As I’m in catch-up mode that the moment I thought I should take time out to comment briefly on the Nebula nominees. Unlike Matt Cheney I can’t claim any close connection to any of the nominees (I had no idea you’d been so fertile, Matt), but I do know many of them and I’ve even read some of the works.

Andrew Wheeler notes sadly that the final ballot is:

more a catalog of the various interest groups and log-rolling communities within SFWA than it is a list of the best works of the year

I suspect he’s partly right, but somehow the Nebs, despite producing some awful short lists, often come up with very good winners. Let’s see if we can spot them. You can see the whole short list here.

The novel list is not too bad. I very much enjoyed Cory’s book. Le Guin and Pratchett are both very good. Brasyl, on the other hand, deserved a Hugo. I hope it gets a Nebula instead.

I’ve only read one of the novellas – Kelley Eskridge’s Dangerous Space, but I loved it, and it was on my Hugo ballot last year. I very much hope that it wins.

The novelette list is, I’m afraid, a complete blank, but there are some very good writers in there. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Johanna Sinisalo. Go Finland!

Short story is also full of good writers. “The Tomb Wife” was shortlisted for the Sturgeon last year, so that one’s definitely in with a chance. My money is on Jeff Ford because he’s so consistently good.

The script category, as Andrew says, is an embarrassment. SFWA is well rid of it.

And finally, the Norton. I cannot for the life of me understand how two YA books (Little Brother and Powers) have made it onto the Best Novel short list, but neither of them reached the Preliminary Ballot for the Norton, nor were they added by the Norton Jury. It is all very odd.