Steam

[psocoptera]

Steam, 2026 graphic novel, written by Shaenon K. Garrity and illustrated by Emily Holden. Cute, sweet, wacky romance between an escaped genetic experiment and a barista. I thought it was fun and should appeal to people who like Garrity's Willowweep Manor writing. (Also perhaps CB Lee's Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, or Flip or Song For You & I, but a little more screwball/a little less heft.) But I'm not sure I think it has the power to make it to the Hugo ballot, like I definitely read it and thought "oh yes we're all going to enjoy reading this", but are we going to think "everyone must read this"?

ETA: This book is set at Smithson but I can't remember the character designs from the Smithson comic well enough to tell whether there are any cameos in the background characters. I didn't spot any but if someone else has please tell me!

Comments

[glassonion]

Yeah, i don't know; let's see what else we find. The people do like fluff and this is high-quality fluff (funny and well-written), and i continue to believe (without evidence?) that Garrity has name recognition in the Hugo sphere.