For today’s Wyrd and Wonder post I’ve got the 2021 Hugo short stories and novelettes reviews. Wyrd and Wonder is a month-long event celebrating fantasy books. Check out Imyril’s intro post for all the details. The event is hosted by Imyril of One More, Lisa of Dear Geek Place and Jorie Loves a Story, and you can follow Wyrd and Wonder on Twitter

Pegasus images by Svetlana Alyuk on 123RF.com

I was planning to read these anyway but the Hugo Readalong on r/fantasy really moved up my TBR. This was our discussion thread for the short stories and I think it’s one of the most active book club/read-along discussions we’ve ever had, so that was cool. And this was novelettes. Since these are mostly fantasy with a few sci-fi stories scrambled in between I hope it’s ok to call this a Wyrd and Wonder post.

Short stories

“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse,” Rae Carson

What I liked most about this, was how it had an idea I never really thought about but that made perfect sense. I really like seeing motherhood and all related aspects portrayed in speculative fiction, even though it’s not exactly my personal cup of tea. I thought it was really well done, very brutal but also well thought out.

“A Guide for Working Breeds,” Vina Jie-Min Prasad

This is exactly my cup of tea. I loved the characters, the cuteness, the chat format, everything. Actually read this one twice and I’d happily read it again. I think it makes excellent use of the format it chooses and the way it reveals information letting you stay just a little bit ahead of the main character.

“Little Free Library,” Naomi Kritzer

Also very sweet, and surprising, I’m seriously considering putting up a little free library. It’s a story I’d like to read more of and see what happens next or unravel more of the mystery.

“The Mermaid Astronaut,” Yoon Ha Lee

I never thought of mixing Mermaids and space travel, but it makes for a great story. It mixes magic and science in a way I found interesting, though something about the ending felt a little abrupt to me.

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark,” T. Kingfisher

What I liked about this one was the two AI main characters growing and learning, how their mind expanded to fit new ideas. I thought that was very well done.

“Open House on Haunted Hill” John Wiswell

Probably my favorite, so heartwarming and surprising. It really drew me in and made an emotional impact.

Novelettes

“Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super,” A.T. Greenblatt

Nice story, couldn’t really tell where it was going, and not sure I get the ending. It was nice and I liked the main character but it was a little too episodic and meandering for me. I think I would’ve preferred it as a short story.

“Helicopter Story,” Isabel Fall

Not read yet, as it’s not available atm

“The Inaccessibility of Heaven,” Aliette de Bodard

Great, emotional, tense, strong characters, gripping, complete, for me this fit the length best. I liked the characters, thought it had a pretty strong mystery plot, good atmosphere and lots of worldbuilding.

“Monster,” Naomi Kritzer

I liked how this was a collection of red flags slowly building and I love that way of building tension. I didn’t see where it was going, I rank it pretty highly in the group.

“The Pill,” Meg Elison

Not read yet as it’s not available (for free at least) atm

“Two Truths and a Lie” Sarah Pinsker

Probably my favorite of the novelettes. Also a perfect fit for the format because I could not read something so creepy in full-novel length. It made me uncomfortable from the start and then kept getting creepier and weirder in a way that I was constantly curious. I also loved the ambiguity of it.

Check out more Wyrd and Wonder posts in my Wrap-Up for the month.