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)