2014 Hugo Awards: Novelette

“The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean, Fall 2013)
- 5 stars: A great examination of the changes that technology creates in human interaction. Loved it.
“The Waiting Stars” by Aliette de Bodard (The Other Half of the Sky, Candlemark & Gleam)
- 4 stars: A bit confusing at the beginning but it comes together into a great story.
“The Lady Astronaut of Mars” by Mary Robinette Kowal (maryrobinettekowal.com / Tor.com, 09-2013)
- 3.5 stars: Good stuff. A brief story about a tough decision.
“The Exchange Officers” by Brad Torgersen (Analog, Jan-Feb 2013)
- 3 stars: Good, but was the name “Chesty” really necessary? I liked the examination of sacrifice without sacrifice. I think that doing away with the civilian space program would be a horrible mistake. I was VERY irritated by the line that “Congress and the Senate” pulled the plug on NASA because the Senate is part of Congress, the House of Representatives being the other part. Was this written by non-Americans?
“Opera Vita Aeterna” by Vox Day (The Last Witchking, Marcher Lord Hinterlands)
- 2.5 stars: I was enjoying the story of the elf and the abbot and then it took a turn for the worse and then jumped forward 300 years. Might make sense as part of a larger work but on it’s own it doesn’t work. Overall, meh.