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Merged 2014 Hugo awards.

catsmate said:
Best Short Form Dramatic Presentation
Doctor Who: “Heaven Sent” written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay
Grimm: “Headache” written by Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, directed by Jim Kouf
Jessica Jones: “AKA Smile” written by Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, and Jamie King, directed by Michael Rymer
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: “The Cutie Map” Parts 1 and 2 written by Scott Sonneborn, M.A. Larson, and Meghan McCarthy, directed by Jayson Thiessen and Jim Miller Supernatural: “Just My Imagination” written by Jenny Klein, directed by Richard Speight Jr.
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Not much to say about the puppyboys, but apparently the Hugos are being invaded by ponies now. Saw this yesterday on one of the fansites, and nearly pissed myself in surprise. Kind of curious how it made the ballot; but I don't think the nomination was undeserved (although, IMO, the season closer "The Cutie Remark" was even better written). Interesting to see what was originaly supposed to be nothing more than a 22 minute toy commercial get this far. If it actually wins I think my brain will explode.
 
asydhouse said:
There's no way I was going to read 14 fat volumes of The Wheel of Time, and it's absurd that the rules allow an entire series to be nominated as a single work in the best novel category.
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I have read them. My nephew with ASD who reads and rereads endlessly was going to give them a 2nd go but "**** it, the shadow of book 11 has defeated me". That sums it up except I'd say it was the thought of book 6. There is a good story in there after a thorough worming.
 
luchog said:
Not much to say about the puppyboys, but apparently the Hugos are being invaded by ponies now. Saw this yesterday on one of the fansites, and nearly pissed myself in surprise. Kind of curious how it made the ballot; but I don't think the nomination was undeserved (although, IMO, the season closer "The Cutie Remark" was even better written).
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Bit of a followup to my post. So... the MLP:FiM fan scene is not particularly happy with this nomination. The idea that the show could be up for a Hugo for that episode makes sense to most of them, given the quality of the writing; but the puppy association is making a whole lot of people really uncomfortable. Bronies in general are really big on acceptance and tolerance of pretty much anyone who is willing to do the same; and they are not happy about how the puppies have grossly misunderstood and misrepresented the meaning of that particular episode to fit their twisted agenda. Lots of backlash and attempting to distance themselves and the scene from this. Most of them would rather not have had the episode nominated at all, under the circumstances.

Puppies are not making themselves any friends there.
 
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luchog said:
Bit of a followup to my post. So... the MLP:FiM fan scene is not particularly happy with this nomination. The idea that the show could be up for a Hugo for that episode makes sense to most of them, given the quality of the writing; but the puppy association is making a whole lot of people really uncomfortable. Bronies in general are really big on acceptance and tolerance of pretty much anyone who is willing to do the same; and they are not happy about how the puppies have grossly misunderstood and misrepresented the meaning of that particular episode to fit their twisted agenda. Lots of backlash and attempting to distance themselves and the scene from this. Most of them would rather not have had the episode nominated at all, under the circumstances.
Puppies are not making themselves any friends there.
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Not the most surprising statement there.
 
Wudang said:
I have read them. My nephew with ASD who reads and rereads endlessly was going to give them a 2nd go but "**** it, the shadow of book 11 has defeated me". That sums it up except I'd say it was the thought of book 6. There is a good story in there after a thorough worming.
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I gave up around book 5 or 6; can't remember exactly which one, but several hundred pages and nothing changed at all. My son read them all; not sure if he'd read them again. As you suggest, it needed a decent editor to stand up to the author.
 
zooterkin said:
I gave up around book 5 or 6; can't remember exactly which one, but several hundred pages and nothing changed at all.
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That was my experience. The first few books had promise, but this deteriorated into incessant angsting.
 
quadraginta said:
Good post. Everyone should read Stross.
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Yes. My custom title should tell you I like Bob Oliver Francis Howard. It's very rare I literally LOL reading a book but I do with Stross, especially the Rhesus Chart and its Agile vampires
"Okay, people. Here’s what I’m hearing: we have a huge opportunity, but it doesn’t mesh with our deliverables list. And it certainly doesn’t play to any of the user stories I’m seeing here.” He looks at Mhari. “It comes with
certain costs attached, the stomach ache and sunburn. But it also comes
with some remarkable value-proposition increments”
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In fantasy it would be Rothfuss. Again I have LOLed at some beautifully crafted lines but the clincher is that little gem of a book (note I don't say story) The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Many people don't like it, I think it's amazing.
 
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zooterkin said:
I gave up around book 5 or 6; can't remember exactly which one, but several hundred pages and nothing changed at all. My son read them all; not sure if he'd read them again. As you suggest, it needed a decent editor to stand up to the author.
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I pretty much gave up on it about that time as well. Reading an entire book that did absolutely nothing to provide story or character development, but was entirely composed of irrelevant filler, completely turned me off of ever wanting to bother going further. By that point, I was already starting to get annoyed at how utterly stupid and whiny and unreasonable and incapable of learning a damned thing all of his characters were. With the possible exception of Matrim, I just wanted to slap the crap out of everyone and scream at them to grow the **** up already. Especially Perrin and Nynaeve. When I wasn't wishing for someone to strangle Nynaeve with her own bloody braid already.
 
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Sounds like a good series to have missed - I had been put off by the cover.
 
catsmate said:
Damn linkrot, Tor have cleaned up their website. Thanks.
Down on the Farm is also available.
ETA. For completeness:
Equoid Warning this is quite disturbing.
A Colder War Not part of the Laundry, but similar themes.
Missile Gap Rather different.
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I would add A Tall Tail to this list of Mr. Stross' short Sci-Fi stories.

(though I have my own title to this story: "What kind of mischief a Sci-Fi author can cook up after coming across a section of a pharmaceutical chemist blog concerning the nastiest chemicals that have ever been created...:D")
 
fuelair said:
I wonder if he knows Orientals tend to score higher on average. Of course I am pretty sure that he is quite the opposite of that.

Also, wonder how much he would appreciate a faceful of H2NO3, say, to see haw stable it makes his relationships with others. or, maybe a strong batch of NaOH. I believe those are quite easy of access.
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I have to admit that reading this ****'s ideas just now has pushed him from an idiot to an enemy. If I ever see him at a sf convention, I will physically attack him.
 
Black Gate editor John O’Neill has withdrawn the fanzine from the ballot, again, citing the actions of Poxy and pals.
 
asydhouse said:
I have to admit that reading this ****'s ideas just now has pushed him from an idiot to an enemy. If I ever see him at a sf convention, I will physically attack him.
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That's unlikely unless you're in Finland; Beale is a tax exile, not unlike his father.
 
catsmate said:
That's unlikely unless you're in Finland; Beale is a tax exile, not unlike his father.
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hmmmm… I seem to recall seeing that Finland was going to bid for Worldcon around 2020, or sometime thereafter…


Now that some time has passed since I read the quotes above, I guess I probably would not cold-bloodedly attack him if I saw him, but if I heard him saying that **** about acid attacks on women, I might just see red and pile in on the mother ****er…. I wonder if you can buy acid (of the non psychedelic kind) in shops in Finland? But that's cold-blooded thinking which I am actually revolted by, so no I can't do that… Doesn't often happen, but Pox is making me horrified and disgusted by myself!

Good job Finland has gun control laws (I hope!) or I could see myself grabbing a gun and letting loose on the turd if I heard him saying that stuff! It will probably be a rock to the head, or a chair or something…

I'm talking myself out of going to Finland!
 
catsmate said:
Damn linkrot, Tor have cleaned up their website. Thanks.
Down on the Farm is also available.
ETA. For completeness:
Equoid Warning this is quite disturbing.
A Colder War Not part of the Laundry, but similar themes.
Missile Gap Rather different.
Click to expand...
Thanks for these. After reading the first two I think I'll have a go at Stross's Laundry series.

I'd read Accelerando and one other from the same universe, and while they had a lot of neat ideas, something about his writing style rubbed me the wrong way. Every so often he'd throw in some coyly self-aware, indier-than-thou hipster metajoke that would shatter my suspension of disbelief and then jump up and down on its broken fragments for a while. The first few chapters of Accelerando in particular are some of the worst I've ever read. Absolutely excruciatingly smug and self-absorbed. It took me an extensively delayed flight to finally muscle through it and get to the part where it becomes readable.

But those stories there are good reading. Maybe he's matured as an author, I'll give him another shot.
 
Beelzebuddy said:
Thanks for these. After reading the first two I think I'll have a go at Stross's Laundry series.

I'd read Accelerando and one other from the same universe, and while they had a lot of neat ideas, something about his writing style rubbed me the wrong way. Every so often he'd throw in some coyly self-aware, indier-than-thou hipster metajoke that would shatter my suspension of disbelief and then jump up and down on its broken fragments for a while. The first few chapters of Accelerando in particular are some of the worst I've ever read. Absolutely excruciatingly smug and self-absorbed. It took me an extensively delayed flight to finally muscle through it and get to the part where it becomes readable.

But those stories there are good reading. Maybe he's matured as an author, I'll give him another shot.
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I gave up with Accelerando.
 
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