"In the Western Tradition" is a
science fiction short story by
Phyllis Eisenstein
Phyllis Eisenstein (February 26, 1946 – December 7, 2020) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
Early life
Eisenstein was born Phy ...
. It was first published in ''
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', in March 1981.
Synopsis
Alison is a
time viewer
In science fiction, a time viewer, temporal viewer, or chronoscope is a device that allows another point in time to be observed. The concept has appeared since the late 1800s, constituting a significant yet relatively obscure subgenre of time tra ...
technician supervising research into the
Old West, who becomes fixated on one of the long-dead subjects of the project's surveillance.
Reception
"In the Western Tradition" was a finalist for the 1982
Hugo Award for Best Novella,
[1982 Hugo Awards]
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved December 30, 2020 and for the
Nebula Award for Best Novella of 1981.
[In the Western Tradition]
at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved December 30, 2020
James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
considered it to be a "gem".
[ At the narrow passage, there is no brother and no friend]
by James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
; at JamesDavisNicoll.com; published October 15, 2015; retrieved December 30, 2020 Steven H. Silver
Steven H Silver (born April 19, 1967) is an American science fiction fan and bibliographer, publisher, author, and editor. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer twelve times and Best Fanzine seven times without winning ...
, however, found the story to be "a little on the long side", and faulted it for not adequately resolving issues surrounding Alison's romance with her coworker Barry.
[Steven Silver's Reviews: NIGHT LIVES by Phyllis Eisenstein (with Alex Eisenstein)]
at the SF Site; published no later than April 23, 2004 (oldest version on archive.org); retrieved December 30, 2020
References
{{reflist
Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction