Another good list for 2015 SF novels:

Finalists for the 2016 John W. Campbell Memorial Award:

•The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi (Orbit/Knopf)
•Europe at Midnight, Dave Hutchinson (Rebellion)
•Radiomen, Eleanor Lerman (The Permanent)
•Luna: New Moon, Ian McDonald (Gollancz/Tor)
•Galapagos Regained, James Morrow (St. Martin’s)
•Going Dark, Linda Nagata (Mythic Island/Saga)
•The Book of Phoenix, Nnedi Okorafor (DAW)
•Where, Kit Reed (Tor)
•The Thing Itself, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
•Aurora, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
•Seveneves, Neal Stephenson (William Morrow/Harper Collins)

Since the finalists for Retro-Hugo are less depressing, let’s spend a little time delving into them:

The best place to see where these works have been published is on ISFDB.

I confess to having never heard of Kallocain, but my knowledge of Swedish dystopian novels of the 1940’s is minimal.  Wondering if it will be included in the Hugo packet since the translation is published by a university press.  The others are all easily tracked down, Ill-Made Knight is part of “Once and Future King”, which surely every bookstore in the world has in stock.  Reign of Wizardry is not as widely reprinted as the others, it’s not going to win but used Williamson paperbacks are generally cheap and easy to find, and this one wouldn’t take too long to read on a Kindle even if you’re generally opposed to that sort of thing.  I’m going to finally get around to reading Slan, and will make an attempt at Gray Lensman, but probably skip the others.

Novella is dominated by Heinlein, I think it’s the first time since 2001 that we’ve had him in the Retro nominees.  The last Retros were for 1938 which was before he started publishing, and the 2004 Retros were for 1953, by which point he’d moved away from short fiction and was doing the juveniles series.  In fact the first Retros in 1996 were for 1945, while Heinlein was serving in World War II, so no stories of his that year either.  I read all 3 a few years ago but don’t remember much about them.  Note that If This Goes On was expanded and updated for its reprintings in Past Through Tomorrow and Revolt in 2100, so as often happens if you’re reading those you’re not reading the original version.  Don’t know which the Hugo packet will contain, if any since Heinlein rights seem to be hard to get.

Novelette is a pretty good sampling, two famous Heinlein’s (The Roads Must Roll is downright iconic, although you’d have to look at it as steampunk to excuse the premise by today’s standards).  The Williamson story was never reprinted until the Haffner Press started collecting everything but the other two are in the Asimov/Greenberg Great SF Stories series and numerous other anthologies.

Short story is more of a mixed bag, Requiem is justifiably famous, Robbie is famous as the first Asimov robot story (under its original title “Strange Bedfellows”) rather than great prose, but its easy to find.  The two Brackett stories are hardly reprinted at all, it makes me wonder how many people actually read them before nominating.  Not really fair to put Borges on this list, I don’t know that he would have been considered fantasy back then, I’m curious if that story can be secured for the Hugo packet.

For those who sit around thinking, “What if they gave out Hugos for work published in 1940?” here’s what a modest group of voters came up with for nominations.  More info at http://midamericon2.org/home/hugo-awards-and-wsfs/1941-retro-hugo-finalists/

BEST NOVEL

• Gray Lensman by E.E. “Doc” Smith (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Jan 1940)
• The Ill‐Made Knight by T.H. White (Collins)
• Kallocain by Karin Boye (Bonnier)
• The Reign of Wizardry by Jack Williamson (Unknown, Mar 1940)
• Slan by A.E. Van Vogt (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Dec 1940)

BEST NOVELLA

• “Coventry” by Robert A. Heinlein (Astounding Science‐Fiction, July 1940)
• “If This Goes On…” by Robert A. Heinlein (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Feb 1940)
• “Magic, Inc.” by Robert A. Heinlein (Unknown, Sept 1940)
• “The Mathematics of Magic” by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (Unknown, Aug 1940)
• “The Roaring Trumpet” by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (Unknown, May 1940)

BEST NOVELETTE

• “Blowups Happen” by Robert A. Heinlein (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Sept 1940)
• “Darker Than You Think” by Jack Williamson (Unknown, Dec 1940)
• “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Oct 1940)
• “It!” by Theodore Sturgeon (Unknown, Aug 1940)
• “The Roads Must Roll” by Robert A. Heinlein (Astounding Science‐Fiction, June 1940)

BEST SHORT STORY

• “Martian Quest” by Leigh Brackett (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Feb 1940)
• “Requiem” by Robert A. Heinlein (Astounding Science‐Fiction, Jan 1940)
• “Robbie” by Isaac Asimov (Super Science Stories, Sept 1940)
• “The Stellar Legion” by Leigh Brackett (Planet Stories, Winter 1940)
• “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” by Jorge Luis Borges (Sur, 1940)

BEST NOVEL

• Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
• The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher (Roc)
• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
• Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow)
• Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

BEST NOVELLA

• Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
• The Builders by Daniel Polansky (Tor.com)
• Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (Spectrum)
• Perfect State by Brandon Sanderson (Dragonsteel Entertainment)
• Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds (Tachyon)

BEST NOVELETTE

• “And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead” by Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed, Feb2015)
• “Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, trans. Ken Liu (Uncanny Magazine, Jan-Feb 2015)

plus 3 puppy nominees which will not be listed here.

Short story category consisted entirely of puppy nominees and will not be listed here.

Full details at http://midamericon2.org/home/hugo-awards-and-wsfs/2016-hugo-finalists/

This looks like a pretty good subset of the best short fiction of 2015, chosen by the award committee.  Winners will be announced at Worldcon:

“And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead”, Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed 2/15)
“The Four Thousand, the Eight Hundred”, Greg Egan (Asimov’s 10/15)
“The New Mother”, Eugene Fischer (Asimov’s 4-5/15)
“Folding Beijing”, Hao Jingfang (Uncanny Magazine 1-2/15)
“Emergence”, Gwyneth Jones (Meeting Infinity)
“Damage”, David D. Levine (Tor.com 01/21/15)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery”, Kelly Link (Strange Horizons 10/17/15)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan”, Ian McDonald (Old Venus)
“Our Lady of the Open Road”, Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s 6/15)
“The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill”, Kelly Robson (Clarkesworld 2/15)
“Gypsy”, Carter Scholz (F&SF 11-12/15)
“Avery Cates: The Walled City” Jeff Somers (self-published 6/15)

Jonathan Strahan’s Best SF and Fantasy of 2015 comes out May 16.

Contents:

“City of Ash”, Paolo Bacigalupi, (medium.com)
“The Heart’s Filthy Lesson”, Elizabeth Bear (Old Venus)
“The Machine Starts”, Greg Bear (Future Visions)
“The Winter Wraith”, Jeffrey Ford (F&SF, Nov/Dec)
“Black Dog”, Neil Gaiman (Trigger Warning)
“Jamaica Ginger”, Nalo Hopkinson & Nisi Shawl (Stories for Chip)
“Drones”, Simon Ings (Meeting Infinity)
“Emergence”, Gwyneth Jones (Meeting Infinity)
“Dancy vs. the Pterosaur”, Caitlin R. Kiernan (self-published)
“Another Word for World”, Ann Leckie (Future Visions)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery”, Kelly Link (Strange Horizons)
“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn”, Usman T. Mailk (tor.com)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan”, Ian McDonald (Old Venus)
“Little Sisters”, Vonda McIntyre (Book View Café)
“Calved”, Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s, Sept)
“Ghosts of Home”, Sam J. Miller (Lightspeed)
“The Deepwater Bride”, Tamsyn Muir (F&SF Jul/Aug)
“The Empress in Her Glory“, Robert Reed (Clarkesworld)
“A Murmuration”, Alastair Reynolds (Interzone, Mar/Apr)
“Oral Argument”, Kim Stanley Robinson (tor.com)
“Water of Versailles”, Kelly Robson (tor.com)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century”, Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip)
“The Karen Joy Fowler Book Club”, Nike Sulway (Lightspeed)
“The Lily and the Horn”, Catherynne Valente (Fantasy Magazine, Dec)
“Blood, Ash, Braids”, Genevieve Valentine (Operation Arcana)
“Kaiju maximus®: ‘So Various, So Beautiful, So New’”, Kai Ashante Wilson (Fantasy Magazine, Dec)
“Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers”, Alyssa Wong (Nightmare, Oct)

Prime Books is continuing their anthology of the best novellas of the year, due out in August.

Contents:

“The Citadel of Weeping Pearls” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, Oct/Nov 2015)
“The Bone Swans of Amandale” by C.S.E. Cooney (Bone Swans, Mythic Delirium Books)
“Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Tor.com)
“The Last Witness” by K. J. Parker (The Last Witness, Tor.com)
“Johnny Rev” by Rachel Pollack (F&SF, Jul/Aug 2015)
“Inhuman Garbage,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov’s March 2015)
“Gypsy,” Carter Scholz (F&SF, Nov/Dec 2015)
“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn,” Usman Malik (The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn, Tor.com)
“What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear” by Bao Shu, translated by Ken Liu (F&SF, Mar/Apr 2015)

Neil Clarke, editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, tries his hand at a new best-of anthology, published by Nightshade in June, with these stories:

“Three Bodies at Mitanni” by Seth Dickinson (Analog, June)
“The Audience” by Sean McMullen (Analog, June)
“Empty” by Robert Reed (Asimov’s, Dec)
“Calved” by Sam J. Miller (Asimov’s, Sept)
“No Placeholder for You, My Love” by Nick Wolven (Asimov’s, Aug)
“Wild Honey” by Paul McAuley (Asimov’s, Aug)
“Two-Year Man” by Kelly Robson (Asimov’s, Aug)
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker (Clarkesworld, Aug)
“Cat Pictures Please” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, Jan)
“So Much Cooking” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, Nov)
“Meshed” by Rich Larson (Clarkesworld, Feb)
“Another Word for World” by Ann Leckie (Future Visions)
“Hello, Hello” by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions)
“Gypsy” by Carter Scholz (PM Press)
“A Murmuration” by Alastair Reynolds (Interzone, Mar/Apr)
“Seven Wonders of a Once and Future World” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed, Sept)
“Violation of the TrueNet Security Act” by Taiyo Fujii, Translated by Jim Hubbert (Lightspeed, July)
“The Smog Society” by Chen Qiufan, translated by Ken Liu and Carmen Yiling Yan (Lightspeed, Aug)
“In Blue Lily’s Wake” by Aliette de Bodard (Meeting Infinity)
“The Cold Inequalities” by Yoon Ha Lee (Meeting Infinity)
“Cocoons” by Nancy Kress (Meeting Infinity)
“Outsider” by An Owomeyla (Meeting Infinity)
“Iron Pegasus” by Brenda Cooper (Mission Tomorrow)
“The Tumbledowns of Cleopatra Abyss” by David Brin (Old Venus)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Ida Countess Rathangan” by Ian McDonald (Old Venus)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century” by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip)
“Bannerless” by Carrie Vaughn (The End Has Come)
“The Gods Have Not Died in Vain” by Ken Liu (The End Has Come)
“Damage” by David D. Levine (Tor.com, 1/21)
“Hold-Time Violations” by John Chu (Tor.com, 10/17)
“Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Uncanny, Jan/Feb)

Rich Horton’s Year’s Best Science Fiction 2016 comes out in June, and will contain the following stories from 2015:

“The Daughters of John Demetrius”,  by Joe Pitkin (Analog, Oct)
“Endless Forms Most Beautiful”,  by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro (Analog)
“Twelve and Tag”,  by Gregory Norman Bossert (Asimov’s)
“Mutability”,  by Ray Nayler (Asimov’s)
“Acres of Perhaps”, by Will Ludwigsen (Asimov’s)
“Unearthly Landscape by a Lady”,  by Rebecca Campbell (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
“The King in the Cathedral”,  by Rich Larson (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
“Little Sisters”,  by Vonda M. McIntyre (Book View Cafe)
“The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld)
“Asymptotic”,  by Andy Dudak (Clarkesworld)
“Cat Pictures Please”,  by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld)
“Today I Am Paul”,  by Martin Shoemaker (Clarkesworld)
“The Deepwater Bride”,  by Tamysn Muir (F&SF)
The Two Paupers,  by C.S.E. Cooney (Fairchild Books)
“Hello Hello”,  by Seanan McGuire (Future Visions)
“The Astrakhan, the Homburg, and the Red, Red Coal”,  by Chaz Brenchley (Lightspeed)
“Time Bomb Time”,  by C.C. Finlay (Lightspeed)
“And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead”,  by Brooke Bolander (Lightspeed)
“The Karen Joy Fowler Book Club”,  by Nike Sulway (Lightspeed)
“My Last Bringback”,  by John Barnes (Meeting Infinity)
“Drones”,  by Simon Ings (Meeting Infinity)
“The Heart’s Filthy Lesson”,  by Elizabeth Bear (Old Venus)
“Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts by Idea Countness Rathagan”,  by Ian McDonald (Old Venus)
“The Graphology of Hemorrhage”,  by Yoon Ha Lee (Operation Arcana)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century”,  by Geoff Ryman (Stories for Chip)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery”,  by Kelly Link (Strange Horizons)
“This Evening’s Performance”,  by Genevieve Valentine (The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk)
“Please Undo This Hurt”,  by Seth Dickinson (Tor.com)
“Consolation”,  by John Kessel (Twelve Tomorrows)
“Folding Beijing”,  by Hao Jingfang (Uncanny)

Gardner Dozois has identified 36 stories for the next edition of his year’s best retrospective.  But it won’t come out until July, so you need to seek these out elsewhere to consider them for the Hugo ballot.

“The Audience”, Sean McMullen (Analog, June)
“The Daughters of John Demetrius”, Joe Pitkin (Analog, Oct)
“The Children of Gal”, Allen M. Steele (Asimovs, Apr/May)
“No Placeholder for You, My Love”, Nick Wolven (Asimovs, Aug)
“The Muses of Shuyedan-18”, Indrapramit Das  (Asimovs, June)
“Inhuman Garbage”, Kristine Kathryn Rusch  (Asimovs, Mar)
“Citadel of Weeping Pearls”, Aliette de Bodard (Asimovs, Oct/Nov)
“Calved”, Sam J. Miller  (Asimovs, Sept)
“Three Cups of Grief, By Starlight”, Aliette de Bodard  (Clarkesworld)
“Meshed”, Rich Larson  (Clarkesworld)
“Ice”, Rich Larson  (Clarkesworld)
“The Three Resurrections of Jessica Churchill”, Kelly Robson  (Clarkesworld)
“Today I Am Paul”, Martin L. Shoemaker  (Clarkesworld)
“Trapping the Pleistocene”, James Sarafin  (F&SF, May/Jun)
“Machine Learning”, Nancy Kress  (Future Visions)
“Another Word for World”, Ann Leckie  (Future Visions)
“Hello, Hello”, Seanan McGuire   (Future Visions)
“Gypsy”, Carter Scholz  (Gypsy, PM Press)
“Silence Like Diamonds”, John Barnes  (lightreading.com)
“The Astrakhan, the Homburg, and the Red Red Coal”, Chaz Brenchley  (Lightspeed Magazine)
“City of Ash”, Paolo Bacigalupi, (medium.com)
“Rates of Change”, James S. A. Corey  (Meeting Infinity)
“Emergence”, Gwyneth Jones  (Meeting Infinity)
“The Falls: A Luna Story”, Ian McDonald  (Meeting Infinity)
“In Panic Town, on the Backward Moon”, Michael F. Flynn  (Mission: Tomorrow)
“Ruins”, Eleanor Arnason  (Old Venus)
“Planet of Fear”, Paul McAuley  (Old Venus)
“Botanica Veneris”, Ian McDonald  (Old Venus)
“Billy Tumult”, Nick Harkaway  (Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany)
“The First Gate of Logic”, Benjamin Rosenbaum  (Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany)
“Capitalism in the 22nd Century”, Geoff Ryman  (Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany)
“The Game of Smash and Recovery”, Kelly Link  (Strange Horizons)
“Bannerless”, Carrie Vaughn  (The End Has Come)
“It Takes More Than Muscles to Frown”, Ned Beauman  (Twelve Tomorrows)
“Consolation”, John Kessel  (Twelve Tomorrows)
“A Stopped Clock”, Madeline Ashby  (War Stories from the Future)