Review: Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son (2011 Nebula Award Nominee)

Nominated: Nebula Award 2011

Synopsis: Zhenya is a young man who volunteers for a dangerous experiment because he needs the money to pay for his mother's medical care. The experiment allows Zhenya how to access the multiverse. Unfortunately for Zhenya, his mother, and apparently all of humanity, there are fatal consequences to this .

I don't know if it was Tom Crosshill's intention, but this story reminds me of the classic "Flowers for Algernon." A young man becomes the subject of a scientific experiment, and the reader experiences the rise and fall of the young man. Zhenya even has an animal companion who leads the way. However, this story is a little harder to follow. What makes Zhenya a good subject for the experiment is that his mind is young and malleable; but that also means he is not the best narrator, since his knowledge of the advanced science being performed on him never increases beyond his initial child-like perceptions. This story about one possible consequence to accessing the multiverse was interesting, but I felt the ending didn't explain enough about what happened to Zhenya and his world.

Where to read this story: Lightspeed magazine, or on your Kindle:


Watch an abridged animated version of the story.

More by the author, Tom Crosshill: Links to online releases of many stories are available on the author's web site. Some of his recent work includes

Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes, Clarkesworld Issue 67


Bearslayer and the Black Knight, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Issue 92

Hugo 2012 Best Short Story Nominees

The Hugo nominations for 2012 were announced in April. Here are the Best Short Story nominees for 2012.

“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011) - Review

“The Homecoming,” Mike Resnick (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Apr/May 2011) - Review

“Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011) - Review

“The Paper Menagerie,” Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March/April 2011) - Review

“Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue,” John Scalzi (Tor.com) - Review

Review: Movement (2011 Nebula Award nominee, 2012 Hugo Award nominee)

Nominated: Nebula Award for Best Short Story, Hugo Award for Best Short Story

Synopsis: Hannah is a young woman with temporal autism. Her parents are considering a treatment that will resolve Hannah's autism and make her "normal." Hannah has to decide what she wants.

Nancy Fulda's Nebula Award nominated story touches on several themes: the meaning of "normality," the significance of an individual in contrast to universe, and the effect of evolution on the world. Because of Hannah's autism, she is unable to communicate easily with the other characters in the story; however as the first person narrator of the story, she can communicate easily with the reader. This is not the first time an author has given us an autistic POV (see The Speed of Dark, for example), but it does give Nancy Fulda the opportunity to show us the universe from a unique perspective, which she uses to good advantage.

Where to read this story: Originally published in Asimov's (PDF), you can read it at Nancy Fulda's web site; it is also available as a podcast.

More by the author, Nancy Fulda:

Nothing This Fun Could Be Good For You: A History of Evil Entertainment (Clarkesworld) 

Dead Men Don't Cry includes the Phobos Award winning story "The Man Who Murdered Himself"

Jim Baen Memorial Award Winner:



Includes "The Breath of Heaven," Writers of the Future finalist.

Review: Shipbirth (Nebula Award nominee, Best Short Story)

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.

Review: The Axiom of Choice

Nominated: Nebula 2011

Synopsis: You make a fatal choice one night that results in tragedy. Was that tragedy predetermined, was it inevitable regardless of what choice led to the tragedy? Or was it the result of your single choice of free will? Could you have chosen differently? In either case, the story follows what happens to your life after the tragedy.

1 - David W. Goldman's story "The Axiom of Choice" appears to explore the question of Free Will versus Determinism. If you choose Free Will go to 2; If you choose Determinism go to 3.

2 - The apparent structure of the story follows those old Choose Your Own Adventure stories that are apparently still popular. Go to 3.

3 - Even though the story is structured like Choose Your Own Adventure, the protagonist (aka You) is forced into a particular set of choices. If you make your own choices, go to 4. If you are forced into choices, go to 5.

4 - Are you making your own choice? Or is the universe choosing for you? Go to 5.

5 - Are you really forced? As Rush sang, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." Go to 4.

6. Even though the structure of the story forces you to follow a particular path and all the tragedy that befalls you appears to be pre-ordained, by the end of the story...Well, you'll just have to choose to read the story to find out what happens to you in the end.

Where to read this story: Author's web site

More by the author, David W. Goldman:

All of his published work is available on his web site.

The story "The Story of His Life" is included in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future XXI


The story "Radical Acceptance" was first published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact and reprinted in Prime Codex

Review: Her Husband's Hands

Nominated: Nebula 2011, Bram Stoker 2011

Synopsis: A horrific war and advances in medical technology make it possible for severely injured soldiers to return to their loved ones. For Rebecca, that means all that returns from the war are her husband's hands: alive, sentient, and with all his memories. She and Bob must learn to deal with the consequences.

I will admit that in the first few paragraphs I was incredulous. Really? His hands are alive and sentient? (And this is in a genre populated by all kinds of implausible ideas.) But medical science has made many advances recently, and injuries that would have been fatal in the 20th century are now being treated.

After I willingly suspended my belief, I was drawn into the story and the problems faced by Rebecca and Bob. Rebecca faces the struggle that many people do: How do you continue to love someone, when they are changed beyond who you knew them as?

Where to read this story: Lightspeed Magazine

More by the author, Adam-Troy Castro:

Arvies by Adam-Troy Castro

Nebula 2011 Best Short Story Nominees

It's May and that means that the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will soon be presenting the  annual Nebula Awards. Here are the Best Short Story nominees for 2011.

“Her Husband's Hands,” Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine, October 2011) - Review

“Mama, We are Zhenya, Your Son,” Tom Crosshill (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2011) - Review

“Movement,” Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2011) - Review

“Shipbirth,” Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s Science Fiction, February 2011) - Review

“The Axiom of Choice,” David W. Goldman (New Haven Review, Winter 2011) - Review

“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees,” E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld Magazine, April 2011) - Review

“The Paper Menagerie,” (Winner) Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March/April 2011) - Review