Nebula Awards Showcase 2016

This thought-provoking sample of Nebula Award nominees and winners spotlights the best of science fiction and fantasy published in 2014. Best Novelette–winner “A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai’i” by Alaya Dawn Johnson depicts a world overrun by vampires, and the human woman who dares to defy them. Sarah Pinsker’s “A Stretch of Highway Two Lanes Wide” features a man who receives a robotic arm after losing his in a combine accident, only to find that his new arm has a mind of its own. Alyssa Wong’s “The Fisher Queen” is a terrifying story about mermaids, subjugation, revenge, and freedom. An excerpt from Ken Liu’s “The Regular” gives readers a peek into the bedroom of an escort who lets the wrong customer in. “When It Ends, He Catches Her” by Eugie Foster is a heart-wrenching, bittersweet tale of two dancers who take comfort in each other amid the apocalypse, with a tragic twist. Also included is an excerpt from the Best Novel winner, Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation, a chilling story about a mysterious place called Area X. Best Novella–winner “Yesterday’s Kin” by Nancy Kress, reprinted in its entirety, considers what happens when aliens land in New York and turn out to have unexpected origins. Each of these tales offers something compelling and the collection will appeal to a wide range of tastes. (May)