I have read the following Hugo eligibles so far, and in my opinion, of
these titles "Spin" is the best, with "Carpet Makers" coming in a close
second:
Olympos by Dan Simmons
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Learning the World by Ken MacLeod
The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach, translated by Doryl Jensen
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
I've also read half of "Accelerando" by Charles Stross. These are all
good books, but my two picks are based on quality of writing, quality of
the sf ideas, and storytelling oomph (that's one of those technical
phrases from literary criticism, don't you know).
By the way, if you haven't yet read "Spin," don't read the jacket flap
or anything that might give plot points away. I'm so glad I didn't,
because much of the fun in this story comes from the constant
introduction of yet more gosh-wow developments. The jacket flap on the
library edition gave most of them away. Stupid!
On a different note, I was very sad to learn of Octavia Butler's death.
I heard her speak once in Baltimore, and that was a real treat.
Monica McAbee
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