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Harry Potter Wins Hugo

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-thats-a-little-strange dept.

H.I. McDonnough writes "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling has won the Hugo for best novel. I'll refrain from commenting." I read the 2nd and 3rd Harry Potter books last week and they are just wonderful stories. I'm looking forward to reading this one. But a Hugo for SciFi Achievement? I have a hard time calling Potter stories Sci-Fi. But then again, since SF and Fantasy are often so blurred together, it probably is worth it. And anything that can get kids to read (or for that matter, get me to read a dead-tree version of anything) is good by me. And if you haven't read any Harry Potter books, then you aren't qualified to complain ;)

4 of 452 comments (clear)

  1. Great books, but way out of the genre by Gorobei · · Score: 5, Informative

    I love the HP books, but a Hugo? Look at the previous winners: all are hard sci-fi:

    2000 A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge
    1999 To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis
    1998 Forever Peace, by Joe Haldeman
    1997 Blue Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson
    1996 The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson
    1995 Mirror Dance, by Lois McMaster Bujold
    1994 Green Mars, by Kim Stanley Robinson
    1993 A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge; Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
    1992 Barrayar, by Lois McMaster Bujold
    1991 The Vor Game, by Lois McMaster Bujold
    1990 Hyperion, by Dan Simmons
    1989 Cyteen, by C. J. Cherryh
    1988 The Uplift War, by David Brin
    1987 Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card
    1986 Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
    1985 Neuromancer, by William Gibson
    1984 Startide Rising, by David Brin
    1983 Foundation's Edge, by Isaac Asimov
    1982 Downbelow Station, by C. J. Cherryh
    1981 The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge
    1980 The Fountains of Paradise, by Arthur C. Clarke
    1979 Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre
    1978 Gateway, by Frederik Pohl
    1977 Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, by Kate Wilhelm
    1976 The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
    1975 The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia, by Ursula K. Le Guin
    1974 Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
    1973 The Gods Themselves, by Isaac Asimov
    1972 To Your Scattered Bodies Go, by Philip Jose Farmer
    1971 Ringworld, by Larry Niven
    1970 The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
    1969 Stand on Zanzibar, by John Brunner
    1968 Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny
    1967 The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein
    1966 ...And Call Me Conrad, by Roger Zelazny; Dune, by Frank Herbert
    1965 The Wanderer, by Fritz Leiber
    1964 Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
    1963 The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
    1962 Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein
    1961 A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
    1960 Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein
    1959 A Case of Conscience, by James Blish
    1958 The Big Time, by Fritz Leiber
    1957 No Award
    1956 Double Star, by Robert A. Heinlein
    1955 They'd Rather Be Right, by Mark Clifton (currently sold as The Forever Machine)
    1954 No Award
    1953 The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester

  2. From the Hugo rules... by Vulch · · Score: 5, Informative

    Article 3 - Hugo Awards

    ...

    Section 3.2: General.

    3.2.1: Unless otherwise specified, Hugo Awards are given for work in the field of science fiction or fantasy appearing for the first time during the previous calendar year.

    With added emphasis by me...

    Anthony

    1. Re:From the Hugo rules... by Ponderoid · · Score: 4, Informative
      The Hugo awards are voted on by the people who attend or support the World Science Fiction Convention. It's a popularity contest voted on by the fans. Any work that the fans think qualify as SF or fantasy is eligible to be nominated and voted on.

      It doesn't cost very much to buy an advance supporting membership. I wish this page for the current Worldcon still had the prices for advance membership posted, but that info was probably removed when the deadlines passed. The prices were probably not too much different than next year's Worldcon. Act now; for just $35 USD, you too will be able to nominate and vote the Hugo for works first published in 2001.


      *** Ponderoid

  3. A few misconceptions in the comments by ckd · · Score: 4, Informative

    #1: The Hugos are a juried award. Nope; they're a fan award. Anyone who is a member of that year's Worldcon can vote; all it takes is the money to pay for a voting membership. You don't even have to attend.

    #2: The Hugos are only for SF. They tend to be given to SF works, but the criteria explicitly include fantasy.

    #3: Why didn't <foo> win instead? Hugos are given based on year of first publication, so Lord of the Rings wasn't eligible this year. The movies will be eligible for the Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo, however.

    #4: The plagiarism case. A Washington Post article and a transcript of an online chat with Stouffer give some more details, but I tend to side with the folks who doubt the claims she makes. They were going to make a billion dollars! All my records were lost when my roof collapsed! I talked to the (never-married) editor and his wife! You can't remove IE from Windows without breaking it! (Sorry, that last one was from someone else.)