of some of the works we loved in 2021, and a few reasons why we loved them. Each editor's opinions are their own, although we suspect you'd find a fair amount of agreement if we had sat down to discuss our picks.
Black Water Sister by Zen — Zen Cho’s work has constantly blown me away over the years. This novel about a queer woman who returns to live with family in Malaysia and is haunted by her grandmother really plays to all of Cho’s strengths. It has a strong sense of place, complicated families, and a sense of the mundane rubbing up against the supernatural. [Anna]
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers — I didn't know what to expect from this novella except for some promised softness. Years ago I wrote about Murderbot and its anxiety and thought: I feel so seen. This robot story brings forward that exact same emotion but in a totally different way. It's a story about both the physical journeys we take but also the journeys into the interior of ourselves, and how those can and are much scarier. I'm sure I won't be alone in nominating this; it feels like many people whose reviews I read had similar emotions about Dex and Mosscap. [Renay]
A Worm to the Wise by Marissa Lingen — This story about soil restoration in the near future is so exactly the kind of thing I love! It’s got found family, people doing hard repetitive work to make the world better, and the power of stories. [Anna]
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee — I've been waiting to pounce on this nomination since the first book in the trilogy, Jade City, came out in 2017, grabbed my attention, and never let go. Mobster ninja superheroes in a setting reminiscent of an alternate world Taiwan; family and politics and family politics; wonderful characters and relationships, an ending that is simultaneously gut-wrenching and hopeful. I re-read the first two books shortly before the third came out in December, and I highly recommend the experience, because it hangs together as a whole even better than the sum of its parts. Just amazing. [KJ]
The Kingston Cycle by C. L. Polk — There are a lot of things I love about these books, both individually and as a series. Appealing romances, the struggles of individuals set against the struggles of a society, the ultimate lesson about the limits of incremental change within a fundamentally corrupt system. Add in a setting of a fascinating city, and of course I was hooked. [KJ]
The History and Politics of Wuxia by Jeannette Ng — I’ve been working on a project to better understand wuxia. I always think of genres as works in conversation, so when I start exploring a new-to-me genre I ask myself “what conversations is this genre having?” This essay helped me better understand not only the conversations wuxia is having within itself but also the conversations the genre is having with the world around it. Ng loves wuxia and celebrates the genre’s long history and sense of freedom, while pulling no punches about how wuxia has played into nationalist and han-centeric narratives. [Anna]
The Legend of Auntie Poem by Shing Yin Khor — I loved this graphic novel about a Chinese-American girl growing up in a logging camp in the Sierra Nevadas in the late 1800’s. It’s a story about family, differences, and retelling myths to fit your own life. I love the art with it’s water color palette, and detailed food and logging equipment. [Anna]
Arcane: League of Legends by Riot Games and Fortiche Production — I know full series don't do well here (as KJ says below) but DANG I just can't let this one go. Every single freaking frame of this show looks like it could be fully fledged concept art, and the whole show looks like that. Like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and The Mitchells vs. the Machines, this series tells me that 3D animation has truly found its footing. This show takes EVERYTHING wonderful and breathtaking about 3D animation and combines it with spectacular writing and incredible character design to create a work that is simply breathtaking to look at. And! IT SEEMS PRETTY QUEER. It has a diverse cast, with designs from the League of Legends game reimagined to be more unique, exciting, and frankly more gay. Or, you know, gay-gaze. I'm gay for Vi, is what I'm saying. But honestly this show is one of the most incredible visual-artistic achievements I've seen. Give it a shot. [Ira]
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye by Mobius Digital — HI HEY HAVE YOU HEARD THAT I THINK GAMES DESERVE HUGO AWARDS AND IT HAPPENED ONCE ALREADY??? You may have ALSO heard that I think the base Outer Wilds game is one of the best pieces of media created EVER I am not joking. Truly, Outer Wilds is one of those pieces of media that makes me glad I'm alive at a point in history where I get to experience it, and the extensive (basically enough content for a whole other game) DLC Echoes of the Eye not only doesn't disappoint but might just be perfect or at the very least the best DLC ever. It basically asks the question, "What mechanic was not entirely thoroughly exploited in the base game and can we build a story around it?" and proceeds to just. Do that. I don't even want to say anything about the content of the DLC (as discovery is the whole point of both the base game and the DLC) other than that it is astounding, gorgeous, and with an even more refined sense of aesthetics than the base game WHILE including more sophisticated gameplay in the usual astoundingly integrated style. Seriously, I cannot rec it enough. It would ALSO help the Games Hugo campaign if a "substantial modification" of a game got a lot of votes so! Vote! [Ira]
Chicory: A Colorful Tale by Greg Lobanov — You can't be surprised that I'm reccing another game but if Outer Wilds is not your speed gameplay-wise, I can't imagine a more approachable game than Chicory that also captures so much emotional depth about the nature of creativity, depression, and burnout while still being an eminently pleasant gameplaying experience. You take control of an anthropomorphic dog (gender never specified) named after your favourite food who happens to be working as a janitor for the wielder of The Brush, a magical implement that lets you colour the naturally black and white world as you wish. The eponymous Chicory, a rabbit, is breaking under the stress of having to beautifully colour the whole world, leaving you to pick up The Brush, unleashing your own creativity with complete freedom — but you also inherit Chicory's responsibilities. A dark power is creeping out of the shadows, and only you, the Wielder, can fight it. This game has an adorable art style that still conveys a lot of nuance about its truly dark and complicated themes. It combines a lot of elements of games people have found meaning and solace in during the pandemic, like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that let you express yourself creatively and help members of your community, with more action-oriented mechanics like platforming and boss battles. Truly, check it out. [Ira]
Arcane: League of Legends, "The Monster You Created" by Riot Games and Fortiche Production — Although none of the episodes of this fantastic show really stand alone, I know full series don't do well in BDP Long Form anymore. So I picked the final episode of the first season because it's such a perfect culmination of everything that came before it: plot, character, world-building. Gorgeous artwork, too. For more on why you should really watch the whole show, see Ira's Long Form rec above.[KJ]
My Universe by Coldplay X BTS — Was this the only SF related visual media I watched last year…? Maybe. Anyway, I want a whole series of story music videos about DJ Lafrique, thanks. [Renay]
The Rec Center by Gavia and Elizabeth — In this age of fandom exploding and spreading across multiple platforms, I really appreciate a good rec list. The Rec Center is one of those newsletters I've built my fannish life around, kind of like I did when SF Signal was still chugging along. From thoughtful writing about fannish topics to fun tidbits from social media to a wide array of fanfic recs across fandoms, The Rec Center is a never-miss-an-issue for me. [Renay]
Fansplaining by Flourish Klink and Elizabeth Minkel — *stares directly into the camera* I feel like skywriting this rec at this point. Copyright Brainworms alone! But also Tropfest: Hurt/Comfort, Do Not Interact, and Fans Are Discussing… I love this pod a lot and it's one of a handful of reasons I still feel connected to my old style of fandom as we've fractured across platforms. [Renay]
Jay and Miles X-plain the X-Men by Jay Edidon and Miles Stokes — I know I've recommended this podcast every time we've done this feature, and I'm going to keep recommending it until it wins, or at the very least gets shortlisted. It's fallen just short so many times, and it's a shame, because this long-running project is one of the best deep dives into a fandom continuity that's ever been created. [KJ]
Tar Valon or Bust by Jenn and Preeti — Disclosure: I made it… seven books? Into The Wheel of Time. I have never gone back. But I still KNOW all these things and it's incredibly fun to listen to people be excited about something that you still hold a lot of fond memories for even if you know you will absolutely do your best to avoid reading the source material, because of your finite lifespan. [Renay]
forestofglory — I'm biased, but I feel like if you can't be biased about things you love in the nomination period for a popular vote award then something has gone amiss in the universe. We published Anna here last year (and many years before!) before she joined our team formally this year. She has lovely thoughts (that piece aforementioned about reccing as critical practice is hers, albeit from 2020). 2021 was what it was, and I think here at Lady Business we really felt the drain of it all, so we had less work out, including Anna. But I loved some of the pieces she did as a regular contributor, especially Short & Sweet: Blast From the Past full of great stories I hadn't thought about in awhile that really cheered me up and The Layered Pleasures of Alterative Universe Fic. Anna always helps me think about creativity and the way I take in stories in a new way. I appreciate her perspective so much! [Renay]
skygiants — Someone who has been writing about books for ages who I've read and followed for recs and excellent insights on books is skygiants. Even when we disagree on a book, it still feels a lot like listening to a friend rant/gush about their recent books while tucked into a comfy coffeeshop with excellent pastries (and no COVID). [Renay]
Stitch — I'm not even sure where to begin because Stitch is incredibly prolific. Over on the Hugo rec sheet, the cell for examples of their work is bursting from pieces from all throughout the year, and that's only a sample. From Urban Fantasy 101: Magical Negros in the Genre, What Fandom Racism Looks Like: All The Pieces of Heroes of Color, and What “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” Teaches Us About Fandom Misogynoir in early 2021 to What Do You Do When Your Fave Screws Up?, [Stitch Likes Stuff] Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, and (I Wish It Wasn’t) Applied To Fandom: Anti Racist Moderation as Trauma Work toward the end of the year, Stitch has a lot if important things to say. [Renay]
Sumana Harihareswara — One reason that I love the Hugo sheet SO MUCH is that I didn't even know that Sumana was doing excellent rec posts! Because we're at Lady Business, we believe in the whole reccing as critical practice. [Renay]
Yutaan — I have been loving Yutaan’s paper cut art! It’s so rich and textured while also conveying emotion. Here’s a few of my favorite pieces form 2021: Utena, Yunmeng Sibs, Yotsuba[Anna]
Never fear, the editors of Lady Business are here to provide our suggestions as you decide what to prioritize on your To Be Read/Watched/Played. Of course, this is by no means a comprehensive list of everything that might be worthy of a Hugo nomination, and nor is it meant to be. It's just a selection of some of the works we loved in 2021, and a few reasons why we loved them. Each editor's opinions are their own, although we suspect you'd find a fair amount of agreement if we had sat down to discuss our picks.
Best Novel
Black Water Sister by Zen — Zen Cho’s work has constantly blown me away over the years. This novel about a queer woman who returns to live with family in Malaysia and is haunted by her grandmother really plays to all of Cho’s strengths. It has a strong sense of place, complicated families, and a sense of the mundane rubbing up against the supernatural. [Anna]
Best Novella
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers — I didn't know what to expect from this novella except for some promised softness. Years ago I wrote about Murderbot and its anxiety and thought: I feel so seen. This robot story brings forward that exact same emotion but in a totally different way. It's a story about both the physical journeys we take but also the journeys into the interior of ourselves, and how those can and are much scarier. I'm sure I won't be alone in nominating this; it feels like many people whose reviews I read had similar emotions about Dex and Mosscap. [Renay]
Best Short Story
A Worm to the Wise by Marissa Lingen — This story about soil restoration in the near future is so exactly the kind of thing I love! It’s got found family, people doing hard repetitive work to make the world better, and the power of stories. [Anna]
Best Series
The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee — I've been waiting to pounce on this nomination since the first book in the trilogy, Jade City, came out in 2017, grabbed my attention, and never let go. Mobster ninja superheroes in a setting reminiscent of an alternate world Taiwan; family and politics and family politics; wonderful characters and relationships, an ending that is simultaneously gut-wrenching and hopeful. I re-read the first two books shortly before the third came out in December, and I highly recommend the experience, because it hangs together as a whole even better than the sum of its parts. Just amazing. [KJ]
The Kingston Cycle by C. L. Polk — There are a lot of things I love about these books, both individually and as a series. Appealing romances, the struggles of individuals set against the struggles of a society, the ultimate lesson about the limits of incremental change within a fundamentally corrupt system. Add in a setting of a fascinating city, and of course I was hooked. [KJ]
Best Related Work
The History and Politics of Wuxia by Jeannette Ng — I’ve been working on a project to better understand wuxia. I always think of genres as works in conversation, so when I start exploring a new-to-me genre I ask myself “what conversations is this genre having?” This essay helped me better understand not only the conversations wuxia is having within itself but also the conversations the genre is having with the world around it. Ng loves wuxia and celebrates the genre’s long history and sense of freedom, while pulling no punches about how wuxia has played into nationalist and han-centeric narratives. [Anna]
Best Graphic Story
The Legend of Auntie Poem by Shing Yin Khor — I loved this graphic novel about a Chinese-American girl growing up in a logging camp in the Sierra Nevadas in the late 1800’s. It’s a story about family, differences, and retelling myths to fit your own life. I love the art with it’s water color palette, and detailed food and logging equipment. [Anna]
Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form)
Arcane: League of Legends by Riot Games and Fortiche Production — I know full series don't do well here (as KJ says below) but DANG I just can't let this one go. Every single freaking frame of this show looks like it could be fully fledged concept art, and the whole show looks like that. Like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse and The Mitchells vs. the Machines, this series tells me that 3D animation has truly found its footing. This show takes EVERYTHING wonderful and breathtaking about 3D animation and combines it with spectacular writing and incredible character design to create a work that is simply breathtaking to look at. And! IT SEEMS PRETTY QUEER. It has a diverse cast, with designs from the League of Legends game reimagined to be more unique, exciting, and frankly more gay. Or, you know, gay-gaze. I'm gay for Vi, is what I'm saying. But honestly this show is one of the most incredible visual-artistic achievements I've seen. Give it a shot. [Ira]
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye by Mobius Digital — HI HEY HAVE YOU HEARD THAT I THINK GAMES DESERVE HUGO AWARDS AND IT HAPPENED ONCE ALREADY??? You may have ALSO heard that I think the base Outer Wilds game is one of the best pieces of media created EVER I am not joking. Truly, Outer Wilds is one of those pieces of media that makes me glad I'm alive at a point in history where I get to experience it, and the extensive (basically enough content for a whole other game) DLC Echoes of the Eye not only doesn't disappoint but might just be perfect or at the very least the best DLC ever. It basically asks the question, "What mechanic was not entirely thoroughly exploited in the base game and can we build a story around it?" and proceeds to just. Do that. I don't even want to say anything about the content of the DLC (as discovery is the whole point of both the base game and the DLC) other than that it is astounding, gorgeous, and with an even more refined sense of aesthetics than the base game WHILE including more sophisticated gameplay in the usual astoundingly integrated style. Seriously, I cannot rec it enough. It would ALSO help the Games Hugo campaign if a "substantial modification" of a game got a lot of votes so! Vote! [Ira]
Chicory: A Colorful Tale by Greg Lobanov — You can't be surprised that I'm reccing another game but if Outer Wilds is not your speed gameplay-wise, I can't imagine a more approachable game than Chicory that also captures so much emotional depth about the nature of creativity, depression, and burnout while still being an eminently pleasant gameplaying experience. You take control of an anthropomorphic dog (gender never specified) named after your favourite food who happens to be working as a janitor for the wielder of The Brush, a magical implement that lets you colour the naturally black and white world as you wish. The eponymous Chicory, a rabbit, is breaking under the stress of having to beautifully colour the whole world, leaving you to pick up The Brush, unleashing your own creativity with complete freedom — but you also inherit Chicory's responsibilities. A dark power is creeping out of the shadows, and only you, the Wielder, can fight it. This game has an adorable art style that still conveys a lot of nuance about its truly dark and complicated themes. It combines a lot of elements of games people have found meaning and solace in during the pandemic, like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that let you express yourself creatively and help members of your community, with more action-oriented mechanics like platforming and boss battles. Truly, check it out. [Ira]
Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form)
Arcane: League of Legends, "The Monster You Created" by Riot Games and Fortiche Production — Although none of the episodes of this fantastic show really stand alone, I know full series don't do well in BDP Long Form anymore. So I picked the final episode of the first season because it's such a perfect culmination of everything that came before it: plot, character, world-building. Gorgeous artwork, too. For more on why you should really watch the whole show, see Ira's Long Form rec above.[KJ]
My Universe by Coldplay X BTS — Was this the only SF related visual media I watched last year…? Maybe. Anyway, I want a whole series of story music videos about DJ Lafrique, thanks. [Renay]
Best Fanzine
The Rec Center by Gavia and Elizabeth — In this age of fandom exploding and spreading across multiple platforms, I really appreciate a good rec list. The Rec Center is one of those newsletters I've built my fannish life around, kind of like I did when SF Signal was still chugging along. From thoughtful writing about fannish topics to fun tidbits from social media to a wide array of fanfic recs across fandoms, The Rec Center is a never-miss-an-issue for me. [Renay]
Best Fancast
Fansplaining by Flourish Klink and Elizabeth Minkel — *stares directly into the camera* I feel like skywriting this rec at this point. Copyright Brainworms alone! But also Tropfest: Hurt/Comfort, Do Not Interact, and Fans Are Discussing… I love this pod a lot and it's one of a handful of reasons I still feel connected to my old style of fandom as we've fractured across platforms. [Renay]
Jay and Miles X-plain the X-Men by Jay Edidon and Miles Stokes — I know I've recommended this podcast every time we've done this feature, and I'm going to keep recommending it until it wins, or at the very least gets shortlisted. It's fallen just short so many times, and it's a shame, because this long-running project is one of the best deep dives into a fandom continuity that's ever been created. [KJ]
Tar Valon or Bust by Jenn and Preeti — Disclosure: I made it… seven books? Into The Wheel of Time. I have never gone back. But I still KNOW all these things and it's incredibly fun to listen to people be excited about something that you still hold a lot of fond memories for even if you know you will absolutely do your best to avoid reading the source material, because of your finite lifespan. [Renay]
Best Fan Writer
forestofglory — I'm biased, but I feel like if you can't be biased about things you love in the nomination period for a popular vote award then something has gone amiss in the universe. We published Anna here last year (and many years before!) before she joined our team formally this year. She has lovely thoughts (that piece aforementioned about reccing as critical practice is hers, albeit from 2020). 2021 was what it was, and I think here at Lady Business we really felt the drain of it all, so we had less work out, including Anna. But I loved some of the pieces she did as a regular contributor, especially Short & Sweet: Blast From the Past full of great stories I hadn't thought about in awhile that really cheered me up and The Layered Pleasures of Alterative Universe Fic. Anna always helps me think about creativity and the way I take in stories in a new way. I appreciate her perspective so much! [Renay]skygiants — Someone who has been writing about books for ages who I've read and followed for recs and excellent insights on books is skygiants. Even when we disagree on a book, it still feels a lot like listening to a friend rant/gush about their recent books while tucked into a comfy coffeeshop with excellent pastries (and no COVID). [Renay]Stitch — I'm not even sure where to begin because Stitch is incredibly prolific. Over on the Hugo rec sheet, the cell for examples of their work is bursting from pieces from all throughout the year, and that's only a sample. From Urban Fantasy 101: Magical Negros in the Genre, What Fandom Racism Looks Like: All The Pieces of Heroes of Color, and What “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” Teaches Us About Fandom Misogynoir in early 2021 to What Do You Do When Your Fave Screws Up?, [Stitch Likes Stuff] Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, and (I Wish It Wasn’t) Applied To Fandom: Anti Racist Moderation as Trauma Work toward the end of the year, Stitch has a lot if important things to say. [Renay]
Sumana Harihareswara — One reason that I love the Hugo sheet SO MUCH is that I didn't even know that Sumana was doing excellent rec posts! Because we're at Lady Business, we believe in the whole reccing as critical practice. [Renay]
Best Fan Artist
Yutaan — I have been loving Yutaan’s paper cut art! It’s so rich and textured while also conveying emotion. Here’s a few of my favorite pieces form 2021: Utena, Yunmeng Sibs, Yotsuba[Anna]
linking and making it clear where the current one is
Date: 2022-12-24 12:30 pm (UTC)https://ladybusiness.dreamwidth.org/2016/02/11/hugo-award-recommendations.html
and mark the old sheet as closed (by indicating that it's done/over/closed on the first About tab).