Noreascon Four Hugo and Retro Hugo Nominations
Oy! It was much tougher than I thought to find the new list of Hugo nominees, but here they are. Don’t bother going to the official Hugo site, it hasn’t been updated since 2001. The nominees for top novel are Paladin of Souls by Bujold, Humans by Robert Sawyer, Ilium by Dan Simmons, Singularity Sky by Charles Stross, and Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson.

Pagan’s Crusade by Catherine Jinks (0-7636-2019-X)
I was a little doubtful about this one at first. A comedic look at the crusades? Well, let me tell you, it’s the comedy and the protagonist that makes it all work. Pagan is a boy who enters the Templar Knights to serve as a squire to hide from men that he owes money. There he meets his knight, Lord Roland, the prime example of a Christian knight. How will the irreverent and often rude Pagan deal with this icon of piety? Well, it is all in the one liners and the asides.
Recommend this one to kids who enjoy other funny novels. They will get some adventure, swordfights and history in the bargain too. And then they can join the rest of us in waiting for the next in the series.