It was a hoot, not a holler. That was Robert Reed’s reaction when he learned through his computer that he had won his first Hugo Award.

“Nobody heard me,” the Lincoln science fiction writer said, “except for the cats.”

Hugo Awards, given annually since 1955, are science fiction’s most prestigious award, comparable to an Edgar for mystery writing or an Oscar for movie-making.

This year’s Hugo Awards were presented at the 65th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), which was held Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 in Japan. 

Reed, 50, went online at 5:30 a.m. Sept. 1 to check the results to find they had not been posted yet. About five hours later, after his morning workout, he found out the news.

“I had four (e-mail) messages, and I could tell from the header, but I still didn’t know for what,” he said.

Reed, a seven-time Hugo nominee, won for his novella, “A Billion Eves,” which was published in Asimov’s magazine (October/November 2006). He also finished third in the short story category, with “Eight Episodes,” which Asimov’s also published (December 2006).

He never finished above fourth with his previous nominations.

“On the way home (from the workout) I told myself, ‘Don’t overthink this,’” he said, noting that he expected fellow writers Michael Swanick and Neil Gaiman to win best novella and short story, respectively.

“They are the usual winners in these things,” he said.

Both finished second.

“I was pleased with that twist, too,” Reed said.

“A Billion Eves” is Reed’s story about alternate universes and the people who live in them.

As Reed says on his Web site (www.robertreedwriter.com), the tale is “a brutal reworking of a story that I first wrote in my mid-20s.”

The author said it’s not his best novella, nor his favorite, but he has a hunch as to why it won. Hugo Awards are determined by a vote of Worldcon members.

A section of “A Billion Eves” features a young man using a machine (“a ripper”) to take a sorority house filled with women to an alternate universe.

“He’s the only male surrounded by 100 women,” Reed said. “There’s a certain part of the voting population who probably are intrigued by this.”

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.