(2019) List of novellas eligible for 2019 Hugo/Nebula

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

According to the rules, a novella should be a science fiction or fantasy story between 17,500 and 40,000 words, which appeared
for the first time in 2018.

Last year winner was All Systems Red by Martha Wells. This year she has several more installments of the series, namely:
Artificial Condition
Rogue Protocol and
Exit Strategy

My personal favorite for 2018 novella is
The Expert System's Brother by Adrian Tchaikovsky
another possible nominee is The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts - I'm yet to read it but the author is very good

Also here is a list from GR, but beware, it is compiled by members, so works can be misplaces (e.g. novelette or novel) or ineligible (not from 2018)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Antti]

I suspect The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor will win this category, although I personally disliked the story. The plot completely disintegrated and character development was non-existent. But many people seem to like it, for some reason or another.

Greg Egan is my all-time favorite author, and he published novella-lenght Phoresis last year. I haven't yet read it, though.

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

Antti wrote: "I suspect The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor will win this category, although I personally disliked the story."

I only read the first volume, i.e. Binti and wasn't impressed as well.

Antti wrote: "Greg Egan is my all-time favorite author, and he published novella-lenght Phoresis last year. I haven't yet read it, though. "

Great suggestion, thanks!

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Re the Murderbot series. I think only the first was novella length. Or else the author and publisher have a lot of nerve charging $9.99 for the last three! (they only charged $3.99 for the first) . . . here are the prices https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

Kateblue wrote: "Re the Murderbot series. I think only the first was novella length. Or else the author and publisher have a lot of nerve charging $9.99 for the last three! (they only charged $3.99 for the first) ...."

I look at audio length - the first is 3:17, 2nd - 3:21, 3rd - 3:46, 4th - 3:46. This sounds like novella to me. We read short novel Tea with the Black Dragon which is 5:38

[Antti]

I've read the second Murderbot book, and it is novella lenght - definitely not longer than the first one in the series.

[Kateblue, 2nd star to the right and straight on til morning]

Well, then, rip off! Thanks for warning me, I will definitely wait for library copies

[Dennis]

I've just finished Two of Six: A Captain's Dilemma by Tomohito Moriyama.

It's a story about a space ship having an unexplained malfunction which makes it impossible for it to return home. There are six people on board and the escape pod only fits two. The captain, with a little help from his humanoid navigator, has to decide who's going to live and who's going to die on board of the ship.

The author borrows heavily from Asimov and even though it isn't a bad story it's not exactly original and the characters were kinda weak.

Available on kindle unlimited.

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

Any homage to The Cold Equations short story? It is available online and the similar problem who's going to live and who's going to die is mused

[Dennis]

Can't tell. Sorry! I'd have to read it first.

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

One of the issues with translated Japanese fiction is that a lot of character development and subtleties are not carried over well. I've read quite a few of translated novels and only but a few in the original Japanese and I may attest that the most of nuances that define any given character are seen in "how" people say things rather than "what" they actually say. Even majority of the movies that were met with success abroad do not really carry the little subtle things over. For me it's not even a matter of preference whether to watch a movie in original Japanese or turn English audio on, the translations are often crude and do not tell the whole story.

All that being said, for all I know none of this has anything to do with this particular novella.

[Dennis]

The translation might very well be an issue. Though I wouldn't know for sure. I don't speak Japanese.
But in any case, there wasn't enough room for the characters to be fully developed.

[Dennis]

Oleksandr wrote: "Any homage to The Cold Equations short story? It is available online and the similar problem who's going to live and who's going to die is mused"

Okay, I've read it now. And first of all, it is fantastic. Thanks for mentioning it, Oleksandr.

As far as similarities go, it ends with the basic premise that some critical resource is running low and the crew knows that only one or two respectively will be able to survive.
That's about it. Moriyama's story focuses on a way to find a logical solution to the dilemma. While Godwin's story is all about how to deal with the inevitable and all the emotions this involves.
The latter is the far better story and I can't really see the former paying homage to it.

[Ed]

Dennis wrote: "Godwin's story is all about how to deal with the inevitable and all the emotions this involves...."

By the way, from a recent biography of Campbell I know that Goodwin's original version had a different ending. Campbell made him re-write it several times until getting the ending that Campbell wanted.

[Dennis]

Oh, that's interesting. Anything on how it ended originally?

[Silvana]

Kateblue wrote: "Re the Murderbot series. I think only the first was novella length. Or else the author and publisher have a lot of nerve charging $9.99 for the last three! (they only charged $3.99 for the first) ...."

Same problem here, but I don't have any access to library. Just gonna wait for the Kindle deal.

[Silvana]

Just read Umbernight from Carolyn Ives Gilman, free from Clarkesworld I think. It was really good and worth to read before the deadline ends.

[Oleksandr, a.k.a. Acorn]

Silvana wrote: "Just read Umbernight from Carolyn Ives Gilman, free from Clarkesworld I think. It was really good and worth to read before the deadline ends."

Thanks for the info!