Item 202

After missing the “maybe one more week” and “end of June” deadlines, the latest delay in the Hugo shortlist saga involves the erroneous posting of a reportedly early and incorrect version of the shortlist on the Chengdu Worldcon website, which was subsequently taken down with apologies. Before its removal, the false list was reprinted on File 770 and at Camestros Felapton’s website, where it is still available to view. Several congratulations made the rounds on Twitter before the news broke that the list was not the correct one. While the many missed deadlines that have plagued the Hugo voting process this year are frustrating, they are at least understandable considering the dual-language complexities of putting this year’s Worldcon together. This particular error is inexcusable, even if it was an honest mistake. I hope this erroneous list is at least close to the final one when it is eventually released. I noticed at least one problem with the non-shortlist: the Short Story nominee “Upstart” by Lu Ban is actually a 15000 word novelette in English, and it appears the translation is what is meant to be honored, as the original Chinese-language version was published in 2021 and would not be eligible this year. This may be an example of what I spoke of in my previous post on the shortlist delay, where differences in category requirements in China and the US could have been part of the delay in finalizing the list. I do hope that when the actual list is published, this and other Chinese works, creators, and editors are honored alongside the usual suspects, as this non-list suggests they will be.