What do you think?
Rate this book
Sublimation Angels
From acclaimed science fiction author Jason Sanford comes the award-winning novella Sublimation Angels. On an alien planet where the atmosphere has frozen, humans must continually mine the icy air simply to survive. But for Chicka, a young man struggling with the death of his identical twin brother, survival isn't enough. He wants to understand both the rigid nature of their harsh society and why his brother was killed for questioning their place in the universe.
John DeNardo of SF Signal gave Sublimation Angels "five stars" and called the novella "A captivating story about freedom, rebellion, and seeking the truth." Science fiction author Colin Harvey said this is "One of the best novellas of the year, written by a writer whose reputation grows with each story."
Sublimation Angels was a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella, won the Interzone Readers' Poll for best story, and was longlisted for the British Fantasy Award.
John DeNardo of SF Signal gave Sublimation Angels "five stars" and called the novella "A captivating story about freedom, rebellion, and seeking the truth." Science fiction author Colin Harvey said this is "One of the best novellas of the year, written by a writer whose reputation grows with each story."
Sublimation Angels was a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella, won the Interzone Readers' Poll for best story, and was longlisted for the British Fantasy Award.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Jason Sanford
62 books75 followersJason Sanford is three-time finalist for the Nebula Award and an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Born and raised in the American South, he currently lives in the Midwestern U.S. His life's adventures include work as an archaeologist and as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Jason's first novel Plague Birds will be released by Apex Books in September 2021. He has published dozens of short stories in Asimov's Science Fiction, Interzone, Analog: Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine, and other places. Books containing his stories include multiple "year's best" story collections and The New Voices of Science Fiction.
Jason’s awards and honors include being a finalist for the Nebula Awards for Best Novella, Best Novelette and Best Short Story. He has also won two Interzone Readers' Polls for best story of the year and been a co-winner of a third Poll. Jason's other honors include receiving a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, being nominated for the BSFA Award, and being longlisted for the British Fantasy Award. His stories have been named to multiple Locus Recommended Reading Lists along with being translated into a number of languages including Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Italian and Czech.
Jason's first novel Plague Birds will be released by Apex Books in September 2021. He has published dozens of short stories in Asimov's Science Fiction, Interzone, Analog: Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine, and other places. Books containing his stories include multiple "year's best" story collections and The New Voices of Science Fiction.
Jason’s awards and honors include being a finalist for the Nebula Awards for Best Novella, Best Novelette and Best Short Story. He has also won two Interzone Readers' Polls for best story of the year and been a co-winner of a third Poll. Jason's other honors include receiving a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship, being nominated for the BSFA Award, and being longlisted for the British Fantasy Award. His stories have been named to multiple Locus Recommended Reading Lists along with being translated into a number of languages including Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, Hungarian, Italian and Czech.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 4, 2013
I liked the unique setting of this novella, a planet which was pulled out of its orbit by the Aurals (its original inhabitants), and is now so far from its sun that the atmosphere is frozen solid. Humans were invited to the planet several hundred years ago by the Aurals, but have not managed to make contact with them and are reduced to living in a cave system and melting the frozen air to breathe. The sublimation angels of the title are the puffs of air that are released when the mirror ash surface is scraped off, exposing the frozen surface, and the Low Kids believe that they are the souls of the dead.
The social structure of the stranded humans and the presence among them of AIs in human bodies were also interesting, but I didn't really get into the story until the revolt of the Low Kids against the Moms, in the last third of the story when it really picked up pace.
The social structure of the stranded humans and the presence among them of AIs in human bodies were also interesting, but I didn't really get into the story until the revolt of the Low Kids against the Moms, in the last third of the story when it really picked up pace.
June 29, 2010
"Sublimation Angels" by Jason Sanford is a thought-provoking science fiction story, set far away from this earth, on a frozen planet visited by an expedition team that followed the signs of aliens, in the hope of learning about the cosmos.
Here is one of my favourite scenes: the main character tries to gather the clues and questions about their current situation, which isn't exactly allowed in this place, and then shares his questions with a chosen one.
"You truly are my twin", he [the chosen one:] whispered. "I've pondered the same questions. But you forgot the most important one."
"Which is?"
"What are you going to do about it?"
Everyone else in the expedition loved it when the chosen one was cryptic and sage-like. Me, I hit him and fell asleep angrily.
Here is one of my favourite scenes: the main character tries to gather the clues and questions about their current situation, which isn't exactly allowed in this place, and then shares his questions with a chosen one.
"You truly are my twin", he [the chosen one:] whispered. "I've pondered the same questions. But you forgot the most important one."
"Which is?"
"What are you going to do about it?"
Everyone else in the expedition loved it when the chosen one was cryptic and sage-like. Me, I hit him and fell asleep angrily.
July 12, 2011
This book is an intriguing introduction to a new fictional universe. Sublimation Angels is complete and satisfying in itself, yet hints at a world with many more stories to tell.
Some of the fantastical elements were left more unexplained than I generally prefer, but the story itself is engaging enough that I'm willing to wait for future books to find out what the Aurals are and how that particular group came to be on the planet.
Some of the fantastical elements were left more unexplained than I generally prefer, but the story itself is engaging enough that I'm willing to wait for future books to find out what the Aurals are and how that particular group came to be on the planet.
April 28, 2015
One of the best sci-fi novellas in recent years!
Definitely worth reading.
Definitely worth reading.
November 15, 2023
absolute friggin' genius!!!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews