A bit on the Hugos

[extrapenguin]

So, I'm a Supporting Member, and have spent some time looking over the Hugo Voter Packet. Ignoring the Vox Day Castalia House stuff, here's my thoughts on the Shorts, Novelettes, and Novellas, ranked from 1 to 5 stars.

Shorts
Asymmetrical Warfare: ***** Interesting premise, good aliens, very excellently compact.
Cat Pictures Please: *** Enjoyable to read, but really just a rehash of some familiar ideas plus cat pictures. And the cat pictures weren't that integral in feel.
Space Raptor Butt Invasion: ***** SPACE RAPTOR BUTT INVASION

Novelettes
And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead: * I'll be honest, I skipped a lot. Too generically grimdark in feel, and I hated the protagonist.
Folding Beijing: *** I skipped around with this one, too, though that was mostly due to the choppy-feeling prose, and I'd have wanted for it to be shorter.
Obits: * I quit halfway through, since the main character actively rubbed me the wrong way, and the premise was lifted straight from Death Note.

Novellas
Binti: ***** OMG aliens! Culture! Worldbuilding smoothly inserted!
The Builders: not in my voter packet as far as I can tell
Penric's Demon: **** Deeply hilarious in a Bujoldian way.
Perfect State: **** Interesting. Interesting worldbuilding, and I really liked the ending.
Slow Bullets: ***** Oof, what a punch in the gut. Instarec. Scur, I love you.