{"id":2411,"date":"2013-01-09T04:39:48","date_gmt":"2013-01-09T03:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/?p=2411"},"modified":"2014-06-24T18:00:26","modified_gmt":"2014-06-24T17:00:26","slug":"as-if-anyone-cared-2012-bsfa-nominations-and-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/?p=2411","title":{"rendered":"AS IF ANYONE CARED: 2012 BSFA NOMINATIONS AND STUFF"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"hawkeye_6_cover\"<\/a>So I was putting together my nominations for the BSFA Awards and it kind of morphed into a wider longer look back at the things I read and enjoyed in 2012. Of course everyone else has already done this and no one really <\/i>cares, but here\u2019s my list. Nominations in bold are for stuff I don’t think anyone else has yet nominated for the BSFA shortlists.<\/p>\n

Overall, it was a pretty good year, sf-wise. In particular I think there’s a good range of interesting and engaging sf novels to choose from even if my list of preferences is very male and very white. Some of my favourite fiction books this year were single-author collections of short stories – it’s a shame I can’t nominate the Barry or Johnson for something or other.<\/p>\n

Best Novel\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

Dark Eden, <\/i>Chris Beckett, Corvus
\nEmpty Space<\/i>, M John Harrison, Gollancz
\nChannel Sk1n<\/i>, Jeff Noon
\nBlue Remembered Earth,<\/i>\u00a0 Alistair Reynolds, Gollancz
\nJack Glass<\/i>, Adam Roberts, Gollancz
\n2312<\/i>, Kim Stanley-Robinson, Orbit
\nAlif the Unseen,<\/i><\/b> G Willow Wilson, Corvus<\/b><\/p>\n

If I had to pick one novel from this list it would be KSR\u2019s 2312<\/i>. I fell in love with it from the first page of the prologue. It precisely hits my sf sweetspot \u2013 politically aware, big ideas, well written.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only one woman on this list, which is unfortunate. I read quite a few interesting sf books by women this year: Linda Nagata\u2019s Nanotech sequence, Sandra MacDonald\u2019s Outback Stars <\/i>trilogy, Nicola Griffith\u2019s Ammonite<\/i> and Karen Joy Fowler\u2019s Sarah Canary<\/i> (but none of these were first published in 2012). I\u2019ve been catching up with KJ Parker and loved the Engineer trilogy but wasn\u2019t as enamoured with her latest, Sharps<\/i>. Madeleine Miller\u2019s The Song of Achilles<\/i> pushes 2312 <\/i>for my favourite novel of 2012 but, no matter how hard I try, I can\u2019t force it into eligibility for these awards.<\/p>\n

I found The Dream of the Celt<\/i> by Mario Vargos Llosa deeply satisfying and memorable.<\/p>\n

The novels that I least enjoyed were The Throne of the Crescent Moon<\/i> by Saladin Ahmed \u2013 which I thought was a jumbled mess of a book with some very suspect characterisation, especially of its women, and Existence<\/i> by David Brin \u2013 which is a book so utterly deceitful and so completely vile that it precipitated something of a personal crisis, shaking my faith in the whole genre. I promised to review it for an editor, but haven\u2019t been able to control my anger enough to put my words on paper. Oh and the Clarke Award judges caused me to read part of Sheri S Tepper\u2019s The Waters Rising<\/i> \u2013 I haven\u2019t forgotten, sadly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Best Short Fiction<\/b><\/h3>\n

Conquistadors, Iain Cairns, Rocket Science
\n<\/em>Ship\u2019s Brother, Aliette de Bodard, Interzone<\/em> #241
\nThe Girl Who Went Out for Sushi, Pat Cadigan, Edge of Infinity<\/em>
\nMono No Aware, Ken Liu, The Future is Japanese<\/em><\/b>
\nLimited Edition, Tim Maughan, Arc<\/em> #1.3
\nEyepennies<\/em>, Mike O\u2019Driscoll, TTA Press
\nThe Tomb, Chen Quifan, The Apex Book of World SF <\/em>
\n<\/b>(Not sure if this is eligible. It was first published in 2004 but this is the first publication in English translation)
\nTwember, Steve Rasnic Tem, Interzone<\/em> #243
\n<\/b>Adrift on the Sea of Rains, Ian Sales, Whippleshield Books<\/p>\n

Not, I think, a really strong list. I liked the Sales, Liu and Cadigan best of all.<\/p>\n

Of single author, short story collections I read this year, those that I liked best were Kevin Barry\u2019s Dark Lies the Isle<\/i>, Huang Fan\u2019s Zero and Other Stories<\/i>, Kij Johnsons At the Mouth of the River of Bees <\/i>and Tim Maughan\u2019s Paintwork<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Best Artwork<\/b><\/h3>\n

Jack Glass cover\u00a0 by Black Sheep (Gollancz)
\nDark Eden cover<\/a> by ????(Corvus)
\nCover Hawkeye #6 by David Aja (Marvel)
\nCover Captain Marvel #2 by Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines & Javier Rodriguez (Marvel)
\n<\/b><\/p>\n

Relatively few nominations here, sadly, but the cover of Jack Glass<\/i> and the Hawkeye<\/i> cover both stand out, I love the design of the Dark Eden<\/em> hard back cover and the Captain Marvel<\/em> artwork is a nice appropriation of a classic image.<\/p>\n

Best Comics<\/b><\/h3>\n

Earlier this year I got a tablet \u2013 the killer app for me is Comixology, which brings the comic book store home and though I miss the paper artefact, I don\u2019t miss having to box them and store them.<\/p>\n

The vote for the cover of Hawkeye<\/i> #6 in the artwork category above is really a vote for David Aja\u2019s run on the first six issues of Hawkeye<\/i>. His distinctive, decidedly non-superheroic, take on one of Marvel\u2019s minor (and potentially silliest) characters has been the revelation of the year. The pitch for writer Matt Fraction\u2019s \u201cstreet\u201d Hawkeye sounded like it was going to be another of those \u201cgritty\u201d (dour and depressing) reinventions of a “classic” hero. But from the opening sequence in issue #1, which recreates an iconic image from this year\u2019s Avenger\u2019s movie and then subverts it with a serious dose of realism, Hawkeye <\/i>has been witty and smart and fun and beautiful to look at. The covers are uniformly striking too. Someone should make a movie with a 70s, Starsky & Hutch<\/em>-style soundtrack.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m going to read superhero comics, then I tend to turn Marvel rather than DC. This year I\u2019ve enjoyed Captain Marvel<\/i> (Kelley de Connick is writing a strong female character without giving in to the more obvious clich\u00e9s), Wolverine and the X-men<\/i>, Daredevil<\/i> and Journey into Mystery<\/i>. I also caught up with Fraction and Aja\u2019s earlier, excellent, run on The Immortal Iron Fist<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Non Marvel comics I\u2019ve been picking up regularly include Mieville\u2019s Dial H for Hero<\/i> and Cornell\u2019s Saucer Country<\/i> (both DC), Hickman\u2019s Manhattan Projects<\/i> (Image), Dan White’s excellent Cindy and Biscuit<\/em> makes me and my daughter smile and I caught up with the independently published LGBT superhero team book Spandex <\/i>by Martin Eden – it’s great.<\/p>\n

In terms of \u201cgraphic novels\u201d, Tom Gauld\u2019s Goliath <\/i>stands out and my daughter and I both very much liked Zita the Spacegirl<\/i> and its sequel.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been reading more online comic strips this year too. By some margin my favourite is Zach Weiner\u2019s Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal<\/a>, which manages to make me think and laugh on a regular basis. I also like JL8, Yale Stewart\u2019s<\/a> cute take on DC\u2019s heroes, Noelle Stephenson\u2019s Nimona<\/a>, Paddy Brown\u2019s epic The Cattle Raid of Cooley<\/a> (though I fear he may be running out of steam). Steve Roger\u2019s Captain America<\/a> is written as though Marvel\u2019s star-spangled Avenger was drawing his own autobiographical indie book. It is new but charming.<\/p>\n

Best Non-Fiction<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Complexity of the Humble Space Suit\u201d, Karen Burnham, Rocket Science<\/i> ed Ian Sales, (Mutation Press)
\nMarvel Comics: The Untold Story<\/em>, Sean Howe, (Harper Collins)
\nThe Cambridge\u00a0Companion to Fantasy Literature<\/em>, Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn, (Cambridge University Press)
\n\u201cDoes God Need a Starship\u201d, Adam Roberts, S<\/b>trange Divisions & Alien Territories,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b><\/em>(Palgrave Macmillan)<\/b><\/p>\n

My favourite on this list is Karen Burnham\u2019s piece on spacesuits, really well written, packed full of great information and just an excellent essay.<\/p>\n

I have found myself increasingly alienated from many sf blogs, the debate takes place at too high a pitch of apoplexy and hate for my comfort.<\/p>\n

Other non-fiction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many of the best books I read this year were non-fiction, often books on economics and politics. I have, at an almost glacial pace, been working my way through Columbia University Press’s 2011 edition of Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks. It’s slow going but often enligthening. Other stuff included:<\/p>\n

Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class<\/i>, Owen Jones, (Verso 2012)
\nA spot-on dissection of the class war that is raging in Britain and the way in which, as the super-wealthy accelerate away from the rest of us, the poorest have been abandoned and demonised, portrayed as violent, ignorant, skiving animals. This was a book that frequently had me swearing loudly in public places at the injustice of at all.<\/p>\n

Merchants of Doubt<\/i>, Conway & Oreskes (Bloomsbury 2011)
\nHow the techniques developed by corporations to obscure, confuse and delay action against the smoking industry have been adapted to pervert democracy in subsequent controversies such as those over acid rain and the ozone layer and how these strategies of obfuscation have been honed to their sharpest edge in the debate about climate change. What is most striking is how many of the same tiny faction of Cold War-inspired actors recur again and again through this history of deception and betrayal.<\/p>\n

Discordia<\/i>, Laurie Penny & Molly Crabapple, (Vintage Digital, 2012)
\nAs a work of journalism I have problems with some of this book \u2013 some details that are stated as fact don\u2019t really stand up to close scrutiny \u2013 but as a visceral description of the crisis in Greece, and especially the traumas piled upon Athenian youth, it is gripping. And Molly Crabapple\u2019s art gives the polemic a powerful extra dimension.<\/p>\n

End This Depression Now!<\/i>, Paul Krugman, (WW Norton, 2012)
\nNo economics background is necessary to understand Krugman\u2019s straightforward, devastating demolition of the case for austerity.<\/p>\n

Communication Power<\/i>, Manuel Castells, (OUP, 2009)
\nIt\u2019s the sheer depth and breadth of Castells\u2019 thinking that threatens to overwhelm. Not an easy or light read, but profoundly impressive.<\/p>\n

Defending Politics<\/i>, Matthew Flinders, (OUP, 2012)
\nThis modern take on Bernard Crick\u2019s Defence of Politics<\/em> very nearly lives up to its predecessor and makes a profound case for the struggle to preserve the often neglected or insulted institutions of politics.<\/p>\n

The Landmark Arrian<\/i>, (Landmark Books, 2012)
\nI love these editions. They are beautifully produced books with an enormous depth of supporting material and solid translations. I hadn\u2019t read Arrian before, it\u2019s a great introduction.<\/p>\n

Favourite Poetry<\/b><\/h3>\n

This this year I read Sappho (Stung With Love: Poems and Fragments<\/i> by Sappho<\/i> \u2013 trans A Poochigian) for the first time and was astonished by how moving it was.<\/p>\n

I also discovered the work of Paul Muldoon \u2013 which is odd given that this internationally-recognised poet comes from five miles down the road from where I was born. His work is rich and complex and wonderful, Madoc: A Mystery<\/i> is extraordinary.<\/p>\n

I am currently working my way through The Nature of Things<\/i> by Lucretius. It\u2019s doing my head in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So I was putting together my nominations for the BSFA Awards and it kind of morphed into a wider longer look back at the things I read and enjoyed in 2012. Of course everyone else has already done this and no one really cares, but here\u2019s my list. Nominations in bold are for stuff I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[10],"tags":[70,73,47,46],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p27AP7-CT","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2411"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2504,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2411\/revisions\/2504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}