by Greg Bear
ALSO AVAILABLE:
Nebula Awards Showcase 2014
edited by Kij Johnson
Nebula Awards Showcase 2013
edited by Catherine Asaro
Nebula Awards Showcase 2012
edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel
Published 2015 by Pyr®, an imprint of Prometheus Books
Nebula Awards Showcase 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, organizations, products, locales, and events portrayed in this novel either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Cover design by Jacqueline Nasso Cooke
Cover illustration © John Harris
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ISBN: 978-1-63388-090-0 (paperback)
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Printed in the United States of America
To my favorite professor,
and one of my very favorite human beings,
Elizabeth Chater
PERMISSIONS
“Introduction,” copyright 2014 by Greg Bear.
“If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love,” copyright 2013 by Rachel Swirsky, first published in Apex Magazine, March 2013.
“The Sounds of Old Earth,” copyright 2013 by Matthew Kressel, first published in Lightspeed, January 2013.
“Selkie Stories Are for Losers,” copyright 2013 by Sophia Samatar, first published in Strange Horizons, January 2013.
“Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer,” copyright 2013 by Kenneth Schneyer, first published in Clockwork Phoenix 4, Mythic Delirium Books, 2013.
“Alive, Alive Oh,” copyright 2013 by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley, first published in Lightspeed, June 2013.
“The Waiting Stars,” copyright 2013 by Aliette de Bodard, first published in The Other Half of the Sky, Candlemark & Gleam, 2013.
“Paranormal Romance,” copyright 2013 by Christopher Barzak, first published in Lightspeed, June 2013.
“They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass,” copyright 2013 by Alaya Dawn Johnson, first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, January 2013.
“Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters,” copyright 2012 by Henry Lien, first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, December 2013.
“In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind,” copyright 2013 by Sarah Pinsker, first published in Strange Horizons, July 2013.
“The Litigation Master and the Monkey King,” copyright 2013 by Ken Liu, first published in Lightspeed, August 2013.
“The Weight of the Sunrise,” copyright 2013 by Vylar Kaftan, first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2013.
Excerpt from Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie.
“Finding Frqnkie: Remembering Frank M. Robinson,” copyright 2014 by Robin Wayne Bailey.
Excerpt from Sister Mine, copyright 2013 by Nalo Hopkinson, first published in Sister Mine, Grand Central Publishing, March 2013.
“A Life Considered as a Prism of Ever-Precious Light: An Appreciation of Samuel R. Delany,” copyright 2014 by Nalo Hopkinson.
“Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones,” copyright 1968 by Samuel R. Delany, first published in New Worlds, Stoneheart Publications Ltd., December 1968.
“The Cat Star,” copyright 2012 by Terry A. Garey, first published in Lady Poetesses from Hell, Bag Person Press, 2013.
“Bashō after Cinderella (iii),” copyright 2012 by Deborah P Kolodji, first published in Rattle #38, Winter 2012.
“Into Flight,” copyright 2012 by Andrew Robert Sutton, first published in Silver Blade, May 2013.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: THE LONG, HOT SUMMER OF SCIENCE FICTION
Greg Bear
ABOUT THE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITERS OF AMERICA
ABOUT THE NEBULA AWARDS
2013 NEBULA AWARDS FINAL BALLOT
Nebula Award Winner: Best Short Story
“If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love”
Rachel Swirsky
Nebula Award Nominees: Best Short Story
“The Sounds of Old Earth”
Matthew Kressel
“Selkie Stories Are for Losers”
Sophia Samatar
“Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer”
Kenneth Schneyer
“Alive, Alive Oh”
Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
Nebula Award Winner: Best Novelette
“The Waiting Stars”
Aliette de Bodard
Nebula Award Nominees: Best Novelette
“Paranormal Romance”
Christopher Barzak
“They Shall Salt the Earth with Seeds of Glass”
Alaya Dawn Johnson
“Pearl Rehabilitative Colony for Ungrateful Daughters”
Henry Lien
“In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind”
Sarah Pinsker
“The Litigation Master and the Monkey King”
Ken Liu
Nebula Award Winner: Best Novella
“The Weight of the Sunrise”
Vylar Kaftan
Nebula Award Winner: Best Novel
Excerpt from Ancillary Justice
Ann Leckie
Nebula Awards 2013 Distinguished Guest: Frank M. Robinson
“Finding Frqnkie: Remembering Frank M. Robinson”
Robin Wayne Bailey
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Winner
Excerpt from Sister Mine
Nalo Hopkinson
ABOUT THE DAMON KNIGHT MEMORIAL GRAND MASTER AWARD
“A Life Considered as a Prism of Ever-Precious Light: An Appreciation of Samuel R. Delany”
Nalo Hopkinson
Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master: Samuel R. Delany
“Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones”
ABOUT THE RHYSLING AND DWARF STARS AWARDS
2013 Rhysling Award Winner: Best Short Poem
“The Cat Star”
Terry A. Garey
2013 Dwarf Stars Award Winner
“Bashō after Cinderella (iii)”
Deborah P Kolodji
2013 Rhysling Award Winner: Best Long Poem
“Into Flight”
Andrew Robert Sutton
PAST NEBULA AWARD WINNERS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE EDITOR
ABOUT THE COVER ARTIST
INTRODUCTION
THE LONG, HOT SUMMER OF SCIENCE FICTION
GREG BEAR
I was clueless. Enthusiastic, idealistic, and clueless. It was April of 1978, and I had been publishing some decent stories that had attracted gratifying attention, but no novels. Everything was potential. I was still doing illustrations of one sort or another, anything to make a little money . . .
I had established a track record with the Los Angeles Times Calendar section, publishing think pieces about the current run of blockbus
ter science-fiction films—Star Wars among them. I suggested to the LA Times Book Review—at that time a substantial pull-out section in the paper—that perhaps I should act as a stringer and cover the 1978 Nebula Awards ceremony being held in downtown San Francisco. The editor agreed, and I arrived at the hotels around Union Square full of energy and ideas, hoping to help spread the word about the ever-ascending marvel that was science fiction and fantasy.
I should have known that this was all too good to be true. At that time, there was an undercurrent of contempt that I did not feel at Calendar. A subeditor at the Book Review strongly advised me that if I didn’t get pictures of people in Spock ears and wild costumes, my piece might not run—clearly implying that the subject was faintly risible. I tried to explain that this wasn’t a costume event; professional writers were gathering to celebrate the achievements of their peers. This was serious (mostly); this was about literature.
“Ears, costumes,” the subeditor insisted.
Of course, there were no Spock ears, and my relationship with the Book Review went south from there. I wrote up my piece, with subtle and wise criticisms of some of the more conservative publishing trends of the day, and the text was awkwardly trimmed (without my approval) in such a way that I ended up pissing off Judy-Lynn del Rey, probably the most powerful editor in the field. Maybe I would have irritated her anyway; we’ll never know. (I later tried to make it up to her with an apologetic letter and another Calendar piece lauding the supremacy of Ballantine/Del Rey’s marketing skills.)
I fled from the Book Review but continued my fruitful work with Calendar editor Irv Letofsky, a lovely and intelligent man. Getting into the movie studios to see previews of new features was fabulous. Irv published my film pieces through the 1980s, including examinations of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Alien, Superman, and Raiders of the Lost Ark—as well as an Omen/Exorcist 3 mashup. He rejected my piece on Dune. It was an interesting film and a good article, but Irv didn’t think the movie would stay in theaters long. It didn’t, but it’s still a favorite—despite its flaws.
When not going to previews or running around Long Beach visiting bookstores and record shops, I was busy writing novels, which began to be published. In 1979, James Turner of Arkham House requested a short-story collection. Things were looking up!
The 1984 Nebula Awards ceremony was held at the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California. The event was in a wide, bright dining room—I don’t remember where on the ship, but it was well decked out with white tablecloths. The food was okay, I recall.
The highlight for me was when toastmaster Gregory Benford arranged the list of presenters. My wife, Astrid, and her parents, Poul and Karen Anderson, were in the audience, along with my agent, Richard Curtis, and my own parents, Dale and Wilma Bear. Elizabeth “Bette” Chater—one of my favorite people and very favorite professors from my alma mater, San Diego State University—was also able to attend and was accompanied by her daughter Patty. What a setup! None better since.
As the awards moved along that evening, Poul Anderson and Gregory Benford switched off to hand me two Nebulas: one for Hardfought and one for Blood Music. Fellow Killer B David Brin picked up Best Novel for Startide Rising.
Richard Curtis approached Lou Aronica and ebulliently proclaimed, with reference to advances, “To the moon, Lou! To the moon!”
And so it all began.
To this day, I hate losing awards, and I feel guilty winning them. What is this “best” nonsense? I know far too much about modern literary judgments to put much stock in contemporary assessments.
But it is fun to win! And so congratulations to our winners and a sideways wink to the nominees. I’ve been there. Some of my best novels were never even nominated. What’s that about? Award ceremonies are designed to make writers suffer, and then, on occasion, to feel overwhelming pride. So be it.
My other favorite Nebula moment was when I was elected SFWA president in 1988. Back then, it was the president’s sole discretion as to who would be awarded the Grand Master Award. I chose Ray Bradbury. Trying to be a little coy, I called him at his office in Los Angeles and suggested that he needed to be in New York City on a certain date, in appropriate attire—an ice cream suit would do fine. He demurred at first, but I was still too coy to tell him straight out, so I said, “Ray, you will really, really want to be in New York on this night, at this location! And invite your friends and editors. This is big.”
He finally got the point, arrived in New York, and was duly celebrated. The night before the Nebula event, a group of us, including Donn Albright, a collector, archivist, and dear friend of Ray’s, took a limo down to the South Street Seaport. While we were waiting for our table, the Irish singer holding forth from the stage spotted Ray and dedicated a song to him. The dinner itself was jovial and lasted a couple of hours, with copious servings of wine. I’m not sure what Ray ate, but it wasn’t fish—he was deathly allergic to seafood!
The next night at the banquet, Ray’s first agent and early promoter, Julius “Julie” Schwartz, a famous “Silver Age” editor at DC Comics, handed Ray a magnificent hunk of Lucite with nebula and mineral specimens inside. In turn, Ray delivered a stirring speech, and a fine time was had by all. Shortly thereafter, Bantam Books released special Grand Master editions of Ray’s paperbacks.
That was the most fun I had being president.
So here’s my love and fond hopes to all who compete—and to all those fine authors who create amazing works year after year and keep running up the odds!
My wife, Astrid, is rightfully coeditor of this anthology, due in part to my medical emergency. She’s done a marvelous job communicating with the authors, preparing the manuscript, and generally running the show. I’m the figurehead here. Love and thanks to this marvelous woman, my partner of many decades!
ABOUT THE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITERS OF AMERICA
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (formerly known as the Science Fiction Writers of America; the original acronym “SFWA” was retained), includes among its members many active writers of science fiction and fantasy. According to the bylaws of the organization, its purpose “shall be to promote the furtherance of the writing of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres as a profession.” SFWA informs writers on professional matters, protects their interests, and helps them in dealings with agents, editors, anthologists, and producers of nonprint media. It also strives to encourage public interest in and appreciation of science fiction and fantasy.
Anyone may become an active member of SFWA after the acceptance of and payment for one professionally published novel, one professionally produced dramatic script, or three professionally published pieces of short fiction. Only science fiction, fantasy, horror, or other prose fiction of a related genre, in English, shall be considered as qualifying for active membership. Beginning writers who do not yet qualify for active membership but have published qualifying professional work may join as associate members; other classes of membership include affiliate members (editors, agents, reviewers, and anthologists), estate members (representatives of the estates of active members who have died), and institutional members (high schools, colleges, universities, libraries, broadcasters, film producers, futurist groups, and individuals associated with such an institution).
Readers are invited to visit the SFWA website at www.sfwa.org.
ABOUT THE NEBULA AWARDS
Shortly after the founding of SFWA in 1965, its first secretary-treasurer, Lloyd Biggle Jr., proposed that the organization periodically select and publish the year’s best stories. This notion evolved into an elaborate balloting process, an annual awards banquet, and a series of Nebula anthologies.
Throughout every calendar year, members of SFWA read and recommend novels and stories for the Nebula Awards. The editor of the Nebula Awards Report (NAR) collects the recommendations and publishes them in the SFWA Forum and on the SFWA members’ private web page. At the end of the year, the NAR editor tallies the
endorsements, draws up a preliminary ballot containing ten or more recommendations, and sends it to all active SFWA members. Under the current rules, each work enjoys a one-year eligibility period from its date of publication in the United States. If a work fails to receive ten recommendations during the one-year interval, it is dropped from further Nebula Award consideration.
The NAR editor processes the results of the preliminary ballot and then compiles a final ballot listing the five most popular novels, novellas, novelettes, and short stories. For purposes of the award, a novel is determined to be 40,000 words or more; a novella is 17,500 to 39,999 words; a novelette is 7,500 to 17,499 words; and a short story is 7,499 words or fewer. Additionally, each year SFWA impanels a member jury, which is empowered to supplement the five nominees with a sixth choice in cases where it feels a worthy title was neglected by the membership at large. Thus, the appearance of more than five finalists in a category reflects two distinct processes: jury discretion and ties.
A complete set of Nebula rules can be found at www.sfwa.org/nebula-awards/rules/.
RAY BRADBURY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMATIC PRESENTATION
The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation is not a Nebula Award, but it follows Nebula nomination, voting, and award rules and guidelines, and it is given each year at the annual awards banquet. Founded in 2009, it replaces the earlier Nebula Award for Best Script. It was named in honor of science fiction and fantasy author Ray Bradbury, whose work appeared frequently in movies and on television.
ANDRE NORTON AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
The Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy is an annual award presented by SFWA to the author of the best young-adult or middle-grade science fiction or fantasy book published in the United States in the preceding year.