Nebula Awards Showcase 2019

Nebula Awards Showcases #53

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (editor), Kelly Robson, Vina Jie Prasad

The latest edition of the very best science fiction and fantasy as selected by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

The Nebula Awards Showcase is an anthology of the winners and nominees for the SFWA Nebula Awards. The anthology has been published continuously since 1966 and has featured the very best of science fiction and fantasy. This year's anthology includes stories from Nebula Winners Rebecca Roanhorse, Martha Wells, and Kelly Robson as well as finalists Vina Jie-Min Prasad, Richard Bowes, K.M. Szpara, Jonathan Brazee, Sarah Pinsker, Caroline M. Yoachim, Fran Wilde, Matthew Kressel, and Jamie Walls.

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction

350 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination.

Reviews

[Lost Lare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another short story collection I borrowed. I am writing this for myself to remember the stories and authors for later. As a collection as a whole, I wish there was more fantasy. It really felt 2/3's of it was Sci-Fi which isn't always my favorite, but there is a lot of sci-fi I liked in this. It also felt very literary which is to be expected for an award collection.


"Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience ™" By: Rebecca Roanhorse
I do not have too much to say about this one. It is based around Jesse Turnblatt who is a VR guide for tourists to experience the romantic version of Native American spiritualism. There is a lot of depth in this one and I think it is worthy of being taught in schools.

"A Series of Steaks" By: Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Basically a story of a biological/graphic designer counterfeiting steaks for a client who means her ill. I liked this one; the characters were pretty fun, the world was realized, and the ending was satisfying and deserved.

"Weaponized Math" By: Jonathan P. Brazee
I am not usually one for military fiction, but this one brought me right into the action and did not make me feel left out with the lingo. This story follows a female sniper in a battle/ambush and this is a bit sci-fi with future tech. I am surprised how much I liked it.

"Utopia, LOL??" By: Jamie Wahl
This one is about a fairly ditsy future human (Kit) guiding a human who has been in a deep freeze for a very long time into the world of the future. There is a lot of depth in this one that is not noticeable at first. It is interesting how humans evolve and it makes and more sense why Kit is who she is. I really liked this one.

"Fandom for Robots" By: Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Loved this, love the author now and I want more! This follows a robot as he falls hard into an anime fandom. So good. LOVED IT~

"All Systems Red" By: Martha Wells
I loved this one too. This is the first novella of the Murderbot Diaries and the complete story is in this collection. This follows a security unit who found a way to hack his system to have free will and all he wants to do is watch his stories and not talk to people. I think this is the best story I have read so far that deals with the want to be anti-social and what I perceive to be social anxiety. It is really good and I plan to read the rest of the series over the next month or two.

"Wind Will Rove" By: Sarah Pinsker
Not a fan. This story is about old traditions, new traditions, cultural memory, the importance of art, and being stuck between places. It takes place on a giant colonizing space ship heading to a new planet to colonize and follows a history teacher who is trying to teach the importance of Earth history to a bunch of high schoolers who have and never will see Earth. It is long and windy, has a lot of good thoughts, is in an interesting world concept, but very little actually happens.

"Dirty Old Town" By: Richard Bowes
Here we follow a couple of men who spent part of their childhood in the same neighborhood as children and how they cross paths as adults. Not much happens, I had very little interest in the town and I honestly could not care by the end of it.

"The Last Novelist (or a Dead Lizard by the Yard)" By: Matthew Kressel
This story is about a novelist preparing to die, trying to pass down his trade while finishing his final novel all while being in a tropical alien paradise. I feel indifferent to this one. I thought the writing was pretty and the world was beautiful.

Carnival Nine by: Caroline M. Yaochim
Set in a clockwork world where you have only so many turns to do everything in the day. I have really never read anything quite like this. The world-building is unique and phenomenal. The story itself was pretty good too. It is mostly about the sacrifices we make for each other. I am not sure how much I liked it, but very good.

"Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time" by: K.M. Szpara
Transgender vampire story. Need I say more? In this story, Finn (transgender man) is changed into a vampire. This talks about trans issues and what it is to say goodbye to your life. Very good unique vampire story. Very good lines at the end. Also, there is graphic vampire sex.

"Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand" by: Fran Wilde
A very pretty and interesting story written in the second person of walk-through of a medical (?) museum. To be honest, it is hard to tell exactly what kind of museum you are in but it is pretty and haunting.

"A Human Stain" by: Kelly Robson
A kind of gothic horror story where a desperate lady is brought in as a teacher for an orphaned boy on a haunting estate. Not my cup of tea.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection. I'd previously read almost half the stories, which is well over half the book, as it includes the complete novella "All Systems Red," Martha Wells's wonderful first Murderbot story. The stories are from 2017, and the awards are from 2018. The introduction talks about how much the genre has progressed in diversity in just the last decade or so, and the stories, and the beautiful cover, reflect that diversity nicely.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Statistically, this is 3 stars, but it felt like a four-star read because I enjoyed the majority of the stories with only a few duds. I would recommend if you want to read more SFF short stories but don't know where to start.


Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience: 4 stars
I understand why this won the Hugo, the message and presentation of the main character was done well without bashing it over your head.

A Series of Steaks:3 stars
Interesting concept, lacklustre ending.

Weaponized Math: 1 star
I read the first few pages, saw it as a war story, go bored and skimmed to the end.

Utopia, Lol?: 4 stars
A fun story with a lively voice.

Fandom for Robots: 3 stars
Interesting concept, fun, but boring at times.

All Systems Red: 4 stars
I didn't re-read this now, but I really enjoy this series and would recommend it. Really great voice that will have you chuckling.

Wind Will Rove: 4 stars
This was slow going at first, and I wasn't sure I was going to really like it, but by the end I found it to be a really rendering story.

Dirty Old Town: 1 star
The voice failed to capture me and I skimmed most of it.

Carnival Nine: 4 stars
Really great voice, moves along a long period of time in a short story really well. It really captivated me as a reader, but it triggered my death-anxiety at the end, so if that's an issue for you, maybe skip this one.

The Last Novelist (or a Dead Lizard in the Yard): 2.5 stars
Took a long time to get into, and didn't have my favourite voice, but grew on me a bit by the end.

Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time: 4 stars
One of the best voices in the collection, it was the most compulsively readable and was a unique take on ever-present vampires. Though I will admit some of the submissive BDSM vibes were not for me and made me feel uncomfortable at times- which was also a large reason why I had to put down this author's novel despite a captivating writing style and voice.

Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand: 2 stars
Felt gimmicky and failed to grab me.

A Human Stain: 4 stars
Slow at first, and I probably did this a disservice for reading the first half of this while I was too tired to take it in, but this has a solid visual footing and builds up a real atmosphere throughout the story. It took too long to grab me, but the ending was halfway satisfying, even if I didn't fully understand it in the end.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sarah Pinsker: The Blur In The Corner Of Your Eye

I liked the story, it seemed one I have already read anyway, but I cannot remember if and where, maybe there is a super insect inside of me also, no assistant unglücklicherweise...The insect part anyway took me by surprise because I was thinking more along the lines of metanovel or the writer inside the book in the form of the assistant, but it were good 10 minutes and I have never read anything else written by her and I could give it a try.

[Rick Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few really good stories in this one, and a couple that are more or less just ok. More of a 3.5 score.
Even though I think of myself more of a science fiction fan, I did like the transgender vampire story.
One of the other stories was one I had already heard on Clarkesworld (I think, but maybe it was another podcast) and it was nice to revisit it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

With only two stories I found lacking, this collection is populated by a wealth of strong, imaginative and well-written stories. I’ve been introduced to at least three new authors I will definitely be following now.

[Diann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag here, but mostly good.

Best stories, in the order they show up: A Series of Steaks (Vina Jie-Min Prasad), Fandom for Robots (Vina Jie-Min Prasad), All Systems Red (Martha Wells) and Wind Will Rove (Sarah Pinkster).

[Audrey Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already wrote the stories that stood out to me, the last two didn't make that list.
Good, but could have been a little better in my opinion, considering it's the Nebula Showcase but still decent set of stories.

[Fantods · Rating 4 out of 5]

above average

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of stories - long and short. Well worth the read. As an aspiring writer, they are inspiring, too.

[Yasser Pundaodaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think reading a SF short story before going to be is going to be a new tradition for me. Really enjoyed this collection, most are excellent, some were okay.

[Frank Ashe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual collection of first class fiction.

[Kadambi Seshasayee · Rating 2 out of 5]

A motley set of fiction.

Most of it is dull. Some pieces are rambling, some have no recognizable beginning or ending.not worth it. Not my idea of SF.