Nominated: Nebula Award 2011
Synopsis: In an Aztec alternate future history, interstellar ships are a symbiote consisting of machine structure and human minds. Acoimi, a woman turned man, must deal with the aftermath of the failed birth of a ship mind. This is hard for Acoimi because his sister died while giving birth to a ship mind.
If this were just a story about a doctor who helps a dying woman after childbirth, it would be a simple short story of just a few pages. But the real conflict is below the surface. Aliette de Bodard shows us Acoimi who has made three big choices in his life, and none of them have worked out as he thought they would. Even though Aliette de Bodard sets this story in her Aztec future history, it could apply to anyone anyplace. We all make choices in life, hoping to achieve purpose or meaning. Whether those choices work or not, like Acoimi, we have to deal with the consequences.
Where
to read this story: At Aliette de Bodard's web site. Epub and Mobi versions are also available there. It might help your understanding of the story to read the author's notes as well.
More by the author, Aliette de Bodard:
The Jaguar House, In Shadow; 2010 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novelette.
Obsidian Shards; 2008 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novelette.
The Triad's Gift; 2007 Nebula Award nominee for Best Novelette.
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