Another little project
It can be very annoying to be a lover of science fiction and fantasy. For every amazing adventure that sucks you in and eats up days of your life, there is a boring, trite, or frankly stupid novel you wish you hadn't bothered with. And you certainly can't tell which you have in your hand until you've read quite a bit of it. I end up reading the same books over and over again, which I do enjoy, but I always wonder if I am missing something amazing. So when I got a link on my twitter to the 2010 Nebula Nominees, I decided that it was as good a place as any to start and resolved to read them all. I have gotten through quite a few.
Short Story
"Arvies" by Adam-Troy Castro
I listened to this on Escape Pod, a weekly science fiction podcast I enjoy. I think it was a little heavy-handed with the allegory.
"How Interesting: A Tiny Man" by Harlan Ellison
I absolutely adored the central character in this. It managed to feel both ridiculous and very real, which, I suppose, is rather like real life much of the time.
"Ponies" by Kij Johnson
There is nothing really wrong with this story, except that it employs a cliche I absolutely hate, namely "remember that thing you liked as a little kid? Imagine if it was...sinister!" I am over it!
"I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You in Reno" by Vylar Kaftan
I really felt there was something going on in this story that I didn't get. Maybe it moved too fast? I don't know.
"The Green Book" by Amal El-Mohtar
I have read/listened to a few things by this author now, and I will look for more. This story would definitely be my pick for winner in this category.
"Ghosts of New York" by Jennifer Pelland
This is one dark little ghost story. Definitely finely crafted, but not in my taste.
"Conditional Love" by Felicity Shoulders
Another one I heard on Escape Pod. I think this one annoyed me because it created a feeling I wanted to have in one of my stories, only did it way better.
All of these stories are linked from here, if you're interested: http://www.sfwa.org/2011/02/2010-nebula-nominees/
Now I just saw that some of the stories that weren't readable online before are now, so I'll see you later :)
Short Story
"Arvies" by Adam-Troy Castro
I listened to this on Escape Pod, a weekly science fiction podcast I enjoy. I think it was a little heavy-handed with the allegory.
"How Interesting: A Tiny Man" by Harlan Ellison
I absolutely adored the central character in this. It managed to feel both ridiculous and very real, which, I suppose, is rather like real life much of the time.
"Ponies" by Kij Johnson
There is nothing really wrong with this story, except that it employs a cliche I absolutely hate, namely "remember that thing you liked as a little kid? Imagine if it was...sinister!" I am over it!
"I'm Alive, I Love You, I'll See You in Reno" by Vylar Kaftan
I really felt there was something going on in this story that I didn't get. Maybe it moved too fast? I don't know.
"The Green Book" by Amal El-Mohtar
I have read/listened to a few things by this author now, and I will look for more. This story would definitely be my pick for winner in this category.
"Ghosts of New York" by Jennifer Pelland
This is one dark little ghost story. Definitely finely crafted, but not in my taste.
"Conditional Love" by Felicity Shoulders
Another one I heard on Escape Pod. I think this one annoyed me because it created a feeling I wanted to have in one of my stories, only did it way better.
All of these stories are linked from here, if you're interested: http://www.sfwa.org/2011/02/2010-nebula-nominees/
Now I just saw that some of the stories that weren't readable online before are now, so I'll see you later :)