The annual World Science Fiction Society awards—the Hugo Awards—are to be revealed in September, and at Eastercon we’ve found out just who the final nominees are in the categories. And of course, some of the nominations will be interesting to fans:
- Best Professional Artist: John Picacio—multi-award winning artist who illustrated the stunning, best-selling 2012 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar—is up for the Hugos yet again. And a newcomer, as well, one that George has championed: Michael Komarck. His most recent A Song of Ice and Fire, a depiction of Robert and Rhaegar at the Trident, can be seen here as it graces Green Ronin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying: A Game of Thrones Edition.
- Best Dramantic Presentation, Long Form: After looking at the rules, it was generally thought that HBO’s Game of Thrones ought best be placed in the Long Form category, as it is—after all—an adaptation of a single continuous story. And it seemed a lot of voters agreed, as Game of Thrones gets a nomination. Its competition includes Captain America, Hugo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, and Source Code.
- Best Editor, Long Form: A Song of Ice and Fire editor-extraordinaire, Anne Groell—our editor, for that matter, on The World of Ice and Fire, and we’ve been working with her on our bit for The Lands of Ice and Fire—has scored a nomination. She actually edits quite a few other books—she’s the editor on Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastards series, for example—but the jewel in the crown is certainly Ice and Fire.
- Best Novel: Last, but not least, of course A Dance with Dragons received a nomination! Not unexpected, but a thrill as always. Adding extra reason to celebrate is the fact that Leviathan Wakes—written by James S.A. Corey, a shared pen-name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (aka GRRM’s assistant)—has also landed a nomination. There’s stiff competition in this category, with China Mieville’s Embassytown, Mira Grant’s Deadline, and Jo Walton’s Among Others are also in the running.
Congratulations to one and all! For a full list of the nominees, see here.