I'm not quite done with my Hugo ballot (one more novel to finish...), but I wanted to take a break and make a post about the shorter fiction finalists for this year's Hugo awards. I don't think I'll rank them here. In fact, making this post is part of my process for the rankings. In any case, I'll post my entire Hugo ballot later. Happy Hugos! These and other reviews can also be found on my Goodreads 2026 Hugo shelf.
Best Novella
I love novellas--not too long, but long enough to sink your teeth into. Here's what I thought of this year's finalists.
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom)
Nice "cozy" sci-fi with some interesting ideas about community, food, and of course, robots. Although the historical background is a bloody civil war, the narrative itself is about healing after this traumatic event, for humans and robots alike. The plot revolves around robots and one human starting their own restaurant in late 21st century San Francisco. There are definitely vibes of Travis Baldree's Legends and Lattes, but this is a slightly different science fictional twist. While I'm usually not thrilled with what passes for "AI" in the 2020's, I would gladly eat noodles made by the robots in this novella.
Cinder House by Freya Marske (Tordotcom; Tor UK)
I’m not a big fan of retellings of fairy tales, so I’m probably not the target audience here. I thought the ghost and fairy stuff was interesting in itself. Honestly, those ideas would have been great on their own without the encumbrance of the Cinderella story. But your mileage may vary, of course!
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (Tordotcom)
A murder mystery on a generation ship where people are basically immortal by downloading their minds into new bodies and where they have "memory cocktails" to keep alive the memories of Earth is a great concept! The main character is fun. The mystery itself didn't work as well for me. I found it both convoluted and uninteresting, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of murder mysteries (terrible, I know). Your mileage on this interstellar journey may vary. This is on this year's Hugo list, and I wouldn't be surprised if the sequel ends up on next year's, so I may return to this universe yet.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia UK)
The idea of magic as grammar is really interesting (it reminds me of the Grammarian school in classical India: Sanskrit grammar as reality!). I liked the realm of Acacia. The story about the two sisters and their love for each other was nice. I can't say I ever had a firm grasp on the plot, but the prose was so nice it kept me flowing along.
The Summer War by Naomi Novik (Del Rey US; Del Rey UK)
Thoroughly okay. This made the Hugo novellas short list, but I almost didn't read it because fairy-tale type fantasy isn't usually my thing and Novik is one of the most successful writers of this subgenre. Still, there are some thoughts on war, gender, etc. The main character has some interesting moments as she deals with structural injustice and mean people. But overall this one is kind of a "meh" from me.
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher (Nightfire; Titan UK)
This third entry may be my favorite of the series yet. I love the biology of the ... creature (I won't spoil it, but it's some good science fictional fun). The main character has really grown on me by now (the idea of Alex Easton in America is just too good). The creepy abandoned mine in West Virginia makes for some great horror (I wouldn't call this "cozy horror"). In the acknowledgements, Kingfisher says she had Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness in mind, which probably explains why I like this one so much (although it's not really a retelling of that story, at least not as clearly as the first one was rehashing Poe). So far for the Hugo for me, it's between this and Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz.
Best Novelette
Novelettes (basically long-ish short stories) are always a fun part of the Hugo reading. This year there were some great ones!
“Kaiju Agonistes” by Scott Lynch (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
A really fun story about a kaiju that serves as an alien messenger to humanity, its message initially delivered by--what else?--destroying cities! Some really fun alternate history and hijinks ensue.
“Never Eaten Vegetables” by H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld, Issue 220)
Some interesting ideas, but something about this didn't grab me.
“Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy” by Martha Wells (Reactor, July 10, 2025)
I probably don't remember the first few Murderbot stories well enough for this to have the intended effect, but reading other reviews jogged my memory a bit. It's cute, I guess, and funny in the way that Murderbot is, but this is really only going to appeal to die-hard fans of the Murderbot books (the TV series I don't think has gotten here yet). Note that the story focuses on Peri (later ART as I vaguely remember). Murderbot does not directly appear here (it was probably watching dramas at the time).
“The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor, April 2, 2025)
The central concept of a future company run by a line of clones of its original CEO anchors a story of love, romantic and parental. Some other readers didn't care for the ending, but I thought it was a nice bit of sweetness in a sour world.
“The Millay Illusion” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 67)
The early 20th century carnival setting is cool, the characters are interesting. Not sure how I felt about the ending.
“When He Calls Your Name” by Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 65)
A supernatural version of a famous song with Valente's engaging prose style. Plus an emotional core of interesting ideas about life, death, love, meaning, and porches as liminal spaces.
Best Short Story
The shortest fiction category: short stories! Don't tell the other categories, but this year I thought this category was my favorite overall. I enjoyed each story a lot.
“10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 63)
This is a cool idea for a story. I appreciate the riff on anxiety about various futures, but it didn't quite hit as hard for me as some of the author's other stories.
“In My Country” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld, Issue 223)
The sort of "unrooted in time" style makes this all the more dystopian as well as the eerie sense of uncertainty about whether and how dystopian things really are. A moving, if disturbing, story.
“Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything” by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots, May 16, 2025)
A fun superhero story about accessibility issues. When it comes to meeting ADA standards, who are the real heroes?
“Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld, Issue 226)
What if your ex married your clone? And what if this story was emotionally complex while getting into nature versus nurture, relationships and their ends, aging, and getting to know yourself (or your clone, as the case may be)? Great stuff!
“Six People to Revise You” by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 62)
An interesting concept: a character needs six people to give honest feedback about their shortcoming in order to undergo some sort of transformative procedure. The basic message is great and the story is well written, but it didn't grab me as much as some of the other Hugo nominations this year.
“Wire Mother” by Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld, Issue 229)
The main character has what people in the future consider a neurodivergence: she is incapable of recognizing that AI or partial AI entities are people. Are they people? Is she just a bigot? Is she a reflection of people such as myself who dislike AI here in 2026? Is she right? In the end, I'm not sure these questions are treated with the subtlety or nuance I like in my SF, but having read some of Kim's other stories, she is not one to pull punches. The ending would be fun to discuss, but I won't spoil it here.
No comments:
Post a Comment