1st * "Paladin of Souls" by Bujold * One of the best novels she has ever written.  Full of plot twists with a satisfactory ending.

2nd * "Illium" by Simmons" * Full of interesting ideas.  However, this is only the first half of a very long novel.  Will he be able to put it all together for the second half?  The question puts it into second place.

3rd * "Humans" by Sawyer * A good middle novel of a trilogy; however, it is too preachy for me.

4th * "Blind Lake" by Wilson * Got only half way through it before stopping

5th * "Singularity Sky" by Stross * Stopped after reading 20 pages.

>>> [log in to unmask] 7/24/2004 12:39:44 PM >>>
Now that Hugo nominees have been announced, who do people favor for the Novel
award?

Illium probably is the favorite based on what I've heard and seen on
newsgroups.  I liked it but I have qualms about it.  Too many plot holes and deux ex
machina plot devices, which Simmions himself pokes fun at through a character
toward the end of the book -- which I thought was very clever .

On the other hand, Humans by Robert J. Sawyer has gotten a lot of negative
commentatry.  I would vote of it, however.  I thought it was a funny and taken
as a cultural satire was well done.  Sawyer also was able to manage the
inherent problems of a middle book in a trilogy by both advancing the story but
creating a novel that can stand alone.

Bujold's fantasy was okay, very well written as always, but it just didn't do
that much for me.

I didn't like Stross's novel much at all.

I haven't read Blind Lake yet but I plan to shortly.