All six nominated short stories were excellent this year, much better than last year. Almost all are well worthy of the award (and are vastly better than a few recent winners). The writing was good in all of them, and the plot was very engaging in most. A fable-like style was apparently a popular trend this year. Finding the last two stories (and their order) wasn’t very hard, and after some thought, the order of the rest was pretty self-evident, also.
“The Court Magician” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, January 2018)
A skillful magician who doesn’t believe in magic a drafted to be the court magician. It seems that he has gained skill for real magic at the same time. The king sometimes has a request – he usually hopes that something goes away. The magician is able to fulfill that request – at a cost. He always loses something valuable, starting with his left little finger. The magician always wonders how the trick works. Several years, several lost body parts, and several lost loved material things later, the magician is old and tired. A well-told fable-like darkish story.
“The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society” by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine 25, November-December 2018)
Fairies, elves, selkies and other magical [male] creatures meet for a beer and reminisce about a woman who was special and didn’t fall for them, but rather they all fell for her until she tossed them away like an empty shell. A fine, warmly humorous story.
“The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington” by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine, February 2018)
A story about George Washington's teeth/dentures. Short stories that grow more and more fantastic and magical – and all teeth have some effect. Short episodes with poetic language.
“STET” by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine, October 2018)
An autonomous car has apparently run over a child. A mother has written an essay concerning the “autonomous conscience” with some very personal and even bitter touches. A short piece that isn’t exactly a “story”, but is fairly good anyway.
“The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine 23, July-August 2018)
An intelligent raptor is the youngest of three sisters. When the Prince comes to their realm, she (as the youngest) must find who he is and why he has arrived. After she eats his horse, she isn’t hungry, and doesn’t eat the Price straight away. As she is curious, she joins the Prince and goes to the town with him. There she is ultimately betrayed, but as she has gained a friend, not everything is lost. A nice story that is written in a nice fairy tale-like language. Woman power (human and otherwise) rules!
“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, February 2018)
A librarian (who is also a benevolent witch) notices a lonely, awkward boy who is apparently in foster care. He seems to be interested in books about getting away from this world. She is able to sense which books he needs, up to the last one. A well-written story with beautiful language and mood.
My voting order will be:
1. “The Court Magician” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, January 2018)
2. “The Tale of the Three Beautiful Raptor Sisters, and the Prince Who Was Made of Meat” by Brooke Bolander (Uncanny Magazine 23, July-August 2018)
3. A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine, February 2018)
4. “The Rose MacGregor Drinking and Admiration Society” by T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine 25, November-December 2018)
5. “The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington” by P. Djèlí Clark (Fireside Magazine, February 2018)
6. “STET” by Sarah Gailey (Fireside Magazine, October 2018)
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