Well the Hugo winners have been announced.

I’m surprised but not disappointed that Vinge’s Rainbows End won (I assumed one of the fantasy novels would get the nod even though I haven’t read either) I just finished reading it yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it as an adventure story and as an extended riff on the future of communications technology, I rather wish it had existed when I was 18, I think it would have blown my head off. I did, however, feel that there was something essential missing, though what that is, I haven’t yet decided, I might post a fuller review when I’ve had a chance to think about it properly. Still, I think on balance Rainbows End edged out Glasshouse and I didn’t get on with Blindsight at all, so it looks like Hugo voters got it right this time.

The most annoying thing about Rainbows End, though, is that it is the first Vinge I’ve read and now I’ve found another author I’m going to have to play catch-up on.

I liked Robert Reed’s winning novella A Billion Eves, but I preferred Robert Charles Wilson’s Julian - again I thought the two were pretty close - can’t see how the Swanick story Lord Weary’s Empire was better than the Wilson though. Not at all.

Given the choice I’d have had to split the award between Ian MacDonald’s The Djinn’s Wife and Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (fantasy) by Geoff Ryman so nice to see them sharing the top spots for best novelette. I have no argument with the decision.

I thought the shortlist for short fiction this year was a disgrace. If those were the best five short stories published in the time period then I’m a friggin’ Dutchman (no offence Jetse). Reed’s “Eight Episodes”, the only one I remotely liked came third, proving that I konw nothing.

For once the best dramatic presentation awards, long and short form, went to the right choices too. I thought Dr Who was over represented on the shortlist but the right episode, “The Girl in the Fireplace”, won while I’m gobsmacked but delighted that Pan’s Labyrinth saw off the more obvious (and non-subtitled) opposition in the long form category. It is worth noting, giving the discussion that’s been going on about the future of sf film that this year’s shortlist was a pretty high-powered list of movies - The Prestige, Children of Men, V for Vendetta and A Scanner Darkly might all have won on another year.

The rest of the awards I have to concede I have no real interest in, but hey, well done Japan, that’s a pretty good set of winners.