Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
I've now read two of the five nominees for the 2009 Hugo Award under the Short Story category:
Best Short Story
Both featured monkeys. Both were quite good, if very different from one another.
"26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" by Kij Johnson is superbly written, a fascinating piece of mystery-fantasy that involves Aimee and her circus act involving 26 monkeys vanishing in a bathtub. The narrative takes its time unraveling its key players and purposes, dabbling in quiet details. Like reminding the reader that a chimp is not a monkey. Even though some things must remain a mystery--or rather, always just are--the emotional weight of the story is what I found most captivating. Definitely a strong contender for the award, I'd wager.
On the other hand, there's "Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal, a snarky, dark take on captivity and sentience. It's fun, it's quick, it's too short to really talk about in detail, but I do appreciate seeing flash-length fiction (I believe it's flash-length) getting some representation. While not as thought-provoking as the first monkey tail tale, this one is just as satisfying.
I'm kind of avoiding reading the Resnick story as most of his work has never really interested me. Plus, I dunno, the executive editor's own story from Baen's Universe? Just gets under my skin, I guess. Anyone know if the other two nominees are available online to read?
Best Short Story
- "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" by Kij Johnson (Asimov's Jul 2008)
- "Article of Faith" by Mike Resnick (Baen's Universe Oct 2008)
- "Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, Volume Two)
- "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
- "From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov's Feb 2008)
Both featured monkeys. Both were quite good, if very different from one another.
"26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" by Kij Johnson is superbly written, a fascinating piece of mystery-fantasy that involves Aimee and her circus act involving 26 monkeys vanishing in a bathtub. The narrative takes its time unraveling its key players and purposes, dabbling in quiet details. Like reminding the reader that a chimp is not a monkey. Even though some things must remain a mystery--or rather, always just are--the emotional weight of the story is what I found most captivating. Definitely a strong contender for the award, I'd wager.
On the other hand, there's "Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal, a snarky, dark take on captivity and sentience. It's fun, it's quick, it's too short to really talk about in detail, but I do appreciate seeing flash-length fiction (I believe it's flash-length) getting some representation. While not as thought-provoking as the first monkey tail tale, this one is just as satisfying.
I'm kind of avoiding reading the Resnick story as most of his work has never really interested me. Plus, I dunno, the executive editor's own story from Baen's Universe? Just gets under my skin, I guess. Anyone know if the other two nominees are available online to read?