'Blackout/All Clear' wins 2011 Hugo Award for Best Novel

The winners of the 2011 Hugo Awards were announced on Saturday at the 69th Annual World Science Fiction Convention in Reno, Nevada.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Hugo Awards, they have been given each year since 1953 by the World Science Fiction Society to recognize the best sci-fi and fantasy works from the previous year.

Awards this year were given in a number of major categories, including Best Novel, Best Graphic Story and Best Dramatic Presentations. What follows is a complete list of the winners.

BEST NOVEL - Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis

BEST NOVELLA - The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang

BEST NOVELETTE - “The Emperor of Mars” by Allen M. Steele

BEST SHORT STORY - “For Want of a Nail” by Mary Robinette Kowal

BEST RELATED WORK - Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It, edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Tara O’Shea

BEST GRAPHIC STORY - Girl Genius, Vol. 10: Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse, written by Phil and Kaja Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM - Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM - Doctor Who: “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang,” written by Steven Moffat; directed by Toby Haynes

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM - Sheila Williams

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM - Lou Anders

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST - Shaun Tan

BEST SEMIPROZINE - Clarkesworld, edited by Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan, Sean Wallace, podcast directed by Kate Baker

BEST FANZINE - The Drink Tank, edited by Christopher J. Garcia and James Bacon

BEST FAN WRITER - Claire Brialey

BEST FAN ARTIST - Brad W. Foster

JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER - Lev Grossman

The Hugo Award for Best Novel is arguably the most prestigious of these awards, and “Blackout/All Clear” must be especially good. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in May and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in June.

As you would imagine, Willis is no stranger to the Hugos. She also won a Best Novel Hugo in 1993 for her novel, “Doomsday Book” and again in 1999 for her novel, “To Say Nothing of the Dog.” She was nominated for a Best Novel Hugo in 1996 for “Remake” and again in 2002 for her novel, “Passage.”

The other nominees for this year’s Best Novel Award include the following books:

- “Cryoburn” by Lois McMaster Bujold

- “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald

- “Feed” by Mira Grant

- “The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” by N.K. Jemisin

For a complete list of the all time winners, see my post from April 1: http://leepeacock2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-many-of-these-hugo-award-winning.html. For a complete list of novels by Connie Willis, see my post from May 23: http://leepeacock2010.blogspot.com/2011/05/blackoutall-clear-wins-nebula-award-for.html.

In the end, what do you think of this year’s slate of Hugo winners? Which do you like or dislike and why? Let us know in the comments section below.