''Nebula Awards Showcase 2008'' is an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

of award winning

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short works edited by

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of '' Analog Science Fiction and F ...

. It was first published in trade paperback by Roc/New American Library in April 2008.

Summary

The book collects pieces that won or were nominated for the 2007

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

for

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

novelette Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than a ...

and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

, a profile of 2007 Grand Master winner James Gunn and a representative early story by him, and the three Rhysling and

Dwarf Stars Award The Dwarf Stars Award is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction Poetry Association to the author of the best horror, fantasy, or science fiction poem of ten lines or fewer published in the previous year. The award was established in 20 ...

-winning poems for 2006, together with various other nonfiction pieces and bibliographical material related to the awards and an introduction by the editor. The Best Novel winner is represented by an excerpt. Not all nominees for the various awards are included.

*"Introduction" (

) *"Echo" est Short Story winner, 2007(

Elizabeth Hand Elizabeth Hand (born March 29, 1957) is an American writer. Life and career Hand grew up in Yonkers and Pound Ridge, New York. She studied drama and anthropology at The Catholic University of America. Since 1988, Hand has lived in coastal Maine ...

) *"Burn" est Novella winner, 2007( James Patrick Kelly) *"The Books That Saved SFWA" ssay(

Bud Webster Clarence Howard "Bud" Webster (July 27, 1952 – February 13, 2016) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer who is also known for his essays on both the history of science fiction and sf/fantasy anthologies as well. He is perhaps bes ...

) *" Two Hearts" est Novelette winner, 2007(

Peter S. Beagle Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American novelist and screenwriter, especially of fantasy fiction. His best-known work is ''The Last Unicorn'' (1968), a fantasy novel he wrote in his twenties, which ''Locus'' subscribers voted the ...

) *"Science Fiction Poetry" ssay(

Joe Haldeman Joe William Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his novel ''The Forever War'' (1974). That novel and other works, including ''The Hemingway Hoax'' (1991) and '' Forever Peace'' (1997), have wo ...

) *"The Strip Search" hysling Award for Short Poem winner, 2006( Mike Allen) *"The Tin Men" hysling Award for Long Poem winner, 2006(

Kendall Evans Kendall may refer to: Places Australia *Kendall, New South Wales United States *Kendall, Florida *Kendall, Kansas *Kendall, Missouri *Kendall, New York *Kendall, Washington *Kendall, Lafayette County, Wisconsin *Kendall, Monroe County, Wiscons ...

and

David C. Kopaska-Merkel David C. Kopaska-Merkel is an American geologist, poet, and editor. Education and career Kopaska-Merkel holds a doctorate in geology. He has worked for the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and has co-authored numerous articles on topic ...

) *"Knowledge Of" warf Stars Award winner, 2006(

Ruth Berman Ruth Berman is an American writer of weird science fiction and speculative poetry. In 2003, she won the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem. She was also the winner of the 2006 Dwarf Stars Award for her poem ''Knowledge Of''. In 1973, she was a f ...

) *"The State of Amazing, Astounding, Fantastic Fiction in the Twenty-First Century" ssay( Orson Scott Card) *"The Woman in Schrödinger's Wave Equations" est Short Story nominee, 2007( Eugene Mirabelli) *"James Gunn, Grand Master" ssay( John Kessel) *"The Listeners" ovelette( James Gunn) *"Howl's Moving Castle: Book to Film" ssay( Diana Wynne Jones) *'' Seeker'' (excerpt) est Novel winner, 2007(

Jack McDevitt Jack McDevitt (born April 14, 1935) is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology. Most of his books follow either superluminal pilot Pri ...

) *"I Have Seen the Future and It Ain't Got a Lot of Dead Trees In It" ssay( Mike Resnick) *"The Andre Norton Award: Magic or Madness" ssay( Justine Larbalestier)

Reception

Author John Walters, comparing the 2008 ''Showcase'' to that from 2011, was "immediately struck by the differences," with the former skimping on the stories that were nominated but did not win and devoting almost half the book to "other material," while the latter is "full of stories ... all the short story and novelette award nominees, and the winning novella." He prefers the latter approach, concluding that " e Nebula Awards volumes should be for new nominated stories and a minimum of other essays and filler," and is "very thankful that the new publishers have gone back to concentrating on the nominated fiction." He discusses each of the newer, nominated and winning stories in turn. He finds Hand's story "pretty, poetic, but undistinguished ... a fine read, but lone survivor stories have been done many times before and I wasn't sure why this one stood out as the best story of the year." Kelly's story he deems a disparaging response to

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural su ...

's ''

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

'' that demonstrates the author "didn’t understand what Thoreau was trying to do," though he calls it " fine story, well told as far as it goes, and if Kelly hadn't made the remarks he did at the beginning none of it would have bothered me." Beagle's story he calls "a classic fantasy tale, well told," noting that it is a sequel to the author's now-classic novel ' The Last Unicorn'. He finds Mirabelli's piece, " e only nominated non-winner presented in the volume ... a well-told story; in fact, I liked it better than and'sstory that won the award, but it’s not science fiction. It’s a character study of a man studying physics and of his girlfriends." Walters then turns briefly to this "other material," declining to "comment on the essays other than to say that they were interesting but the space should have been filled with stories instead." He feels the winning novel excerpt "a waste of space too; this is where a short essay could have served a useful purpose, if the author could have briefly written about how he came to write the novel." James Gunn's grand master story he recalls "fondly from reading it years before" but notes it is "available in plenty of anthologies and didn’t need to be reprinted here."Walters, John.
Book Review: Nebula Awards Showcase 2008 edited by Ben Bova
" June 9, 2013. The anthology was also reviewed by

Gary K. Wolfe Gary K. Wolfe (born Gary Kent Wolfe in 1946) is an American science fiction editor, critic and biographer. He is an emeritus Professor of Humanities in Roosevelt University's Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies. Life Wolfe was ...

in '' Locus'' no. 569, June 2008.

Notes

{{Nebula Awards Showcase Nebula 42 2008 anthologies 2000s science fiction works Roc Books books

Summary

Contents

Reception

Notes