Yes, there is an alternative!  It's awards season again, and my latest novel Queen of Candesce is eligible--for the Hugo, the Aurora, and others.  If you were a member of Worldcon last year, or are already this year, you're eligible to nominate for the Hugo--but better do it soon, because the deadline is the end of February! 

Similarly, Canadians can nominate for the Aurora online, but be quick about it.  Nominations close March 17.

And why do I think you should nominate Queen?  Well, don't take my word for it:

With Queen of Candesce, Karl Schroeder's Virga saga establishes itself as an SF saga of the same order as LeGuin's Earthsea stories, Asimov's Robot stories, and Niven's Ringworld stories.

--SF Revu

Comparable to classic SF epics like John Varley’s Gaean trilogy and Jack L. Chalker’s Well of Souls series, Schroeder’s saga is an awe-inspiring example of masterful world-building.

--Publisher's Weekly

Queen of Candesce . . . offers a generous abundance of reading pleasure, and its confirms that Karl Schroeder belongs in the front ranks of SF world-builders.

--SciFi.com

SF remains the home to some of the most visionary writers of the day, and to some of the most overlooked.  With Queen of Candesce, [Schroeder] has achieved a clockwork balance of deftly paced adventure and humour, set against an intriguing and unique vision of humanity's far future.

--The Globe and Mail

Vote Venera in '08!