Locus has posted the results in the novel categories for their Centuries Poll. You can find them here. As you’ll see, most of my picks did not feature. This does not surprise me.
I don’t have much to say about the results. Doubtless the blogosphere will explode with outrage without any help from me. I’ll just mention a couple of things. Firstly the results are overwhelmingly male. And secondly I’m pleased to see The City & The City, and The Book of the New Sun appear in both the science fiction and fantasy lists. Hopefully that will cause a few people’s heads to explode.
The placing of The City and The City as well as Pattern Recognition were what made me smile at the lists. But I was disappointed that Maul and The Year of Our War didn’t make it. Ryman’s Was did get my nod, but I’m embarrassed I forgot about Matt Ruff’s Fool on the Hill.
I feel guilty for not entering my picks – I did try, but it was such a massive undertaking to comb through those lists and when I was about three quarters of the way through, I realised I was several days past the deadline already.
The gender disappointment I have is mostly in the 21st century list – we always hear that we should shut up and stop talking about the gender balance of lists from the olden days of science fiction because there were ‘simply more men then’ but what is the excuse for the 21st century?
*takes self out of complaining mode because didn’t nominate*
*was too busy cleaning the house I expect*