2010 Hugo Nominees

I've read and reviewed all six of this year's nominees:

Boneshaker
The City & the City
Palimpsest
Wake
Julian Comstock
The Windup Girl

I think that the actual voting happens soon so I thought I'd prepare my (admittedly nonfunctional) ballot. I'm going to do this lifeboat style by eliminating the bottom book until only one is left.
The first one off of the list is 'Wake'. It was easily the weakest of the six. And I really, really hope that Robert Sawyer's fans don't nominate each of the rest of the series.
Next one off is 'Boneshaker'. It's a fine book for what it is and a fun read. But it's not really a strong book and I think that the sheer fadishness (zombies+steampunk) will age it badly.

The first two out are easy but now it gets a bit tougher. I wouldn't be upset if any of the other four won the Hugo. Surprised in some cases but not really upset.
The next one out of my boat is 'City & the City'. It's a fine, fine book and possibly the best written of the books but I think that it just isn't fantasy or sci-fi and I would have to downgrade it for that reason. Still an excellent read though. (And it should be noted that my view is almost certainly a minority one.)
Next one out is 'Julian Comstock'. It might be the most fun of this year's nominees and that's worth something. But it's just not as good as the last two.
And I've gone back and forth on those two ever since I've read them. If I was actually voting for the Hugo this year then the next one I'd eliminate is 'Windup Girl'. It was the most brutal and compelling book of the set. I went out and got the next book by this author ('Shipbreaker') and I think that's telling.
But the winner for me would be 'Palimpsest'. Based on the descriptions of the book I never would have guessed this outcome. I vastly prefer sci-fi to fantasy and this book easily could have devolved into something pretty icky. Instead it was clever and insistent.

Based on my amateur readings around the internet, my guess is that the award will come down to 'Windup Girl' or 'City & the City'. The award won't be announced until early September so it will take some time.