I’ve followed the Hugo Awards for years, and have found them the most compelling of the science fiction literary awards for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is that anyone who pays for a Supporting membership for the year’s WorldCon also has a the right to nominate for and vote for the Hugos. Another reason is the Hugo Packet, which is a package of many of the nominated works to give one place where a voter can catch up on many of the works before they place their final ballots. I pay for a Supporting membership every year for the packet, which makes a great recommended reading list. If that sounds like a great deal, it is, and you might want to consider supporting WSFS and the Hugo Awards with that Supporting membership and by voting.
Every year, after the Hugo Award Ceremony at WorldCon, WSFS publishes a longer list of works that were nominated by the Hugo voters. I use this list as a recommended reading list. too, but I have mused that it would be nice if that longer list were all in one place like the Hugo packet, for convenient reading.
I have decided over the years that if I say “Someone ought to do this thing.” enough times, then maybe I also ought to say “And that someone should be me.” It has worked out well for me in the past, and here I am again. I confirmed interest from enough of the authors on that longer list to make an anthology of respectable size. I ran a Kickstarter to gauge interest, and there was enough interest to fund not only the book and the ebook, but an audiobook version professionally produced by Skyboat Media as well.
I sincerely hope you enjoy these stories as much as I have, and if readers like what I’ve put together here I’d like to repeat the project next year.
—David Steffen, December 2015—