"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." – George R. R. Martin
Two more nominees that can be read online for free.
“What Any Dead Thing Wants” by Aimee Ogden (2024) — 16,300words (about 66 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Psychopomp magazine online, February 2024.
“The Witch Trap” by Jennifer Hudak (2024) — 3,080 words (about 13 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet magazine issue #48, September 2024.
The Nebula Conference starts this week on June 5. The awards ceremony is on Saturday, June 7. The Nebula Awards® are voted on and presented by full, senior, and associate members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. There are two short fiction categories that are less than book length. These are the awards for best novelette (at least 7,500 words but less than 17,500 words) and best short story (less than 7,500 words).
In the run up to the awards ceremony on Saturday, I will be publishing links to the six stories in each category, one story in each of these categories each day for a week! Happy reading!
“Loneliness Universe” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (2024) — 8,173 words (about 33 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #58, May/June 2024.
“Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole”by Isabel J. Kim (2024) — 3,190 words (about 13 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #209, February 2024.
What would you do to get back to your own time?
Waystation City by A.T. Greenblatt (2023) — 4,274 words (about 17 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #50, January/February 2023.
If you enjoy Black Mirror on Netflix, this one scratches that itch.
Tigers for Sale by Risa Wolf (2023) — 6,560 words (about 27 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Clarkesworld magazine issue #202, July 2023.
A daughter agrees to a terrible bargain to avenge her lover’s death
Saturday’s Song by Wole Talabi (2023) — 8,677 words (about 35 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue 156, May 2023.
An interesting exploration of what speeding up in the name of productivity can do to people and society.
A Record of Lost Time by Rebecca Kuang (2023) — 7,953 words (about 32 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue #162, November 2023.
A great story with lots of metaphor, subtle and not too in your face.
The Curing by Kristina Ten (2023) — 8,049 words (about 33 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Uncanny magazine issue #54, September/October 2023.
What if you could look in on your romantic exes?
They Could Have Been Yours by Joy Baglio (2023) — 6,900 words (about 28 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Apex magazine issue #136, March 2023.
A classic well worth another read.
To Build a Fire by Jack London (1908) — 7,042 words (about 29 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Century magazine, August 1908.
A wonderful allegory of those in the under classes supporting one another.
Muna in Barish by Isha Karki (2023) — 7,971 words (about 32 minutes for the average reader)
Originally published in Lightspeed magazine issue 158, July 2023.