Best Novella Hugo 2024

As the Administrator, I’m not discussing my votes, but for completeness here is the second paragraph of the third section or chapter of each of the finalists.

Life Does Not Allow Us To Meet, by He Xi

何夕面无表情地注视着站在飞船前面的三个人,准确地说,他的目光是落在那个娇小的身影上,心里麻木得没有一丝感觉。就在昨天之前,他的心还被幸福的憧憬填得满满,而现在一切都已无法挽回。He Xi stared expressionlessly at the three people standing in front of the spaceship, or more accurately speaking, his gaze fell on one small figure. His heart was too numb to feel anything. Even the day before yesterday his heart had been full of longing for happiness, but now it was all irretrievable.

Seeds of Mercury, by Wang Jinkang

沙巫神行完这件事,失去了父星的宠爱。父星发怒说:你怎么敢代我行这件事?父星用白色的光剑惩罚了蓝星,毁灭了沙巫的家。沙巫神乘神车逃离蓝星,去了父星照不到的地方。The God Shawu completed the work and lost Father Star’s affection. Father Star said angrily: How dare you do this work for me? Father Star punished Blue Star with a white lightsword, destroyed Shawu’s house. Shawu fled Blue Star in a Holy Car to a place
Father Star where could not shine.

The Mimicking of Known Successes, by Malka Older

“Well,” I said, stretching my legs out till they almost reached her bench where it faced mine, an excusable indulgence since the heating pipes ran under the benches. “We have spent most of the day speaking to people who knew the man.” I stopped, not wanting to say it.

Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo

“That’s the flag of Northern Bell Pass, isn’t it?” asked Chih, and Cleverness Himself whistled disdainfully.

Thornhedge, by T. Kingfisher [Ursula Vernon]

There were many precautions in those days for keeping changelings at bay. Bits of cold iron tucked into the blankets, a lodestone hung above the cradle, three rowan twigs wrapped in red thread and tucked under the pillow. But Toadling’s mother was bleeding heavily and her ladies swarmed around her, and Toadling was set down in the cradle without any wards at all.

Rose/House, by Arkady Martine

The math was easy. Figure twenty-four hours, to the dot, from time of death to Rose House’s mandated duty-of-care call; another day and night to find Selene Gisil and get her across an ocean and into China Lake; one more day until the beginning of this little expedition into dizzying architecture. Maritza couldn’t quite understand why anyone—Basit Deniau, famous architect, or otherwise—would want to live in this place. But she could count hours, and measure decay against them. This man had been dead for three and a half days, and he was rotting.