Desdemona and the Deep, by C.S.E. Cooney; and “They Will Dream in the Garden” by Gabriela Damián Miravete

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The vagaries of my reading list threw up two short pieces with some similarities, so I am bracketing them together.

Second paragraph of third chapter of Desdemona and the Deep::

She read the article through twice: headline, byline, lede, body, conclusion, then straightened up on a sharp inhale.

A novella that came with the 2020 Hugo packet, which I have now reached as I drill down through that pile. It’s set in an alternative 1920s; Desdemona is the daughter of an evil mining magnate, who does a deal with the underworld, and she pledges to undo it, along with her trans best friend. Lots of mythic resonances with legends from all over the world, and of course a critique of capitalism and gender conformity. I found it rather refreshing. You can get it here.

This was my top unread book acquired in 2020, from the Hugo packet that year. Next, from the same source, is Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, ed. Ellen Datlow. (Which is a bit longer.)

Second paragraph of third section of “They Will Dream in the Garden”:

—Oye, ¡no hagas eso, Tomás! Todavía ni la conoces. Salúdala, dile cómo te llamas primero –el tono de la auxiliadora no será de reproche y procurará ignorar los pucheros del niño producidos por la corriente eléctrica.“Hey, don’t do that, Thomas! You don’t even know her yet. Greet her, tell her your name first” the tone of the assistant will not be one of reproach and she will be able to ignore the pouts of the boy produced by the electric current.
Translated by Adrian Demopulos

A short but powerful piece about how commemorating the women killed by men, using AI to bring their stories to life, can play a role in transforming society, told from a number of perspectives with characters seen from different angles. At less than 5000 words, it must be the shortest piece to have won the Tiptree / Otherwise Award, but it packs a heck of a wallop. You can read it here (and original Spanish, “Soñarán en el jardín”, here).

This was the last winner of the Tiptree Award under that name, with the translator getting a special citation from the judges. Also on the Honor List were six novels, three short pieces and a magazine issue, none of which I have read, and also Janelle Monáe’s superb album Dirty Computer. I have to say I’d have voted for Janelle Monáe if I’d been on the panel.

That year the Arthur C. Clarke Award went to Rosewater, by Tade Thompson; the BSFA Award to Embers of War, by Gareth L. Powell (I voted for Rosewater); and the Hugo and Nebula to The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal (I was the Hugo Administrator). Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik, and Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse, were on both Hugo and Nebula ballots. Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee was a finalist for the Hugo, BSFA and Clarke awards.

The first winner of the Otherwise Award, and so next in this sequence for me, is Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi.