Nebula Awards Showcase 2014

 Book 9 of my 2024 Reading Challenge

read from January 22 - 28

Nebula Awards Showcase 2014

My Opinion

4 stars

This collection includes the winners and nominees of the Nebulas and includes short stories, novel excerpts, poetry, and more.

I enjoyed the book a lot which isn't surprising since they were aiming to curate the best of the best.  These are annual publications and I would definitely read more.

As always, since there are multiple authors I will add a little something about each one individually below.  

Immersion

Good story and interesting concept.  Even though there wasn't really a resolution I also think it ended at the right time.

Close Encounters

Excellent story that engrossed me from beginning to end.

After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall

It was over 100 pages but didn't feel like it.  I lost interest a little during some of the 2014 flashbacks but the majority of the story was riveting.

The author did a great job of creating full characters without a lot of backstory or extra details.  I was surprisingly sad when Julie died.

Excerpt from 2312

The first half of the excerpt was really interesting but once it moved away from Swan's perspective and the personal aspects into the more scientific aspects of various surroundings it lost me.  I think excerpts are hard in general because you want to give enough of a taste to interest the reader but it's often unsatisfactory because you also can't give away too much since the goal is to have someone read the whole thing.

Not related to the story itself but someone was described as dipping their head in "a kind of autistic bow".  I don't have any idea what that would be.

The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species 

What a lovely thought that every being "reads" and passes knowledge in some form.

Excerpt from Fair Coin

I immediately added the book to my "to-read" list based on this excerpt.

Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain

My favorite.  The story filled me with feeling even though it was sparse and delicate.

Christmas Inn

The story was riveting.  I wish there had been a little more explanation to the ending because I didn't get it.  Maybe if I reread it it would become clearer.

The Library, After

I would read an expansion of that.  I love the idea of a library turning feral.

I never would've described it as a poem if it hadn't been listed in that category but it didn't bother me, I'm not the poetry police.

The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages

Winner of the best long poem, it also has the longest title.

The poem was emotional.

Blue Rose Buddha

This feels like a poem the author would read at a show and everyone around me would be nodding and snapping while I felt too shallow to understand it.  I feel that way about a lot of poetry, actually.