"Nancy Kress - Nebula Awards Showcase 2003" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

Among science fiction writers, a common question is, “When did you first enter the field?” Usually the
answer is a simple number (“1968” or “two years ago”), but I think this question, like so much else in SF,
is about more than the usual interpretation of time. The question also carries implications about the writing
itself.

Look at that phrase “enter the field.” All sorts of SF devices use fields, including, of course, time
machines. A field can be defined as “a space in which there are electromagnetic oscillations due to a
radiator.” In one sense, we all enter the field every time we read a good SF story. It radiates, and our
minds oscillate in response. In fact, more than our minds oscillate: eyes may widen, breath shorten,
muscles tighten. (If symptoms become extreme, consult your physician.) The stronger the story, the
greater the field strength.

Not everyone, however, oscillates to the same kind of speculative fiction story. Some like hard SF, some
dark fantasy, some satire, some social extrapolation. This has been known to cause astonishment (“You
voted forthat ?”) or even hard feelings (“That story does not belong on a Nebula ballot at all”). But, in
the long run, I think this diversity is a strength. Hard SF, social-extrapolation SF, space adventure, high
fantasy, dark fantasy, urban fantasy, magic realism, satire, whimsy, alternate history, cyberpunk,
apocalyptic SF . . . we are a rich field, or fields, ranging across category as well as across time, all
radiating like mad. The Nebula stories in this volume, and the many nominees I did not have space to
include, demonstrate that. You may not resonate with all of them. But I’m sure you will find among them
at least some whose fields you enter with pleasure.

Go and oscillate.



—Nancy Kress

THE 2001 NEBULA AWARDS BALLOT



The Nebula Awards are chosen by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
On April 26, 2002, they were given in five categories: short story: under 7,500 words; novelette: 7,500
to 17,499 words; novella: 17,500 to 39,999 words; novel: more than 40,000 words; and script for a
dramatic presentation. SFWA members read and nominate the best SF stories and novels throughout the
year, and the editor of the “ Nebula Awards Report” collects these nominations and publishes them in a
newsletter. At the end of the year, there is a preliminary ballot and then a final one to determine the
winners. The awards are then presented at a formal banquet.

The Nebula Awards originated in 1965, from an idea by Lloyd Biggle Jr., then secretary-treasurer of
SFWA. The award itself was originally designed by Judith Ann Blish from a sketch by Kate Wilhelm.
The official description reads, “a block of Lucite four to five inches square by eight to nine inches high
into which a spiral nebula of metallic glitter and a geological specimen are embedded.” Each award is
different, and all are treasured.

BEST NOVEL

(winner)The Quantum Rose , Catherine Asaro (Tor)