Hugo Awards

The Hugo Awards are given for the best science fiction or fantasy works. The award is taken from Hugo Gernsback, the founder of Amazing Stories, the very first science fiction magazine.
Members of the annual Worldcon choose and vote the nominees and the winners.

Several categories of Hugo Awards are:
- Hugo Award for Best Novel
- Hugo Award for Best Novella
- Hugo Award for Best Novelette
- Hugo Award for Best Short Story

The best-known awards compared to Hugo Award is Nebula Awards, given by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

The winner of Hugo Award Best Novel
- 2009: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins,; Bloomsbury UK)
- 2008: The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
- 2007: Rainbows End, Vernor Vinge (Tor, 2006)

Bridge to Terabithia, a novel by Katherine Paterson

‘We need a place,’ she said, ‘just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world about it.’

It was the new girl, Leslie, who invented Terabithia – a secret country in the woods beyond the dry creek bed. Here Jess is a king – strong, unafraid, unbeatable – so that when something dreadful happens – more dreadful than Jess could ever have imagined – he is able to face grief and disaster, and even save his kingdom for the future.

It’s a little impossible here for boy (Jesse Aarons) can imagine something when someone or Leslie read and tell him a story. As I know, boys don’t imagine things like that. Monsters, kingdom. Jesse can feel what the story tells like which his teacher read about Leslie’s scuba diving composition. He felt drawn and can’t breathe. I think it’s because Jesse like drawing so his imaginations fly everywhere.

Many classics story are mentioned. Narnia, Moby Dick, Hamlet. But, that’s it. No fights, no magical creatures, no bad guys. No curiosity to continue the book. The mystified things only happen in Jesse’s and Leslie’s imagination. It’s just ordinary book for kids with some morals of the story.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, a book by Rick Riordan

What if the gods of Olympus were alive in the 21^st Century? What if they still fell in love with mortals and had children who might become great heroes -- like Theseus, Jason and Hercules?

What if you were one of those children?

Such is the discovery that launches twelve-year-old Percy Jackson on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

Reading this book is like reading Greek mythology in a new way. Many gods, mythical creatures, architectures, art things. They’re all very, very interesting and fascinating. Although, the story is not pure legend we all know. Mythology story plus imagination equal to awesome story.

So far, we found dragons, wizards and magical things, vampires and werewolves. Here, we met Zeus with shirt, Cerberus which loves playing red balls, demigods on competition as we seen on school festival’s competition.

Percy’s adventures are full of thrill and suspense. We cannot know when gods and mythical creatures showed up or attack Percy and what connection are made between our hero and them. It’s successfully made me hold my breath.

It’s worth enough to read, like Harry Potter in different dimension or era.

Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle, a novel by C.S. Lewis

Narnia . . . where lies breed fear . . . where loyalty is tested . . . where all hope seems lost. During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge—not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to The Chronicles of Narnia.

First impression: old English and I had headache of reading it. Of course it used old English. It published in 50’s and it set in 50’s, too (kingdom era in Narnia world). But, I can understand the story well. It’s easy. Because it is a children book, the story is full of morale and have a happy ending plot.

All the characters in Narnia showed up. From the very first book to the sixth met with the last one.

I have heard Narnia and Aslan is the same with Christian belief. How Aslan creates Narnia and how he saves his people many times by sending children from outside Narnia. How many Talking Beasts don’t believe there is Aslan and ask the king to show the great lion up. Chronicles of Narnia is free imagination of Christianity. Everytime I think about it, it’s clearer that’s true.

The last book is about ending of Narnia. I know it sounds bad, but it’s not. Before I read this, I think of the down of Narnia. I imagined the sun is missing and the whole world is dying. But, once again, it’s the same with Christianity (I don’t intend to offend someone who doesn’t have the same thought and belief. It’s just my OPINION. Peace, man). Aslan brings people who believe in him to the “heaven”, which called real Narnia. Confusing, huh! Narnia within Narnia.

The Host, a novel by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

At first, I confused with the story. it’s so blur everywhere. Kinda boring, too. But I keep on reading and the story became interesting and more interesting. Though, there aren’t much fighting sequences. Much of the story is the talking or the thoughts. Meyer is still use first point of view in this book. Maybe, it’s her brand.

The story become funny when Jared and Ian know they’re in “rectangle” loves. I said rectangle because it is likely four people than three: Melanie, Wanda, Jared and Ian, with the two girls in one body. Poor Jared and Ian. How can they do something with the one they love when the other girl is listening? It’s funny, though.

Though, this is a happy ending story (sorry, spoiler). So everybody (main characters) have their owns happy life and love.

The City of Ember, a novel by Jeanne DuPrau

The City of Ember is a rule-bound place, where all the lights go out at 9 each night, everyone rises early for breakfast, and careful recycling is a way of life. Lately, though, the lights have begun flickering. Supplies are shorter each year, and some foods are no longer available.

Until their 12th year, the children of the City of Ember go to school. But at the end of that year, they are assigned the jobs they will do for years after, perhaps to the end of their lives. Lina yearns to be a Messenger, running free in the streets, learning the secrets of the city. Doon wants desperately to be an electrician's assistant or a pipeworker, because he dreams of fixing the ancient, failing generators of the city.

When each receives the assignment the other wants, they switch jobs, and begin a conspiracy that will not end until they learn how to save the entire city. Along the way, they solve an ancient puzzle, defeat the greed and subterfuge of the Mayor and his minions, and discover a much wider world than either had ever dreamed existed.

Life. People of Ember doesn’t know how beans can grow from a seed or how can worm change to moth. It’s so funny they don’t know candle, matches, or boat. They never taste pineapples or peaches. And they don’t know how to make moveable light—read this as torch. They don’t know blue sky either. They only know that there is something bigger and more powerful than themselves, even the Builder.
The story is about future livings—I guessed—and we can say people of Ember is more primitive in someways than us. I feel pity to them. But what’s best is Lina and Doon’s adventure finding the Egress—exit—outside Ember. With their instict and knowledge, they learned by themselves how to survive.