This week, I’m posting my ballots for the Hugo Awards for the year’s best in science fiction and fantasy. Monday, I posted my Best Novel ballot, and Wednesday, I posted my ballot for Best Novella. Today, I’ll be covering Best Novelette. For those who have already read my preamble, skip down one paragraph and jump straight into the discussion. For those who haven’t, let me quote from my previous introduction:

For the sixth straight year, I have read and reviewed the finalists for four print fiction categories in the Hugo Awards for the best of the year in science fiction and fantasy. It feels a little different this year, because I am a Hugo finalist (for Best Fan Writer), and my reviews suddenly feel a bit more visible. Now I’m here as a reviewer, and I’m going to keep reviewing, even if that means I criticize a book pretty strongly. But in the past, I’ve publicly explained the placement of No Award on my ballots, and I’ve decided to keep those thoughts to myself this year. I’m still ranking things and explaining my opinions, and you may be able to make educated guesses, but I do aspire to be kind in my reviewing, and what that means changes as the expected audience changes.

Novelette is often my favorite category of the lot, but the Hugo nominators and I didn’t see quite so eye-to-eye this year. This isn’t unusual in other categories, but it’s a disappointment here. Still, I did have a true favorite that I think would be a worthy winner. Let’s take a look at my assessment of this year’s list, starting at the bottom. Links in the titles go to online copies of the stories.

Tier Three

Sixth Place: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Community, Empathy by Martha Wells

As a Murderbot fan, I enjoyed this one! It’s a fun little side story from the perspective of a fan-favorite secondary character. But it’s not anything more than that. To be honest, I’m not even sure it would qualify as a story without readers importing an entire series’ worth of background feelings. The plot spins up only as a vehicle to induce said secondary character to reflect on its meeting with Murderbot. And then it stops, without resolving any of what was ostensibly the main story. It’s fun, but it’s fun in the “fan-service bonus material” sort of way, not in the award-winner sort of way. I’ve applauded Wells for declining Hugo nominations for the series before–citing all the praise it had already garnered–and I wish she’d done it again here. It’s out of place, and there are lots of other excellent novelettes that missed out.

Fifth Place: When He Calls Your Name by Cathrynne M. Valente

This is a voicey retelling of a popular song with a speculative twist. I admit that I was not even aware that songfics were a thing that existed before reading this, but I found knowing the song in question to be more distracting than anything. It’s difficult to sink into the atmosphere when I keep bumping up against song lyrics. It also runs a bit didactic in the feminist themes, which I’m not convinced mesh particularly well with the speculative element in the first place. I can understand how the voice and pop culture references can catch a lot of eyes, but for me, it ultimately doesn’t come together.

Fourth Place: The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For by Cameron Reed

This stands out for its thematic work, where it introduces some fascinating discussions around embodiment in a world where physical bodies can be easily exchanged by anyone with the money. The lead being trans only adds another layer of complication in a world with plenty of storytelling potential. But then it takes a left turn into a tech thriller that just doesn’t live up to the thematic groundwork. I’ll be the first to admit that tech thrillers don’t usually capture my attention, but this one feels rushed and much more generic than the setup deserves.

Tier Two

Third Place: Kaiju Agonistes by Scott Lynch

A Cold War satire featuring a very frustrated kaiju with a mission to inspire the world to abandon nuclear arms, this is a lighthearted and amusing read that sometimes veers into the realm of the ridiculous. I’ve used “can’t think about it too hard” as a criticism in other ballot posts, but that comes with the territory in a work of satire. High notes include the internal discussions by Soviet leaders and the little historical flourishes that make the whole thing feel that much better fleshed-out, with appearances by everyone from James Baldwin to Harlan Ellison. There are times that the reader feels its length, and the ending tips a bit too far into absurdity, but on the whole, this is a fun read that easily slots into the top half of my ballot.

Second Place: The Millay Illusion by Sarah Pinsker

For the fourth time since I’ve been a Hugo voter and sixth in the last nine years, Sarah Pinsker is up for a Hugo for Best Novelette. She’s won once and I’ll vehemently argue should’ve won another, but “The Millay Illusion” doesn’t rise to the heights of those stories. In fairness, it’s a very high bar to clear. This entry is a period piece starring a carnival mentalist and the illusionist who spent a year traveling with her and working the same show. It’s exceptional in the way it attends to the details of putting together a performance, keeping generally rooted in the real world and showing a very light speculative touch. The barriers to the success of female performers create some of the story’s biggest conflicts, but the lead’s inner struggle between desiring more and keeping her head down deliver some real nuance in the portrayal. It comes together for an oblique climax that puts the right finishing touches on a quality read. It’s hard to find too many bones to pick, but it also doesn’t transcend the mere quality read–something I’ve seen Pinsker do many times before. Is my perspective colored by judging her against her past work? Perhaps. But it’s still a significant step below my first choice in the category.

Tier One

First Place: Never Eaten Vegetables by H.H. Pak

I’ve been singing the praises of “Never Eaten Vegetables” since the week of its release, and it’s no surprise to see it become my favorite of this shortlist. It’s the longest novelette on the list, splitting perspective between one of a small group of settlers trying to scrape together a life in a distant colony and the ship that had carried them there–and been blamed for the loss of most of the colony’s population. The AI characterization here is excellent, thoroughly sinking the reader into the depths of its moral dilemmas arising on the journey and its subsequent role as de facto parent to the infant colonists. The dogged human determined to keep her people alive and free from the tyranny of off-planet stakeholders provides a compelling counterpoint in a story that brings plenty of heart and plenty of layers. My only critique is the ending being a hair too neat, but this is still one of the best novelettes of the year and would be an excellent choice to take home the prize.