Utah Writers Are Taking the Hugo Awards by Storm

Utah authors are taking the Hugo Awards by storm.

Indeed, if I wasn’t from around here and hadn’t been following some of these guys for a while, I might wonder what it is in the water that has Utah taking over fantasy/science fiction’s best well-known (and as it appears, most controversial) award.

Here’s who has been nominated from Utah (starting from the top of the list and working down, so no particular order here):

• Best Novel:
  • 

    Me, with Larry Correia, at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013.

    Larry Correia for Warbound, Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles. I’ve been reading Larry for a long time, starting with Monster Hunter International and continuing through the first in the series which Warbound closes. While I’ve not read it, yet, I’m pretty sure I know what to expect: a great plot, rip-roaring action, and guns. Larry, because of his connection to gun enthusiasts–to which I don’t exactly belong but as a political conservative tend to empathize with–has managed to find a fan base outside of the typical scifi geeks, and I’ve found the most random of my friends telling me how much they love Larry’s books. And for good reason: Larry’s melding of magic, monsters, and heavy weapons does what all of us have dreamed of every time we hear the plot of a cheap horror flick–arm the hero. Simply put, it’s awesome, and I love reading his books.

    That said, Larry is not the typical Hugo nominee. Quite the contrary. In fact, his regular (and highly entertaining) fisking of the more liberal members of the science fiction intelligentsia (and I use that term semi-derisively) has earned him the ire of many a more politically liberal writer. Larry’s response? More firepower and the self-appellation “Larry Correia, International Lord of Hate.”

    If you’ve ever met Larry–and I have–you know he’s anything but hateful, but caricature is far more in his detractors interest than is reality, and so I wish Larry all the luck with the Hugo.  He won’t win it, but that’s not his fault. That would lie with Brandon Sanderson. Which brings us to the next Utah nominee:

  • 

    Brandon Mull on left and Brandon Sanderson on right, yucking it up at FanX in Salt Lake City, 2014.

    Brandon Sanderson (with the late Robert Jordan) for The Wheel of Time. In recent years, Brandon has developed into something of a local celebrity with sci-fi/fantasy fans, and with good reason: he writes really excellent stuff. YES, most of his novels are thick enough to serve as a doorstop, even on a windy day, but that doesn’t change that what you find inside is well-written, immensely entertaining, creative, colorful, and fantastic. Sanderson has a knack for–and indeed, at Salt Lake’s FanX Comic Con last week claimed it was intentional–deriving magic systems from science, giving them rules and patterns atypical of fantasy.  Sanderson is also a previous Hugo winner, for his podcast (with others) Writing Excuses.

    But that’s all just Brandon. Don’t forget that the Hugo nomination is for the Wheel of Time series, created and largely written by the late Robert Jordan. The series is long, and there are parts that I would gladly see thrown to the fire, never to be seen again. However, it’s is a huge world, a huge undertaking, and it is a fantastic story. That Brandon was able to pick it up, using Jordan’s notes, and finish it so well is a feat, and I expect–if also because Sanderson and Jordan’s collective fan base due to the Wheel of Time is sizable–that Sanderson has a good chance of winning the Hugo.

• Best Novella:
  • Dan Wells  for The Butcher of Khardov.  Wells is a Utah native, though he lives in Germany right now, and I know him more from the  podcast Writing Excuses, which he does with Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Mary Robinette Kowal, than from his fiction, though I’ll certainly need to change that soon. The novella itself is, as I understand it, is tie in fiction, and that’s something in itself: the Hugo doesn’t usually consider tie-ins.  Also, like Brandon Sanderson (and myself), Wells is an alumnus of Brigham Young University. 
  •  Brad Torgersen for “The Chaplain’s Legacy”. Brad got a full post yesterday, and I’ve reviewed his collection in the past. He’s a fantastic new writer, and I’m a fan. “The Chaplain’s Legacy” is a fantastic story, and it continues in his forthcoming novel from Baen, The Chaplain’s War. Brad has told me that he doubts he has the “right politics” for the Hugo voters, and that’s a shame if it’s true because the story is excellent.  Brad was also nominated for a novelette (see below). I haven’t read all of the works that he’s competing against, but I like Brad, both for his writing and his personality, so I hope he’ll come home with a rocket.
• Best Novelette:
  • Brad Torgersen for “The Exchange Officers”.  Also an excellent story, and one I hope gets some attention from the Hugo voters.
• Best Related Work:
  • 

    Howard Tayler gives me a crusty at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013.

    Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal (not actually a Utahn, but still, pretty awesome writer), and Jordan Sanderson (producer?): If you’re an aspiring author of sci-fi, fantasy, or speculative fiction, or just a geek/nerd, Writing Excuses is–bar none–the best podcast out there.  These guys got the Hugo last year for the podcast and I have no idea how that weighs on the Hugo voters’ decision, but it’s a great cast, and I’m a fan. The one Utah resident I’ve not mentioned of the group is Howard Tayler, who writes and draws Schlock Mercenary, which is not only funny, but intelligent.  I found it, completely by accident, and I’ve never looked back.

• Best Fanzine:
  • Steven Diamond for his Elitist Book Reviews. One of the best blogs to find a good book to read is right here in Utah, and if you haven’t stopped by to check out what’s new, I recommend it.

For a state as small, population wise, as Utah, that’s a lot of representation among the nominees. Sure–California, New York/New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the British Isles are also well represented, but let’s be clear: we’d all be worried if those places weren’t well represented. They’re where all the publishing happens.

Utah, on the other hand, is small, but has a thriving community of writers, and I for one am excited to see so many represented in the Hugo nominations.