2004 Retro Hugo Review - Short Story
Another "Sluggers Row" of works, one that can almost rival the nominees for Retro Hugo Best novel. How I voted, from favorite to least favorite (and this vote was definitely the hardest one):
1. It's a Good Life, by Jerome Bixby
2. The Seventh Victim, by Robert Sheckley
3. Star Light, Star Bright, by Alfred Bester
4. Saucer of Loneliness, by Theodore Sturgeon
5. The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke
Commentary, in reverse order.
WARNING: Comments contain MAJOR SPOILERS for each work.
5. Nine Billion Names of God. Apologies to all of you that voted this story the Retro Hugo, but I didn't like it. I can summarize the plot in a sentence: "Monks get a computer, iterate all the names of God, and extinguish the universe". That's it. No character development, no rising and resolved conflict, you see the ending coming a mile away. An interesting concept, but a simplistic execution of this concept. I think it's a case of voters voting for name and concept rather than content.
4. Saucer of Loneliness. A nice lyrical conceptual story, with the visit of a flying saucer of light causing first happiness then incredible sadness in a woman. However, I didn't feel we really got to know the main character or learn much about her. It would be interesting to see the television show that was based on this story, because I think it could be rather nice (and actually flesh out the story).
3. Star Light, Star Bright. A story with a nice subject (children with unknown mental powers) and a good main character (the detective), but I felt the ending was a bit of a cop-out (child can wish things to go away). I state that I might be completely mis-remembering this story. But I did like it enough to rank it third!
2. The Seventh Victim. I rather liked this - the concept was great and one that does not date at all. The life of the main character (his daily routine, his "backup" man, his constant paranoia) all were well-done. The woman he is hunting was interesting and enjoyable, and the twist at the end truly great (though not that much of a surprise). The only part I didn't like, and the part that kept it from being my favorite, was when the main character instantly falls in love with the woman. I realize this is rather 1950s (love after a couple days of interaction), but felt that cheapened the story.
1. It's a Good Life. Boy, what a great story. Its only drawback is that I consider it more fantasy than science fiction, but I really enjoyed the story. I think the fact that it was also made into a really enjoyable Twilight Zone episode only helped. But the main element of the story - a realistic look at a town that has been forever altered by the appearance of one special boy - was well-executed, with a collection of characters that I felt were realistic and just trying to deal with the situation the best they could. C'mon folks! This story *is* the Retro Hugo, right here!
1. It's a Good Life, by Jerome Bixby
2. The Seventh Victim, by Robert Sheckley
3. Star Light, Star Bright, by Alfred Bester
4. Saucer of Loneliness, by Theodore Sturgeon
5. The Nine Billion Names of God, by Arthur C. Clarke
Commentary, in reverse order.
WARNING: Comments contain MAJOR SPOILERS for each work.
5. Nine Billion Names of God. Apologies to all of you that voted this story the Retro Hugo, but I didn't like it. I can summarize the plot in a sentence: "Monks get a computer, iterate all the names of God, and extinguish the universe". That's it. No character development, no rising and resolved conflict, you see the ending coming a mile away. An interesting concept, but a simplistic execution of this concept. I think it's a case of voters voting for name and concept rather than content.
4. Saucer of Loneliness. A nice lyrical conceptual story, with the visit of a flying saucer of light causing first happiness then incredible sadness in a woman. However, I didn't feel we really got to know the main character or learn much about her. It would be interesting to see the television show that was based on this story, because I think it could be rather nice (and actually flesh out the story).
3. Star Light, Star Bright. A story with a nice subject (children with unknown mental powers) and a good main character (the detective), but I felt the ending was a bit of a cop-out (child can wish things to go away). I state that I might be completely mis-remembering this story. But I did like it enough to rank it third!
2. The Seventh Victim. I rather liked this - the concept was great and one that does not date at all. The life of the main character (his daily routine, his "backup" man, his constant paranoia) all were well-done. The woman he is hunting was interesting and enjoyable, and the twist at the end truly great (though not that much of a surprise). The only part I didn't like, and the part that kept it from being my favorite, was when the main character instantly falls in love with the woman. I realize this is rather 1950s (love after a couple days of interaction), but felt that cheapened the story.
1. It's a Good Life. Boy, what a great story. Its only drawback is that I consider it more fantasy than science fiction, but I really enjoyed the story. I think the fact that it was also made into a really enjoyable Twilight Zone episode only helped. But the main element of the story - a realistic look at a town that has been forever altered by the appearance of one special boy - was well-executed, with a collection of characters that I felt were realistic and just trying to deal with the situation the best they could. C'mon folks! This story *is* the Retro Hugo, right here!
posted by yeff at 6:24 PM
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