There’s not much happening in the literazry world today, at least as far as I can tell. So no news to report. The good part of that is I didn’t have to read that another favorite writer has died. Always a good thing. I’m recognizing fewer of the names on the new releases these days.
So I thought I would talk about novellas for a bit. I’m taking an online workhsop on novellas, with an assignment of writing one before it’s over. But that’s down the road.
I’ve not read much science fiction or fantasy for the last couple of years. I’ve been focusing on mystery and thrillers. So one of the assignments in this workshop, which is on science fiction novellas, was to discuss three novellas you couldn’t put down. This week’s assignment is to look for techniques that made the novellas compelling.
I had to reach back a little ways to do this, since any science fiction I’ve read has tended to be either short stories or the occasional novel. So, I’m going to throw two questions out there for discussion.
First, what are some science fiction or fantasy novellas you’ve read over the last few years that really stuck with you in a positive way? If you hated it, the novella stuck with you, but that’s not the kind of sticking with you I’m talking about.
Second, what was it about the novella that made it so memorable?
I’m not going to steal your answers for my assignments. I’ve already got my own selections. I’m curious about what I’ve missed since, say the COVID lockdowns ended. I’m a little out of touch with the cutting edge of the science fiction and fantasy fields. I want to get back up to speed.
Thanks.
What do you define as a novella? In my youth – oh so many years ago, when TV was black and white – I read a large amount of SF and fantasy. As far as I was concerned, if there was one continuous story occupying one book then that was a novel. So “The Big Time” by Fritz Leiber was, for me, a novel. Wikipedia designates it as a novel and it won a Hugo for best novel or novelette. I have also seen it described as a novella. Edgar Rice Burroughs, on the other hand, often put together novels by fixing together four sections which have been described as novellas. Somewhere in the 70s or 80s, newer writers started putting together immense bricks of books, totalling 400 or 500 pages – a legacy I suspect of Tolkien and Frank Herbert. Those short books of 150 to 200 pages seemed to go out of fashion. Regularly, I have seen books from my youth I would have classed as novels now being described as novellas. I guess there is a word count which defines novel, novelette and novella but I also guess that this might be a flexible criterion
Good question. I should have specificed. That’s what I get for posting right before I go to bed.
Yes, Neil, there is a word count. It will vary a little from one publisher to another. For my purposes, I’m defining the length to be between 15,000 – 30,000 words. Above that, it’s either a short novel or a novel. I’m using Dean Wesley Smith’s definition of word length.
I haven’t read one in many years. I am not even sure they are written anymore. Certainly, I never see them publicised on sites such as Baen or Tor. They might still be out there in epubs/self pubs, but the Amazon/Kindle algorithm doesn’t recommend them, so I do not see them. Sorry I can’t help more.
Analog, Asimov’s F&SF, and Lightspeed all publish novellas. I think there are some online publications that will publish them as well.
Novellas seem to go through publishing phases in terms of books. Yes, magazines still do publish them.
In the 1980s, Tor Doubles reprinted two novellas at a time by different authors. Sometimes one half of a book would be an original sequel to another author’s work like Silverberg’s sequel to C. L. Moore’s “Vintage Season” (which I’d nominate for consideration). I only have the SF version of the project, but I believe there was a fantasy equivalent.
A few years back TOR started to publish original novellas in hardcover. No titles come to mind except Well’s Murderbot stuff. (I’ve sort of dropped out of keeping up with modern sf, and no longer get Locus or any of the magazines.)
I remember the Tor Doubles. I have a few of them around here. Somewhere.
Back in the days of paper SF magazines the novella was a good fit. I own copies of Analog and F&SF where it was common practice to lead with a novella by a name author. Here are three of mine that I re-read often. All old stories.
The first is Roger Zelazny’s magnificent “A Rose for Ecclesiastes.” an SF game changer it it’s own right. Its combination of SF themes and raw human emotion has never been equalled. I wrote an appreciation of “Rose” over at DMR blog, it can be found here. https://dmrbooks.com/test-blog/tag/Roger+Zelazny
“Omnilingual” by H Beam Piper is one of the greatest SF stories ever written. A strange brooding atmospheric story of ruined martian civilisation, sharply contrasted with the pure desire for knowledge of an American research mission. It has an incredibly satisfying climax which celebrates the theme of the story. Piper’s novel “Lord Kalvan of Otherwihen” was also originally published as a novella, extended into a novel when the paperback boom hit.
James H. Schmitz’ “The Demon Breed” is published as a novel but is barely more than a novella. Like Piper’s “Lord Kalvan” it was originally piblished as a novella in Analog. Classic SF with some unique superior world-building, Another Schmitz’ story “Agent of Vega” is set in a universe of aliens and galactic travel,and is a true novella, with a clever, unusual, possibly unique story, Both “Demon” and” Agent” are superb story-telling.
I think these stories illustrate what the novella can best be used for. These stories have worldbuilding that is more than just objects and astro-geography. They have deep imnmersive atmospheres, a slow unwinding of human emotions and just enough room to tell a tightly-crafted exciting story. Good stories often need room to breathe, a spaciousness that the novella can provide.
Good points about what a novella can be used for, John. And I agree with your choices of examples. Those are excellent.
One of my favorite works qualifies as a novella. I read it in Grade School. The author actually re-did an episode from a full-fledged novel he had already published for some of the story.
That author? Charles Dickens.
The Novella? “A Christmas Carol.”