12 - "Bridesicle" (2010)

In 1955, the first ever Hugo for a Short Story was awarded to Eric Frank Russell. Now at the end of Season 2, Jack and Sam read this inaugural winner. A military spaceship's crew is preparing for a routine inspection, when one item on the list is unknown to everyone. Captain McNaught is not losing his chance of getting a promotion over this and devises a plan. A fun story on how it feels both of its time. but pokes fun at some bureaucratic nonsense you can find in any large organization.Recommendations:Catch-22 by Joseph HellerM*A*S*HSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2023, Worldcon took place in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the first time the event had been hosted in the country. The announcement was already metwith criticism from writers and sci-fi fans, but the event seemed to go smoothly and the Hugos were awarded as they had been for decades. Then a few months later it was discovered that the Chengdu committee has disqualified and flagged works they preemptively deemed anti-People's Republic of China, leading to botched nominees and winners. The author of Short Story Award publicly rejected her status as a winner, and so Jack and Sam discuss what happened, how easily one can be mislead into authoritarianism, and how many people had to keep making the wrong choices for this to happen at all. Mentioned in this episode:"Rabbit Test" by Samantha MillsA Breakdown of the Chengdu ScandalEmails Related to 2023 Hugo Awards Censorship“Rabbit Test” unwins the Hugo Next Episode: 1955's "Allamagoosa" by Eric Frank Russell Support Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky! This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Swanwick successfully used his strategy of taking over the nominee slates to win the 1999 Hugo Short Story Award (where Michael Jordan was the Toastmaster?). After discussions on puppets and the necessary need to fund the arts and, you know, the government, Sam and Jack read into the story of a pair of astronauts, one very dead and the other close to being so. Stranded on the sulfuric moon of Io around Jupiter, Martha walks, hikes, and crawls to her space shuttle and safety as her air supply drains. Luckily, she has some company when her dead partner's corpse starts speaking through the radio.Not mentioned but this story was adapted into a episode of Netflix's animated anthology, Death, Sex, and RobotsRecommendations:Gravity directed by Alfonso CuaronDeath Stranding developed by Kojima ProductionsThe Martian by Andy WeirWorld War Z- Christina Eliopolis chapter by Max BrooksStaying AliveNext Episode: 2023's Rabbit Test by Samantha MillsSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discussions of abuse and assault allegations against Neil Gaiman from 8:00-15:45Our first repeat author episode is Mike Resnick, who wrote a story that feels right at home next to "Kirinyaga". But first, Jack and Sam have a lot to get to,from dealing with the latest revelations from a once admired writer to the works of John Steinbeck. After that, it's time for a tour of Antares III, a planet fullof incredible architecture and a fascinating history. It's a shame that the human tourists care so little for it.Mentioned in the episode:Lila Shapiro's article on Neil GaimanInvisible Cities by Italo CalvinoRecommendations:Listen back to our episode on "Kirinyaga"Dahomey directed by Mati Diop1491 by Charles C. Mann"Ozymadias" by Percy Bysshe ShelleyThe Sympathizer by Viet Thanh NguyenWilliam Dalrymple's The Anarchy and Return of a KingNext Episode: 1999's "The Very Pulse of the Machine" by Michael SwanwickSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of this episode, Sam says "Thank you for watching" despite a podcast being something you listen to, not view. A tragic mistake if there ever was one.The legendary Connie Willis presents what is easily the most unique format for a story we've read so far. A fictional literary dissertation on two newly discovered Emily Dickinson poems, and the writer's hypothesis on the strange world and methods needed for this poems to be authentic when they were apparently written 11 years after Dickinson's death! Her arguments have some holes. Fans of lengthy footnote section will certainly enjoy the read, although Sam and Jack had some issues with the first comedic story on the showRecommendations:The War of the Worlds (2005) directed by Steven SpielbergWorld War Z by Max BrooksAsh: A Secret History by Mary GentleNext Episode: 1998's "The 43 Antarean Dynasties" by Mike ResnickSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is not a short story! The 1960s saw the Hugos group all the non-novel writing awards under "short fiction" and at a whopping 56 pages, Gordon R. Dickson delivers "Soldier, Ask Not", a tale that is clearly aimed at people who are already familiar with his Dorsai series. Nevertheless, Sam and Jack take the plunge to learn about war correspondent Tam Olyn and his actions on the planet of St. Marie. Torn apart by a war between human splinter races, Tam surely breaks some ethical guidelines to tip things in his favor.Recommendations:The Childe Cycle by Gordon R. DicksonEthics in America produced by Columbia UniversityStarship Troopers by Robert A. HeinleinNightcrawler directed by Dan GilroyNext Episode: 1997's "'The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems' A Wellsian Perspective" by Connie WillisSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning for discussions of child abuse from 18:00-22:30Hades game spoilers at 3:10Scientific studies and organized religion have both benefited from each other and butted heads over the centuries, and science fiction is no different. Many writers have their takes on how greater understanding of our universe can shape our faiths. Arthur C. Clark opens the universe to one devout astrophysicist who finds a sign that doesn't disprove God, but makes him wonder about the kind of mercy the Almighty provides.Recommendations:The Book of Job translated by Robert AlterEnders Game & Speaker of the Dead by Orson Scott CardThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask developed by NintendoNext Episode: 1965's "Soldier, Ask Not" by Gordon R. DicksonSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on Bluesky!This podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's always a devil, a man, a deal to be made. For how sacred a soul is supposed to be, many don't seem to have issues with signing away their eternal fate for a bit of mortal pleasure. Martin is one such person, trying like many have before to get one over on the Adversary and avoid that Hell-Bound train. He can stop the ride at any time, but does he really want that? Sam and Jack discuss the iterations of the Faustian bargain, Halloween traditions, and one nominee that everyone seems to think really should have won.Recommendations:“Beat the Devil” by Kris Kristofferson“Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band“A Soldier’s Tale” by Igor Stravinsky"Friends on the Other Side" from The Princess and the Frog"The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" from FuturamaPuella Magi Madoka Magic animated by ShaftNext Episode: 1956's "The Star" by Arthur C. ClarkSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on TwitterThis podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 22nd century, the scars of time and colonization still linger. The Kikuyu people have remade their god-given land in out in the vastness of space, and returned to the old ways of conducting their communities. At least, that's what Koriba seems to be doing, to the displeasure of those looking down from above. What is tradition and what is control? Did the good ol' days ever really exist? And why does that message of a glorious return to the past always seem to be coming from the man on top?Recommendations:Shogun by James ClavellThings Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeNext Episode: 1959's "That Hell-Bound Train" by Robert BlochSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on TwitterThis podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Every Hugo Ever! Sam and Jack are excited to return to seven decades of science fiction stories, and Will McIntosh delivers a doozy. Deep underground in a cryogenic facility, women are trapped between life and death as decades pass by. One named Mira dreams of her mother, her lover, and how she can convince her visitors to release her from this frozen purgatory.Recommendations:"My Funny Valentine" from Cowboy BebopSOMA by Frictional GamesNext Episode: 1989's "Kirinyaga" by Mike ResnickSupport Us on Ko-fiFollow us on TwitterThis podcast is not affiliated with the Hugo Awards or Worldcon. Music provided by HookSounds.com, Pixabay.com, and Joel Steudler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.