Nebula Awards Showcase 2017

Starred review from March 27, 2017
This compilation of Nebula Award–nominated and –winning fiction from 2016 is indispensable reading for anyone interested in fantastic fiction. The three short-fiction winners show the breadth of themes and ideas and the sheer creativity of the genre’s leading writers. Alyssa Wong’s “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” is an unsettling tale of horror and also a haunting love story. Sarah Pinsker’s novelette “Our Lady of the Open Road” is a rumination on artistic integrity in a near future in which canned StageHolos are stifling the future of live musical performance. Nnedi Okorafor’s exceptional novella “Binti” explores cultural tribalism as humans and extraterrestrials face off. In addition to all six nominated short stories, the anthology includes excerpts from all six nominated novels, two Rhysling Award–winning poems, and tributes by Betsy Wollheim for C.J. Cherryh (winner of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award) and by Michelle Sagara for Terry Pratchett (posthumous winner of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award). Czerneda has curated a sterling collection of outstanding work.

May 15, 2017

Every year, members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America vote for Nebula Award winners in various categories. Since 1966, the winning and nominated short stories, novellas, and novelettes, along with poems and excerpts from other lauded works, have been collected in an annual volume. This 51st edition features the winners and finalists for the year 2015 (the awards were announced in May 2016). As heated as the last couple of years have been in the speculative fiction universe thanks to the Sad Puppies controversy (ow.ly/ckLK30b1QDH), the tales showcased here push the boundaries of sexuality, diversity, and genre, reflecting the ability of sf/fantasy always to surprise and reward. Contributors include Naomi Novik and Nnedi Okorafor, Naomi Kritzer, as well as Michelle Sagara, Betsy Wollheim, and others. VERDICT This collection will speak to anyone who has a passion for diverse, imaginative speculative fiction.--KC A stellar steampunk launch; a fresh dystopian twist

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