Comments on: Does an Award Win Influence Your Reading Choices?

By: Kristen

Kristen — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:31:38 +0000

Yes. I am trying to educate myself on classic sci fi so I am using the Hugos and Nebulas as jumping off points for reading classic sci fi. It's also a good list to use when shopping the used book stores. The recent (90s and oughts) award winners don't influence me that much espcially since I avoid fantasy and the Hugos have mostly awarded fantasy lately. I did purchase Spin and Old Man's War last week before the awards were announced. In that case it wasn't the award nomination, but what I had read of the books on the web, sci fi blogs, and Sci Fi Signal that influenced me.

By: Niall

Niall — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:01:36 +0000

Depends on the award. These days I'm more likely to seek something out if it wins a juried award, such as the Tiptree or Clarke, than I am if it wins a popular vote award such as the Hugo. (That said, I'm going to read Spin.)

By: John

John — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:13:17 +0000

Robert, for a list of some sociological sf titles, see wikipedia and fm writers.

By: joshua corning

joshua corning — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:17:48 +0000

Powells book store in Portland oregan…the one down town near the pizza place has a support column in the sci-fi/horror/fantacy section of the store with all the hugo novel winners hand written on one side of it and all the nebula novel winners on another side…for awhile i was using that as a good “what should i buy” list.

By: robert eggleton

robert eggleton — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:07:51 +0000

Not really. I’m totally bored with sword, and hard scifi just doesn’t have the kick it once did before the emergent technologies we take for granted have become realities. It’s probably just me, but it seems that the editors of mainstream TV are so much more liberal with content than mainstream scifi. This is baffling, since children have easier access to TV than to books. I’ve been doing a lot of writing and hoping that my own first-published novel hits. However, if anybody has a strong recommendation of something that is more of a sociological scifi (I like it moving but am generally unimpressed by “action” — fights, etc.), I sure need a break and would appreciate it. I go to our bookstore weekly, but usually leave empty-handed, and almost never finish anything I buy. Thanks.

By: Keith

Keith — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 04:42:49 +0000

Not often. I usually go by Author or content. “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell” won a Hugo, but I am finding it a tedious read. Lois McMaster Bujold has won a few Hugos, and I love jst about everything she’s written. David Weber, as far as I know, hasn’t won any awards, but I devour his each and every book.

By: Conrad

Conrad — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 04:04:02 +0000

The only US award that seems to me useful for reading purposes is the Campbell since sometimes I miss some new writers. The Hugo and Nebula usually are too political or fadish for me, though the nominations are at least interesting to watch to see who is in favour with the “mandarins of the genre” and who is not. It’s true that sometimes a novel is so good that it has to win one of the major award but that’s rare (Spin is an excellent example of such, as a novel it was so far above pretty much anything else nominated since with all due respect Accelerando is not really a novel). On the other hand the 2 major british SF awards and the respective nominees and winners are far better indicators of quality and interesting stuff.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:05:44 +0000

Sometimes it does – I had great luck reading Hugo and Nebula award winning novels from the 70′s and 80′s and I’m usually fond of reading those that get the award. I don’t always love the books, but I’m reasonably sure of not getting a total stinker and that especially holds true for new authors.

By: Wake

Wake — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:53:08 +0000

A few years back I found that I was always reading the same few authors. I wanted to branch out, but I didn’t want to just pick something off the shelf at random. A friend put together a list of the all the books that won both the hugo and nebulas, and it made for a good place to jump off. But after doing that I tend to read stuff by authors I know rather than award winners with unfamiliar authors.

I value personal or blog recommendations more than awards.

By: Richard Novak

Richard Novak — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 23:36:44 +0000

I tend to avoid anything marked ‘special’ by an award. If I get to a book it’s in my own time. The only exception are the Grand Master awards; I will specifically look for these authors.

Blessings

By: John

John — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:13:15 +0000

I use awards as a starting point. I discovered Connie Willis, Bob Sawyer and Scott Card by reading their Hugo/Nebula award winners first, then wandered off into their other works.

As someone who would like to win a Hugo or Nebula some day, I have added incentive to try to learn what it takes to win.

By: bryanspellman

bryanspellman — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 21:42:48 +0000

Yes and No…I read based on personal feelings, reviews, forums, library browsing…

I do like to read one award winner a year just to see what the hype is about, but I do not run out and grab the books once winners are announced. A winner plus good PRE-award buzz is a good bet for me.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:19:12 +0000

Nominations influence me as much as Awards do, but its a delayed effect, since I often don’t buy HC, and the paperback versions of the nominees and winners usually come out after the Award has been

handed out.

While both the Nebulas and Hugos and Locus AWwards are popularity contests, they often are *useful* popularity contests. Granted, there will be years with real stinkers in the nominees (The L. Ron Hubbard Mission Earth novel in the 80′s, to name one horrible example), but usually the nominees at least have the potential for being good stuff.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 19:49:39 +0000

Hell no!!! And did I mention Boomer