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I would guess that to SF and Fantasy fans "Hugo Award winner" does serve as some indication of merit, beyond what is really entailed (some number of hard core S

I would guess that to SF and Fantasy fans "Hugo Award winner" does serve as some indication of merit, beyond what is really entailed (some number of hard core SF/ fantasy fans liked at least one of their works). Outside, for example buying for a friend or colleague, I imagine it sounds like a generic literary award and they'd expect it was judged excellent by some number of experts, as with say a Booker. It's also a nice ego boost of course. If you like that kind of thing anyway. If you're Greg Egan or something it's probably dreadful.

ghaff 2y ago
The problem is that "literary" awards, e.g. Nebulas in SF, probably tend to award more of a critic's sensibility than a fan's. But I'm not sure that Hugos are worth a whole lot at this point even as a fan's take.
- tialaramex 2y ago
  Hard to say. Several of my personal favourite novels won a Hugo, including both Diamond Age and Rainbows End IIRC
  - ghaff 2y ago
    That's quite a long time ago before there was so much politicization. I do think there's still value but probably also increasing reasons for skepticism.
    - disgruntledphd2 2y ago
      I mean, A memory called empire is definitely diverse, but it's a phenomenal book also. That being said, Victoria Goddard has been robbed (give her alllll the Hugos!)
  - lmm 2y ago
    Awards up until that Tor-adjacent blogger network started setting the agenda (intentionally or otherwise), i.e. pre-"Racefail", tend to be pretty good. After that (i.e. post-2009) the Hugos become very unreliable.
    - microtherion 2y ago
      Which of the post-2009 Hugo winners do you consider unworthy? (Let's confine the discussion to novels for the moment).
      - lmm 2y ago
        I don't think any of Blackout/All Clear, Ancillary Justice, Three-Body Problem, A Memory Called Empire or A Desolation Called Peace live up to Hugo standards (and I didn't read The Calculating Stars because I didn't think The Lady Astronaut of Mars did either). Looking at the post-2009 shortlists I think at least Anathem, Ninefox Gambit (and, frankly, both its sequels), The Goblin Emperor and Too Like the Lightning (even if the series ended poorly) were Hugo-winner-quality and The Dervish House was borderline (I appreciate that that that's two for 2015).
        edanm 2y ago
        A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace are two of the best SF books I've read in the last 10 years. I loved them. Three-Body problem is one of the greatest SF books of all time, IMO.
        lmm 2y ago
        > A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace are two of the best SF books I've read in the last 10 years. I loved them. I found them fun and engaging (I wouldn't have read the second one otherwise) but ultimately not outstanding. > Three-Body problem is one of the greatest SF books of all time, IMO. This is an opinion I am constantly baffled with. I found it awful, simply devoid of redeeming features; no interesting plot, no interesting technical ideas, no interesting characters, no interesting writing. (The worldbuilding could've perhaps been interesting if it hadn't been so thin.)
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ghaff 2y ago

The problem is that "literary" awards, e.g. Nebulas in SF, probably tend to award more of a critic's sensibility than a fan's. But I'm not sure that Hugos are worth a whole lot at this point even as a fan's take.

tialaramex 2y ago
Hard to say. Several of my personal favourite novels won a Hugo, including both Diamond Age and Rainbows End IIRC
- ghaff 2y ago
  That's quite a long time ago before there was so much politicization. I do think there's still value but probably also increasing reasons for skepticism.
  - disgruntledphd2 2y ago
    I mean, A memory called empire is definitely diverse, but it's a phenomenal book also. That being said, Victoria Goddard has been robbed (give her alllll the Hugos!)
- lmm 2y ago
  Awards up until that Tor-adjacent blogger network started setting the agenda (intentionally or otherwise), i.e. pre-"Racefail", tend to be pretty good. After that (i.e. post-2009) the Hugos become very unreliable.
  - microtherion 2y ago
    Which of the post-2009 Hugo winners do you consider unworthy? (Let's confine the discussion to novels for the moment).
    - lmm 2y ago
      I don't think any of Blackout/All Clear, Ancillary Justice, Three-Body Problem, A Memory Called Empire or A Desolation Called Peace live up to Hugo standards (and I didn't read The Calculating Stars because I didn't think The Lady Astronaut of Mars did either). Looking at the post-2009 shortlists I think at least Anathem, Ninefox Gambit (and, frankly, both its sequels), The Goblin Emperor and Too Like the Lightning (even if the series ended poorly) were Hugo-winner-quality and The Dervish House was borderline (I appreciate that that that's two for 2015).
      - edanm 2y ago
        A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace are two of the best SF books I've read in the last 10 years. I loved them. Three-Body problem is one of the greatest SF books of all time, IMO.
        lmm 2y ago
        > A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace are two of the best SF books I've read in the last 10 years. I loved them. I found them fun and engaging (I wouldn't have read the second one otherwise) but ultimately not outstanding. > Three-Body problem is one of the greatest SF books of all time, IMO. This is an opinion I am constantly baffled with. I found it awful, simply devoid of redeeming features; no interesting plot, no interesting technical ideas, no interesting characters, no interesting writing. (The worldbuilding could've perhaps been interesting if it hadn't been so thin.)

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