The Retro Hugo nominees for best novelette are (links are to reviews):
- “The Big and the Little”, Isaac Asimov (Astounding Science Fiction 8/44)
- “Arena”, Fredric Brown (Astounding Science Fiction 6/44)
- “No Woman Born”, C.L. Moore (Astounding Science Fiction 12/44)
- “The Children’s Hour”, Lawrence O’Donnell (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner) (Astounding Science Fiction 3/44)
- “When the Bough Breaks”, Lewis Padgett (C.L. Moore & Henry Kuttner) (Astounding Science Fiction 11/44)
- “City”, Clifford D. Simak (Astounding Science Fiction 5/44)
All of these stories are strong contenders. There isn’t a bad one in the bunch. but they aren’t all equal. With the exception of “Whent he Bough Breaks” and “The Children’s Hour”, I’ve not read any of them since high school.
I would probably say that the Asimov story is the weakest, but that’s only by comparison. Although, I have to admit that wile i loved the Foundation Trilogy when I read it in high school and found the concept of psychohistory a fascinating one, now t hat I’m (quite) a bit older and (hopefully) wiser, his treatment of human motivations strikes me as simplistic and a tad naive.
The same with is true to a lesser degree with “City”. And I think the next two entries in the series, which are short story nominees, will prove to be stronger, at least if memory serves.
“Arena” held up better than I thought it would. I didn’t remember it being this strong.
There was a reason why I hadn’t reread “Of Woman Born”. I realized why when I reread it for this series. It’s a very good story, but it’s slow enough that it will never be one of my favorites of Moore’s works, even if it is one of her most mature and, yes, one of her best.
I’m biased towards Kuttner. I admit that up front. Of the two of which he is coauthor with Moore, “When the Bough Breaks” is, I think, the stronger. I think this is due to the fact that the story in “The Children’s Hour” takes longer to unfold as it’s a mystery. “When the Bough Breaks” is straightforward in its setup and resolution. Both stories are tragedies, but I think the impact is greater in “Bough”. Of all the stories on the final novelette ballot, it’s the one I reread every few years. “The Children’s Hour” is the on I’ve read the second most number of times.
What do the rest of you think? Is there a clear-cut standout on this list? What, if any story here is your favorite?
Thanks for your thoughts on these stories. Very good and thought provoking.
You’re quite welcome, sir.
“The Children’s Hour” will be top of my list, then probably “No Woman Born,” “Bough,” and “Arena.” Although the last three are all quite close so that may change.
“No Woman Born” is actually a novella, and “The Children’s Hour” is all Moore’s work (or so a couple of bibliographies tell me, as well as Facebook comments about her claiming it as hers in later years).
Hi, Paul.
I hadn’t heard that “The Children’s Hour” was primarily Moore’s work, but I can see that. The themes of the story are certainly more the themes you see in her solo work than in Kuttner’s. All of these stories are excellent. I was thinking “No Woman Born” should have been in the novella category, but I wasn’t going to quibble about where it was. I’m just glad it’s getting some attention.