I hate serials. Hatey hatey hate hate hate. I accept that many things that were serialized are really good, but I hate the initial serialization process. So saying, "It's like a serial!"...is not actually an argument likely to sway me.
Also, I accept that it doesn't seem different in principle to you, but in fact it does to me. The limit on serial short stories being considered as one published work for the Hugos is...whether they are then published as one work. Which cannot happen in the case we're talking about, at least not without Bible paper and a great deal more effort. What's the limit on series novels? Naomi Novik had the first three books of her Temeraire series come out very close together; should her publisher have made sure they all came out in the same calendar year so they could all be considered as one thing? Or Charlie Finlay's Patriot Witch series? When the publisher doesn't make sure that they come out in the same calendar year (say, October and February instead of February and October as Willis's publisher did), the work is clearly and obviously ineligible. Or do you disagree? And if you do disagree, what's the limitation on what should be eligible, since the way the Hugo rules are written would imply to me that this shouldn't have been eligible in the first place, and it appears that your take on them differs?
I am amused that your own review starts off by saying that half of the work is much stronger than the other half. When that happens normally, we nominate and award the volume we think is stronger, or try to. Why should that not have been an option here?
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Re: About treating them as one book
Date: 2011-08-30 12:23 pm (UTC)Also, I accept that it doesn't seem different in principle to you, but in fact it does to me. The limit on serial short stories being considered as one published work for the Hugos is...whether they are then published as one work. Which cannot happen in the case we're talking about, at least not without Bible paper and a great deal more effort. What's the limit on series novels? Naomi Novik had the first three books of her Temeraire series come out very close together; should her publisher have made sure they all came out in the same calendar year so they could all be considered as one thing? Or Charlie Finlay's Patriot Witch series? When the publisher doesn't make sure that they come out in the same calendar year (say, October and February instead of February and October as Willis's publisher did), the work is clearly and obviously ineligible. Or do you disagree? And if you do disagree, what's the limitation on what should be eligible, since the way the Hugo rules are written would imply to me that this shouldn't have been eligible in the first place, and it appears that your take on them differs?
I am amused that your own review starts off by saying that half of the work is much stronger than the other half. When that happens normally, we nominate and award the volume we think is stronger, or try to. Why should that not have been an option here?