Having spent much of the day doing Nebula-related stuff at SFAW I thought I might as well comment on the nominees here (something I keep having to restrain myself from doing back there). First of all, just in case you haven’t seen it, the nominee list is here. I don’t have much to say about the short fiction as I still haven’t read much (must do so over the weekend as the Hugo deadline looms). The script category is widely regarded as a joke, so I’ll ignore that too. As for the novels, well…
I haven’t read the McDevitt. I did pick up Omega when he first started getting Nebula nominations, and didn’t think that much of it. Obviously a whole bunch of SFWA members are McDevitt fans, but I’m not one.
I haven’t read the Haldeman either, though not for lack of wanting too, just for lack of time. It is waiting for me in the to-read pile back in California. I know Joe will have done a good job, and he must be a strong contender.
I’m pleased to see Tobias Buckell on the short list, though for me Crystal Rain was a better book than Ragamuffin, which I thought had structural problems. It was one of those books where I kept wishing I’d edited it, because I would have nagged Toby to do things slightly differently.
Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is, I suspect, the best written book on the list. Joe at his best can match Chabon, but I don’t think any of the others can. Whether it will be sufficiently science-fictional for the SFWA members to allow it to win is another matter.
But the book I’m hoping will win is Nalo Hopkinson’s The New Moon’s Arms. It is a lovely book, and one that has been sadly neglected in the blogosphere up until now. Hopefully this nomination will get it such much deserved recognition. Nalo told me a while back that she was hoping to sell a sequel. I think that sale should now be a slam dunk, which is great because while the book does work fine by itself there is clearly more to be told.
As for the YAs, I have only read Flora Segunda, which is very entertaining (though I think it would be annoyed me if I had read it has a teenager). I know a lot of other people love it, and I suspect it may win.
I’ve read three of the novel nominees, and I’m a bit surprised, I have to say. The thing is, the three I’ve read are all so *light*. Of the three I’m with you in preferring “New Moon’s Arms,” especially because of its lovely setting, great sense of humor, and really grounded and real protagonist, but even then it all seemed fairly fluffy.
I read “Odyssey,” and all I can conclude is that Jack McDevitt has to be one of the nicest guys in the world to keep getting nominated. “Odyssey” was good enough, and nice for the space buffs, but “Omega” had way more meat to it.
Likewise “Accidental Time Machine” felt like a novella puffed out to novel length. There’s some interesting tidbits floating around in it, but no focus, and even the author didn’t seem to find the protagonist that interesting or sympathetic. (My reviews of all three are up on my website.)
Not to say these aren’t all enjoyable and well-written, but they just don’t seem to have that deeper level that really makes something extraordinary. Still, I know that my tastes are considerably outside the mainstream, so who knows?
I think we need to remember that the electorate for the Nebulas is made up of authors, not critics. If I were struggling to make a living from writing I might have a very different take on what makes a “good” book.
Which is not to say that the Nebulas are somehow inferior to, say, a judged award. They are just different.