By JJ: This thread is for posts about 2021-published works, which people have read and recommend to other Filers.
There will be no tallying of recommendations done in this thread; its purpose is to provide a source of recommendations for people who want to find something to read which will be eligible for the Hugos or other awards (Nebula, Locus, Asimov’s, etc.) next year.
If you’re recommending for an award other than / in addition to the Hugo Awards which has different categories than the Hugos (such as Locus Awards’ First Novel), then be sure to specify the award and category.
You don’t have to stop recommending works in Pixel Scrolls, please don’t! But it would be nice if you also post here, to capture the information for other readers.
The Suggested Format for posts is:
- Title, Author, Published by / Published in (Anthology, Collection, Website, or Magazine + Issue)
- Hugo or other Award Category: (Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Related Work, Graphic Novel, Lodestar, Astounding, etc)
- link (if available to read/view online)
- optional “Brief, spoiler-free description of story premise:”
- “What I liked / didn’t like about it:”
- (Please rot-13 any spoilers.)
There is a permalink to this thread in the blog header.
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Any Way The Wind Blows, by Rainbow Rowell
Novel (YA, 3rd in a trilogy)
In Carry On, Simon Snow and his friends realized that everything they thought they understood about the world might be wrong. And in Wayward Son, they wondered whether everything they understood about themselves might be wrong. In Any Way the Wind Blows, Simon and Baz and Penelope and Agatha have to decide how to move forward.
If you spent the whole of your high school years in a pitched battle against magical evil, then afterwards … you would be seriously messed up. The conclusion of Rainbow Rowell’s trilogy once again does a deep dive into that concept, continuing the examination of the aftereffects on the former Chosen One, the former Damsel-In-Distress Love Interest, the former Talented Best Friend, and the former Plotting Teen Rival (if those sound familiar, they’re supposed to.) This book does, I think, spend too long on Simon and Baz’s problems forming a healthy relationship, and I more than once found myself wishing the narrative would return more quickly to Penelope and Shepherd, or Agatha — who was more interesting this time around — and Niamh. But I enjoyed it overall, and there’s a scene with a demon that is simply amazing.
Short story
“Moose Trap,” Rich Larson, Daily Science Fiction, 9/14/21
Rich Larson is one of the best short story writers today, as he proves again with this chilling climate change flash story.
Novel
The Second Rebel, Linden A. Lewis
This is the second book in the First Sister trilogy, which will be the knock against it for some: you need to read the first book to understand what is going on. Having said that, this is a better book, with deeper characterizations and an improved and confident writer. This is a space opera with three factions of humanity fighting it out over the inner solar system and the asteroid belt, and the machine/AI Synthetics holding court at Jupiter’s orbit and beyond. It’s a similar setup to The Expanse (minus the protomolecule). Not as good, of course, but I still really enjoyed it.
Best Novel
The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson.
The sea in this book isn’t made of water; it’s made of grass. Ships sail across this endless prairie, using magical fires to keep themselves afloat. But something is causing the grasses to die, a power-hungry merchant is trying to exert greater control over scarce water supplies, and pirates from the legendary Once-City keep attacking. As if this wasn’t enough to keep apprentice fire keeper Kindred busy, her grandmother has disappeared. I love the magic, overlapping mysteries, and complex interpersonal relationships in this book.
Waking an Old God, Sara M. Harvey, Daily Science Fiction 9/27/21
Welcome to the slippery slope.
Richard Powers. Bewilderment. Novel.
This one mashed all my feels. It’s as if Olaf Stapledon decided to write a book for Oprah’s Book Club. There’s nothing new for habitual sf readers, but it does present hugely important ideas to a mass audience as well as I can imagine it being done.
The Last Graduate, by Naomi Novik
Novel (YA, second in a series)
At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year — and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules…
The second book in the series deepens the themes, the characters, and the world (and presents better explanations for a few, although not quite all, of the more implausible aspects of the setting.) I think it’s pretty safe to say that if you liked the first book, you’ll like the second. I did, very much. And the ending is… well. That’s a heck of an ending to a book, that’s all I’ll say.
The Hollow Heart, by Marie Rutkoski
Novel (YA, second in a duology)
Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful. Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.
A solid ending to the duology, but it didn’t have quite as much impact as the first book did for me. The addition of Sid’s point of view to the book is welcome, and the changes to Nirrim are appropriately horrifying. The gorgeous prose that characterized the first book is still present, if not quite as ubiquitous. But the mysteries were a little too easy to figure out, and Sid’s parents were a little too understanding to account for Sid’s actions in the first book (Sid’s parents are, apparently, the main characters of a previous trilogy by the same author, and I do wonder if I might have gotten more out of their appearance if I’d read it.) Nonetheless, I can’t say I’m disappointed; this was a good sequel to a great book, and that’s far from being a bad thing.
Novel
Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky
I’ve read several books by this author, but I think this is the best. It’s an epic space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and deals with trauma, PTSD and our treatment of refugees, against the backdrop of excellent worldbuilding where the extinction-eventers are known as the “Architects”–moon-sized beings that carve up planets into beautiful and terrible works of art.
What makes this stand out to me is that the author has leveled up his characterization compared to previous books. There are fewer non-human characters (and no spiders or octopi, although one character is fairly described as a giant crab) and multiple points of view, but we spend the most time in the head of Idris Telemmier, the “Intermediary” who fifty years previously was able to persuade an Architect to abandon its target and leave. He has since fallen in with a cranky found family aboard the salvage ship Vulture God, when one of their jobs turns up signs that the Architects are returning.
I loved this. My socks are still in orbit, bouncing around somewhere in the dark.
The Wisdom of Crowds, by Joe Abercrombie
Novel (3rd in a trilogy, 9th in an overarching series)
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds. The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together…
The end of the Age of Madness trilogy is full of reversals and twists, changes and revelations. Some of them I could see coming from quite a long way away, some of them came as complete surprises, but with one exception (an… exceptionally poor character judgement from someone notable for never making poor character judgements), all of them worked excellently within the story. Abercrombie continues to exemplify his style of thoughtful grim fantasy, this time looking closely at the meaning of being a hero and being a villain. The end sets up further stories, and I will await them eagerly.
Another vote here for
The Fallen, by Ada Hoffman
Novel (2nd in a series)
The laws of physics acting on the planet of Jai have been forever upended; its surface completed altered, and its inhabitants permanently changed. The artificially intelligent Gods that ruled the galaxy, fearing heresy and chaos, have become the planet’s jailers. Hunted by the Gods, and Akavi, the disgraced angel, Yasira and Tiv must delve further than ever before into the maddening mysteries of their fractured planet.
The second book in this series is less of a personal story than the first book, and spreads the narrative out among a larger group — which is very appropriate, considering that the story is ultimately about large-scale protest, rebellion, and the necessity of mass effort to effect change. The plot is slower paced; less happens, and more time is spent examining motivation. Overall, I’d say it didn’t have quite the same feel of something new and important on the SF scene that the first book did, but it’s nonetheless a strong entry in a fascinating ongoing story.
Novelette
Dog and Pony Show, Robert Jeschonek, Clarkesworld 180
“People say the needles of a dog are a boy’s best friend, and I believe them.”
I’ve gone back and forth on whether to recommend this – I like where the language takes him, but half of the audience should ask themselves “Nz V n ‘qbrf gur qbt qvr’ crefba?” and if the answer is yes, they have a very solid chance of hating this story violently.
“The Winter Garden,” Regina Kanyu Wang, translated by Emily Jin
An alternate-dimensions story with some good late imagery of the consequences.
Novella
A Spindle Splintered, Alix E. Harrow
This fierce, beautiful, subversive reimagining of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty in the multiverse has Harrow’s trademark gorgeous prose and her usual running theme of the power of stories. This could easily have been a full-length novel, but the narrative never feels overstuffed. Hey, when a story is this good, I’ll take it, at whatever length.
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, 4th edition
Best Related Work
At 6 million words, it has more than doubled in size since the 2011 edition (stats), which I believe makes it eligible again. The loss in sponsorship from Gollancz resulted in the move to a new server and edition.
What I like about it: I’ll just link this Tor.com post. Each of the previous editions won a Hugo, which may deter some from nominating it again – but I think the continuous and substantial additions merit another nom. There’s really nothing else like it on the Internet; Wikipedia frequently cites it as a source. It’s also quite opinionated, and fun to read even when you disagree with it.
At last, I’m able to recommend something that isn’t a sequel, for the first time since (checks) August:
The Past is Red, by Catherynne M. Valente
Novella
Tetley Abednego is the most beloved girl in Garbagetown, but she’s the only one who knows it. She’s the only one who knows a lot of things: that Garbagetown is the most wonderful place in the world, that it’s full of hope, that you can love someone and 66% hate them all at the same time. Earth is a terrible mess, hope is a fragile thing, and a lot of people are very angry with her.
While it’s surprisingly optimistic for a story about a social pariah living on a post-apocalyptic trash heap, The Past is Red is also a keenly written parable about self-delusion, greed, and the tragedy of false hope. (And of course, like many post-apocalyptic tales, it serves as a warning about what could come if we continue unchanged on our present course.) As usual, Valente impresses me with her skill as a storyteller and her thoughtfulness as a writer.
Novella: A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers
Chambers seems to be quite popular here, so I imagine most Filers have read this already, but in case you haven’t: Dex is a tea monk who finds that their work is no longer as fulfilling as it once was. Making a sort of pilgrimage into the wilderness, they encounter one of the robots who left human society generations ago. That robot is honoring an old promise to “check in” on humans. Together, they find that the answer to the question, “What do people need?”, is a lot more complicated than either of them expected.
This is a lovely story that definitely qualifies as a comfort read. I think the word I’d use to describe it is “gentle.” There’s no fearsome Big Bad, the fate of the world isn’t at stake, but it’s still compelling. It’s a book that makes you feel like even fairly humble individuals matter.
Short story
Ghost Riders at Hutchinson’s Two-Pump, Inez Schaechterle, Fantasy Magazine 70, August 2021
A modern Western fantasy, i.e., the cowboys and train robberies genre. I enjoyed the humorous touches and the resolution, but it has depth to it.
Sea Wolf, by Anna Burke
Novel (2nd in a series)
In the year 2514, the only thing more dangerous than the seas is those who sail them. Life aboard the mercenary ship Man o’ War is rarely dull, as hurricanes, swarms of jellyfish, and man-eating squid pose daily doses of danger. As intrigue and subterfuge from enemies old and new begin to surround its captain, the infamous Miranda Stillwater, even an uncanny sense of direction won’t be enough to help Rose navigate these dangerous straits.
Sea Wolf takes a closer and deeper look at the world, the characters, and the relationships introduced in Compass Rose. The reasons behind what happened in the first book turn out to be more complex than they at first appeared, in a number of ways. This is very much the middle book of a series — little is resolved, and far more dominoes are set up than are knocked down. But I very much want to know what happens next.
Novelette
“Small Monsters,” E. Lily Yu, Tor.com 10/20/21
This is a dark but ultimately hopeful fable of familial abuse and how the titular character learns to rise above it and create its own family and future.
Switch, by A. S. King
Novel (YA)
Tru lives in a world that has become trapped in a fold in time and space, where “real” time has stopped but humanity continues to mark artificial time based on a website called N3WCLOCK.com. Tru lives in a house that has a switch at its center. No one knows what the switch controls.
I think this is going to be a marmite book — people are either going to really like it, or be really turned off by the writing style. You can count me among those who liked it. It is not a book for people who like logical explanations for things that happen. But for those who enjoy books where events reflect emotions and move with the abstract narrative of dreams, this is a good one.
She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan
Novel
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.
A great start to a series; I’ll definitely be picking up the next book when it comes out. I particularly liked its approach to the “Chosen One” narrative, and its way of looking at fate, desire, and choice.
short story
The Wishing Pool, Tananarive Due, Uncanny Magazine Issue Forty-One
A story about children of aging parents, with a delicate touch on the wishing.
Novel
A Desolation Called Peace, Arkady Martine, Tor Books
Builds on the elements of the first book in satisfying ways. I haven’t decided if I found it very good or great, but suspect it’s going to grow on me.
Novel
Another vote for The Forever Sea, Joshua Phillip Johnson
I looked up the author on Isfdb and was surprised to find he has only one previous credit, a short story published in 2016 (so I can’t recommend him for Best New Writer, unfortunately). I can, however, recommend this book, a fantasy of pirates sailing the seas of grass, for its terrific worldbuilding and evocative setting and minimum of first-novel problems.
short story
Now You Feel It, Andrea Chapela, trans. Emma Törzs, Lightspeed Magazine 135, August 2021
A mind sculptor takes on a job for a privileged client. In a lot of ways, the story goes exactly where you expect, and yet the conclusion has a subtle but crucial difference.
novelette
Now You See Me, Justin C. Key, Lightspeed Magazine 135, August 2021
A woman’s life changes after a visit to a BLM art exhibit.
short story
Date and Time, Susan Taitel, Daily Science Fiction, 11/19/21
I was in a really foul mood when I encountered this story, and a less bleak one now.
The Theft of Sunlight, by Intisar Khanani
Novel (YA, 2nd in a series)
Children have been disappearing from across Menaiya for longer than Amraeya ni Ansarim can remember. When her friend’s sister is snatched, Rae knows she can’t look away any longer — even if that means seeking answers from the royal court. But treachery runs deep, and the more Rae uncovers, the more she endangers the kingdom itself.
A solid YA with a compelling main character. I like that it’s willing to examine some very dark issues, and I’m looking forward to the next book.
Novella
Primarily capturing these against a future Novellapalooza.
A Manslaughter of Crows, Chris Willrich, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue #341, October 21, 2021
Intelligent cats investigate a strange foe.
A Theatre, Thomas M. Waldroon, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue #336, August 12, 2021
Set during the American Revolutionary War, and written in a period style. Tough going for me, might be exactly to another’s interests.
Both of these look like stories I want to check out, at least.
Another vote for Shards of Earth, which is certainly making my 2022 Hugo finalist ballot.
The Stick Princess by Delia Marshall Turner
Novel (YA, 3rd in a series)
Alexandra, the Empress-in-Waiting of the Thousand Worlds, might seem to be the usual beautiful, biddable, and self-disciplined display-princess of a galactic empire. But when her security forces conspire to take over the Empire, she is on her own and on the run. Can she stand against insurrection and forced marriage, endure bad hair and worse outfits, defeat her enemies and her would-be friends, and enlist the aid of magic itself to save the galaxy?
For those who have been waiting since (checks) 1998 to find out how the political situation in the Thousand Worlds was going to play out, this is going to be a welcome book indeed. For those who started the series more recently, like myself, this is a book with a great main character, thrust into a situation where she can trust no one at all and mightily irritated by it. One note — don’t expect the characters from the previous books to play a huge role here. Their actions affect events, but this is very much not their story.
Short stories
“Habeas Codex,” Curtis C. Chen, Fireside Fiction December 2021. (This is an update/satire of William Gibson’s Neuromancer–as made evident by the first sentence, “The sky above the port was the color of YouTube, tuned to a singing-cats channel”–but it’s a neat little mystery of its own.)
“Marked By Bears,” Jessie Loyer, Apex Magazine October 2021. (This is part of the magazine’s Indigenous Futurists issue, and is the story of a post-apocalyptic future where humans–what’s left of them–have come back into “balance” with the animals, and the price that must be paid to maintain it.)
“Hank in the South Dakota Sun,” Stephanie Kraner, Apex Magazine November 2021. (The guest editor for this issue said she teared up every time she read this tale of a sentient train and its conductor. That has been my reaction as well. What a sad, beautiful story.)
Novella
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
This is the latest entry in the Wayward Children series. It follows Regan, whose door leads her to the Hooflands, a world filled by centaurs, kelpies, satyrs, and other sapient hoofed beings. Everyone there is convinced that she’s a hero destined to save their world…but save it from who or what? And what does saving the world really mean, anyway?
None of the other characters from the series appear in this one; it’s solely focused on Regan. But McGuire creates compelling inhabitants for the Hooflands, and makes it feel like a complete world even in such a relatively short story.
Series
The Song of the Shattered Sands by Bradley P. Beaulieu
The sixth and final book in the series, A Desert Torn Asunder, came out this summer. Beaulieu brings his story to a satisfying conclusion, wrapping up both the overarching plot and the individual character arcs. This has been one of my favorite fantasy series of the past few years, and I’m sad to see it go.
Paladin’s Hope, by T. Kingfisher
Novel (3rd in a series)
Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard’s investigations. Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. Then the two men, along with a brave gnole constable, are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer…
To answer possible questions you might have about T. Kingfisher’s third paladin romance:
Is there a gnole in it?
Absolutely.
Do the main characters have to pretend to be in a relationship during an emergency?
Yes.
Is there angsty longing?
Very much yes.
Does this all take place against the backdrop of some murders that need solving?
Most certainly.
Are there mysterious magical constructs?
Yup.
So if you like that sort of thing, will this be the sort of thing that you like?
I would think so.
Is this one queer, though?
Yes!
Awesome review!
Cytonic, by Brandon Sanderson
Novel (YA, 3rd in a series)
The Superiority has started a galaxy-wide war, and Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Except that Spensa faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. The only way she can discover why, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.
The third book in the Skyward series gets pretty wild, and in no small part because of that, it’s the best one yet. Spensa has matured a lot as a character, which also helps. Some of the supporting cast we haven’t seen in a while remain out of sight, which is a pity. But there are also both old and new faces (or lack of faces) around to keep things interesting.
The Storm of Echoes, by Christelle Dabos
Novel (YA, 4th in a series, published in French in 2019 and in English in 2021)
Ophelia and Thorn arrive at the observatory of the Deviations, an institute shrouded in absolute secrecy and overseen by a sect of mystical scientists who secretly conduct terrifying experiments. There, Ophelia and Thorn hope to discover truths that will halt the destruction of the arks.
The final book in the Mirror Visitor Quartet at last answers all of the lingering mysteries that have built up over the course of the series. This ends up meaning that much of the supporting cast gets sidelined in this one; the focus on the main characters and their ultimate investigation means that no one else is given much time, which is a pity. But the revelations, when they come, are inventive and fascinating, and worth reading the series to get to.
@Kyra, on Cytonic:
Are you aware that there are three novellas featuring them, co-written with Janci Patterson? I’ve read the first two (about halfway through Cytonic now myself) and will then move on to the third.
Oh, neat! How are they?
Another recommendation here for:
Shards of Earth, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Novel (1st in a series)
After earth was destroyed, mankind created enhanced humans, such as Idris, to save their species. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared. Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, they race across the galaxy hunting for answers.
This one was definitely a page turner, with a memorable and motley cast of interesting characters. I wish there had been maybe two or three fewer fight scenes; they happened so regularly that sometimes it felt like the story didn’t have any time to breathe. That having been said, though, I’ll be picking up the sequel.
Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao
Novel (YA)
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But that’s only where her story begins.
This is not a book without flaws. Adjectives are overused and sometimes oddly idiosyncratic. Every plot twist is telegraphed a long way in advance. But it also has a power that comes from its rage. And the rage definitely seems justified.
Elder Race, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Short Novel, or possibly long Novella
Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way. But a demon is terrorizing the land, and the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and Nyr, the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the wizard’s tower for as long as her people have lived here. But Nyr isn’t a sorcerer at all, and he is forbidden to help…
This was an absolute delight, although that may be an odd way to describe a book about a lonely, depressed person who uses technological dissociation techniques just to get by. But it’s a hopeful book for all that, and the science-fiction-masquerading-as-fantasy setting is a trope I always fall for. And here, while sufficiently advanced technology may seem like magic, sufficiently advanced mythologizing — storytelling — is as valid as any other method of telling you what it means. I think any lover of both science and fiction would agree.
Iron Widow has been getting an unusual amount of buzz, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it make the Lodestar ballot.
@Kyra:
Sorry, didn’t see your reply until now! I’ve now read all three, and enjoyed them quite a bit. As well as letting us know what’s going on with the other members of Skyward Flight, they expand the universe a bit by giving us a look at the home planets of some of the other races. The prose quality is well up to standard: I couldn’t tell what was Brando-Sando himself and what was co-author input. If you liked the main three novels (and seeing as you put a rec for the third one in this thread, seems like you must have!) I’d say definitely check them out. I think that in ebook, all three are now available in an omnibus called “Skyward Flight”.
Jade Legacy, by Fonda Lee
Novel (3rd in a Trilogy)
The Kauls have been battered by war and tragedy. They are plagued by resentments and old wounds as their adversaries are on the ascent, and their country is riven by dangerous factions and foreign interference that could destroy the Green Bone way of life altogether. As a new generation arises, the clan’s growing empire is in danger of coming apart.
The massive final book of the Green Bone Trilogy spans two decades. Although there’s violence, duelling, and assassinations in this one, they take a back seat to political and economic machinations, which I enjoyed greatly. If the first book seemed to have Shae as its primary focus, and the second one Anden, then this one is Hilo’s story. I wish Hilo’s horrific actions in book two had come back around on him a bit more than they did, but overall this is a very much an epic conclusion to an epic series.
Unknown Number by Azure
Short Story
https://twitter.com/Azure_Husky/status/1420177933826732034
Nice little dialogue-only story about a conversation between two alternate universe versions of the same person. Not, I think, likely to hit any award ballots near you, but certainly worth a look if you’re interested in QUILTBAG+ themes.
Comfort Me With Apples, by Catherynne M. Valente
Novella
Sophia’s husband is perfect. Their home is perfect. Everything is perfect. But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. The look on her husband’s face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can’t quite meet her gaze…
It’s hard to say much about this one without giving away the end. It’s a retelling of a story (or more than one story, perhaps) from a different perspective that changes it into gothic horror. As usual, Valente presents a thought-provoking tale full of beautiful prose. Do NOT violate the terms of the HOA…
Novelette
You Are Born Exploding, Rich Larson, Clarkesworld 183, December 2021
This appears to be a “something Rich Larson’s brain did with the pandemic” story, if pandemic stories are no longer your thing. Though I’d say it’s on the light side for Larson.
Short story
The Cold Calculations, Aimee Ogden, Clarkesworld 183
We’ve hit year-end and I have a full list in most categories, so I don’t know if this one will be on my ballot for short. But I haven’t read a discussion/argument with/interrogation of “The Cold Equations” in a form quite like this before.
Novella
A Spindle Splintered, Alix E. Harrow, tordotcom
Harrow is getting to be an author I enjoy a lot more than I expect to going in. This one starts in fairly familiar YA fairytale retelling territory, albeit with some wonderful asides – Lodestar might also be an excellent fit. Then it takes some delightful but logical turns that make it much more fun.