Each year, the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association choose the winners of the Nebula Awards in seven categories, including Short Story (less than 7500 words). As a member, I get to read them and vote for the one I consider most deserving. Voting is closed, and the awards will be presented June 8.

I think all the short stories are deserving works by accomplished authors, and if you want a fast overview of where the SFF genre is today, look no further. Topics range from timeless to timely, and styles from folksy to lyrical. My specific thoughts:

“Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont” by P.A. Cornell (Fantasy 10/23) — An apartment building in Manhattan exists out of time, drawing residents across many years and turning them into a family of sorts. Wondrously spellbinding and touching.

“Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200” by R.S.A Garcia (Uncanny 7–8/23) — An old lady and a goat learn to live with and love an AI robot. Cute, funny, and heartwarming, with a twist at the end.

“Window Boy” by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 8/23)— A boy discovers clues about the awful depth of the dystopia he lives in. A grim story, but the boy’s emotional growth is well-told.

“Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 5/23) — A new app seems suspiciously and very specifically helpful. I laughed out loud. It ends with an apparent solution to app culture.

“Bad Doors” by John Wiswell (Uncanny 1–2/23) — A strange door appears in the middle of the covid epidemic, and the man who sees it doesn’t want to believe his eyes and starts running instead. Possibly allegorical.

My vote:

“The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare 10/23) — Not even a portal into fantasy land can save school children from an active shooter. A gut-wrenching story about our reality — the kind of story that fantasy is uniquely well-equipped to tell. It won my vote for being the most risk-taking among an excellent field of finalists.