Catching up on my short genre fiction, I stumbled across this gem;
Creation by Jeffrey Ford (reprinted in Fantasy Magazine). It's stories like
this that I think should be garnering awards. It's all a matter of taste--at least I hope it is!--but Kij Johnson's 2010 Nebula-winning short-story
Ponies left me dumb-founded; as did her 2009 Nebula winner. This is the best that short genre-fiction has to offer?!
To be fair, Jeffrey Ford's
Creation was nominated for a Nebula in 2002, but didn't win. Is there a huge socio-political, clique-ey aspect to the short-fiction universe that I'm unaware of? Is it just Kij Johnson's "turn?" Do I just have horrible tastes in short fiction? Or has "good" become antiquated criteria, and subtext (delivered in a shocking package) all that matters anymore.
Whatever. Stop focusing on the negative....... whoosah.
Creation is an example of the whimsical, beautiful, thought-provoking style of short-story that would win the annual DiapDealer Award.
