One more short fiction category for the Hugos. <\/p>\n
\u201cWakulla Springs\u201d by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages<\/strong> (Tor.com<\/a>). This is pretty well-done, except for two things. First, its narrative weight is fairly unbalanced, scanting the end. Second, it becomes unequivocally SFF only in, literally, the last paragraph—indeed, I’ve seen a number of people argue that it’s not SFF at all. I think it is, because when I re-read that paragraph (I’d forgotten it entirely from my first read), I saw how the SFF element worked with the themes of the story . . . but in a very “let us write a high school essay pointing out the themes” kind of way. So I think it’s SFF, I just don’t think the SFF element is very good.<\/p>\n Six-Gun Snow White<\/cite> by Catherynne M. Valente<\/strong> (published as standalone book; available as an ebook<\/a> but not for free online). This also scants its ending, alas. More, it shifts from first to third about halfway through, and I would really have liked either first-person or some more explanation for the actions of the protagonist late in the story. Plus I didn’t find the narrative voice employed, in either first or third, very easy to get into. But I was somewhat more interested in it than in “Wakulla Springs,” so I don’t know.<\/p>\n The Butcher of Khardov<\/cite> by Dan Wells<\/strong> (published as a standalone book; available as an ebook<\/a> but not for free online). I got about three pages into this before I said, “ugh, no.” Chad assures me that I didn’t miss a thing.<\/p>\n Did not read: \u201cEquoid\u201d by Charles Stross, because I am allergic to Stross’ fiction, which this time let me avoid some really awful sexual violence against a child, among other things (a short summary<\/a>, read with due caution for triggers), so yay for that; \u201cThe Chaplain’s Legacy\u201d by Brad Torgersen, again for the reasons discussed here<\/a>. <\/p>\n I am really not sure what my ballot looks like, at this point, because I found both “Wakulla Springs” and Six-Gun Snow White<\/cite> flawed in fairly similar ways, and those are the only two going above No Award.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One more short fiction category for the Hugos. \u201cWakulla Springs\u201d by Andy Duncan and Ellen Klages (Tor.com). This is pretty well-done, except for two things. First, its narrative weight is fairly unbalanced, scanting the end. Second, it becomes unequivocally SFF only in, literally, the last paragraph—indeed, I’ve seen a number of people argue that it’s … <\/p>\n