Hugo, Girl!

This month we read and watched 2001: A Space Odyssey. The film won the Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1969. The poor book won no awards.

This sprawling classic prompted many College Thoughts. Will we find the meaning of life? Probably not. Also, please enjoy a cameo from Haley's mom!

DM: Lori

Episode transcripts available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Links:

Interview with Clarke

At long last, we discussed our oft-referenced favorite tale of Terror (and Erebus), Dan Simmons' 2007 novel The Terror, a fictionalized and dubiously supernatural account of the Franklin Expedition. Is it Peak Dan Simmons? Yes, it is! Is it as good the second time? No, it isn't! Did we still LOVE discussing it so much that we talked for nearly two hours, which Kevin has painstakingly pared down to 90 minutes? You betcha!

Haley is both the captain and ship's cook for this episode. She made us pea soup and custom-monogrammed hardtack to fuel our discussion.

Amy joined us remotely due to having a bit of a cough, hence the slight difference in sound quality. Safety first!

CW/TW: Every -ism. Sexism, racism, colonialism. Violence against indigenous people. Hypersexualization of indigenous women. Violence, murder, cannibalism, death. If it's upsetting, it's in here. Yikes!

Episode transcripts available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

This month we read and discussed Karin Boye's novel Kallocain, which was nominated for a Retro Hugo for 1941. This is an excellent, if bleak, book, which we think should be taught in US classrooms alongside 1984 and Brave New World. We scream a few times during minute 29, so mind your volume!

The full text of the novel is available to read free online, courtesy of the University of Wisconsin.

Digressions include a live tasting of the new space-flavored Coke.

Our DM for this episode is Amy.

Kallocain Review - The Blank Garden

CW/TW: sexual assault

Episode transcript available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Hey guess what!! We are nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Fancast!! We're excited and screaming and don't want to hurt your ears, so turn down that volume!

Thank you so much to everyone who nominated us, and who listens, likes, comments, shares, leaves reviews - we are over the moon!

This month we read and discussed Vonda McIntyre's 1979 Hugo Award winning novel, Dreamsnake, which is beloved by everyone except a very vocal handful of men on the internet. Even Orson Scott Card said it was readable!

DM: Lori

CW/TW: CSA, addiction

Episode transcript available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Links:

https://gizmodo.com/feminism-astronauts-and-riding-sidesaddle-talking-to-30859488

Dreamsnake: The controversial Hugo winner that's no longer in print (gizmodo.com)

In this special episode, we're going live to the phones to answer urgent questions across space and time!

Big thanks to special guest stars Kevin and Emmanuel!

Episode transcript available via: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/transcripts

We watched and discussed the new HBO Max limited series adaptation of Station Eleven. We had a VARIETY of opinions, so if you loved it or you hated it, you'll find something to agree with/be mad about in this episode. And we are joined by special guest, Kevin!

DM: Chaos

CW/TW: murder/death, violence, death in childbirth, intimate partner violence

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Links:

Vulture recaps: Station Eleven — TV Episode Recaps & News (vulture.com)

Graphic novel art produced for the miniseries: https://twitter.com/dtnart/status/1483500557742583810?s=21

This month we discussed Larry Niven's Ringworld, which is verifiably a book that won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1971. Even a truly fantastic talking warrior cat couldn't save this litany of Misogynist Moments, but there were still a few things to like.

DM: Haley

CW/TW: rape, addiction

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Links:

Credit to Simon Bisson for the amazing Moby-Dick crossover: http://file770.com/this-will-ring-your-chimes/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/jul/02/larry-niven-ringworld

http://lovehistory.net/blog/2012/07/27/ringworld-by-larry-niven-1970/

This month's read is Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Despite what Haley described as "an oppressive fantasy feeling," we all really enjoyed this classic novel in which all the women are strong, all the men are weird-looking, and all the children are the subject of murder plots.

DM: Amy

CW/TW: rape, weird pregnancy & birth stuff, disability discrimination

Transcript: https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/barrayar

Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

Links

https://www.tor.com/series/rereading-the-vorkosigan-saga/

https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/293438-the-vorkosigan-saga-reading-order-debate-the-chef-recommends

Hello! A couple of things -

1) We launched a website! It's a work in progress, but please check it out at https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/

2) The deadline to purchase a membership so that you can nominate for the 2022 Hugo Awards is TOMORROW (January 31, 2022). We were just a few nominations short of making it onto last year's ballot, so we would love your support. All levels of memberships are available for purchase on the Chicon website. A $50 supporting membership will allow you to nominate now and vote once the final ballot is released.