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Last installment of the Nebula nominee reviews. Alas, I didn't start this project early enough to get through the novels, though I'll add them to my list of "try to get to this Real Soon Now" list. Here are the novellas not previously reviewed.
"The Weight of the Sunrise," Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)
An intriguing premise of an alternate history in which the introduction of smallpox to the Inca empire turned out differently. I didn't feel the execution was as successful as the premise. The writing seemed ponderous, talky, and a bit too anthropological. Despite the framing story of the protagonist explaining events to his grandson, there is a self-conscious awareness of the extra-cultural reader as audience, with topics being explained/justified at awkward levels of detail. The story, as such, seemed a thin scaffolding on which to hand the worldbuilding, though I would love to have experienced the worldbuilding as a more subtle background to a stronger plot arc.
"Annabel Lee," Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick)
I was not able to locate/obtain a copy of this to read.
"Burning Girls," Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)
OMG. Wow. Beautiful like a punch to the gut. Sorry, I can't be more articulate than that. I loved it.
"Trial of the Century," Lawrence M. Schoen (lawrencemschoen.com, 8/13; World Jumping)
This one just never hooked me. My overall impression is an incoherent narrative of an alien cruise ship experience, largely presented by talking heads. I never did quite figure out what was going on, largely because I started skimming.
"Six-Gun Snow White," Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)
I loved the "voice" of this excerpt and the re-framing of the fairy-tale motifs. The excerpt that was available on-line wasn't quite enough to get a sense of the plot, but I might be interested enough to pick it up if I encountered the full text.
And with that, I think it's time to go vote.
"The Weight of the Sunrise," Vylar Kaftan (Asimov’s 2/13)
An intriguing premise of an alternate history in which the introduction of smallpox to the Inca empire turned out differently. I didn't feel the execution was as successful as the premise. The writing seemed ponderous, talky, and a bit too anthropological. Despite the framing story of the protagonist explaining events to his grandson, there is a self-conscious awareness of the extra-cultural reader as audience, with topics being explained/justified at awkward levels of detail. The story, as such, seemed a thin scaffolding on which to hand the worldbuilding, though I would love to have experienced the worldbuilding as a more subtle background to a stronger plot arc.
"Annabel Lee," Nancy Kress (New Under the Sun, Arc Manor/Phoenix Pick)
I was not able to locate/obtain a copy of this to read.
"Burning Girls," Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com 6/19/13)
OMG. Wow. Beautiful like a punch to the gut. Sorry, I can't be more articulate than that. I loved it.
"Trial of the Century," Lawrence M. Schoen (lawrencemschoen.com, 8/13; World Jumping)
This one just never hooked me. My overall impression is an incoherent narrative of an alien cruise ship experience, largely presented by talking heads. I never did quite figure out what was going on, largely because I started skimming.
"Six-Gun Snow White," Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)
I loved the "voice" of this excerpt and the re-framing of the fairy-tale motifs. The excerpt that was available on-line wasn't quite enough to get a sense of the plot, but I might be interested enough to pick it up if I encountered the full text.
And with that, I think it's time to go vote.
