And a handful of weeks ago Tabini had found unprecedented whimsy in arming him and giving him two hours of personal instruction at his personal retreat. They had joked, and shot melons on poles, and had supper together, and Tabini had had all the time he could possibly want to warn him if something was coming up besides the routine councils and committee meetings that involved the paidhi.
They turned the corner. Banichi, he did not fail to note, hadn’t noticed his question. They walked out onto the colonnade, with the walls of the ancient Bu-javid pale and regular beyond them, the traffic flow on the steps reversed, now, downward bound. Atevi who had filed for hearing had their numbers, and the aiji would receive them in their established order.
But when they walked into the untrafficked hall that led toward the garden apartments, Banichi gave him two keys. “These are the only valid ones,” Banichi said. “Kindly don’t mix them up with your old ones. The old ones work. They just don’t turn off the wires.”
He gave Banichi a disturbed stare—which, also, Banichi didn’t seem to notice. “Can’t you just shock the bastard? Scare him? He’s not a professional. There’s been no notice . . .”
“I’m within my license,” Banichi said. “The Intent is filed. Didn’t you say so? The intruder would be very foolish to try again.”
A queasy feeling was in his stomach. “Banichi, damn it . . .”
“I’ve advised the servants. Honest and wise servants, capable of serving in this house, will request admission henceforth. Your apartment is no different than mine, now. Or Jago’s. I change my own sheets.”
As well as he knew Jago and Banichi, he had had no idea of such hazards in their quarters. It made sense in their case or in Tabini’s. It didn’t, in his.
“I trust,” Banichi said, “you’ve no duplicate keys circulating. No ladies. No—hem—other connections. You’ve not been gambling, have you?”
“No!” Banichi knew him, too, knew he had female connections on Mospheira, one and two not averse to what Banichi would call a one-candle night. The paidhi-aiji hadn’t time for a social life, otherwise. Or for long romantic maneuverings or hurt feelings, lingering hellos or good-byes—most of all, not for the peddling of influence or attempts to push this or that point on him. His friends didn’t ask questions. Or want more than a bouquet of flowers, a phone call, and a night at the theater.
“Just mind, if you’ve given any keys away.”
“I’m not such a fool.”
“Fools of that kind abound in the Bu-javid. I’ve spoken severely to the aiji.”
Give atevi a piece of tech and sometimes they put it together in ways humans hadn’t, in their own history—inventors, out of their own social framework, connected ideas in ways you didn’t expect, and never intended, either in social consequence, or in technical ramifications. The wire was one. Figure that atevi had a propensity for inventions regarding personal protection, figure that atevi law didn’t forbid lethal devices, and ask how far they’d taken other items and to what uses they didn’t advertise.
The paidhi tried to keep ahead of it. The paidhi tried to keep abreast of every technology and every piece of vocabulary in the known universe, but bits and tags perpetually got away and it was accelerating—the escape of knowledge, the recombination of items into things utterly out of human control.
Most of all, atevi weren’t incapable of making technological discoveries completely on their own . . . and had no trouble keeping them prudently under wraps. They were not a communicative people.
They reached the door. He used the key Banichi had given him. The door opened. Neither the mat nor the wire was in evidence.
“Ankle high and black,” Banichi said. “But it’s down and disarmed. You did use the right key.”
“Your key.” He didn’t favor Banichi’s jokes. “I don’t see the mat.”
“Under the carpet. Don’t walk on it barefoot. You’d bleed. The wire is an easy step in. You can walk on it while it’s off. Just don’t do that barefoot, either.”
He could scarcely see it. He walked across the mat. Banichi stayed the other side of it.
“It cuts its own way through insulation,” Banichi said. “And through boot leather, paidhi-ji, if it’s live. Don’t touch it, even when it’s dead. Lock the door and don’t wander the halls.”
“I have an energy council meeting this afternoon.”
“You’ll want to change coats, nadi. Wait here for Jago. She’ll escort you.”
“What is this? I’m to have an escort everywhere I go? I’m to be leapt upon by the minister of Works? Assaulted by the head of Water Management?”
“Prudence, prudence, nadi Bren. Jago’s witty company. She’s fascinated by your brown hair.”
He was outraged. “You’re enjoying this. It’s not funny, Banichi.”
“Forgive me.” Banichi was unfailingly solemn. “But humor her. Escort is so damned boring.”
PAST NEBULA AWARD WINNERS
1965
Novel: Dune by Frank Herbert
Novella: “He Who Shapes” by Roger Zelazny and “The Saliva Tree” by Brian Aldiss (tie)
Novelette: “The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth” by Roger Zelazny
Short Story: “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” by Harlan Ellison
1966
Novel: Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (tie)
Novella: “The Last Castle” by Jack Vance
Novelette: “Call Him Lord” by Gordon R. Dickson
Short Story: “The Secret Place” by Richard McKenna
1967
Novel: The Einstein Intersection by Samuel R. Delany
Novella: “Behold the Man” by Michael Moorcock
Novelette: “Gonna Roll the Bones” by Fritz Leiber
Short Story: “Aye, and Gomorrah” by Samuel R. Delany
1968
Novel: Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin
Novella: “Dragonrider” by Anne McCaffrey
Novelette: “Mother to the World” by Richard Wilson
Short Story: “The Planners” by Kate Wilhelm
1969
Novel: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Novella: “A Boy and His Dog” by Harlan Ellison
Novelette: “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones” by Samuel R. Delany
Short Story: “Passengers” by Robert Silverberg
1970
Novel: Ringworld by Larry Niven
Novella: “Ill Met in Lankhmar” by Fritz Leiber
Novelette: “Slow Sculpture” by Theodore Sturgeon
Short Story: No Award
1971
Novel: A Time of Changes by Robert Silverberg
Novella: “The Missing Man” by Katherine MacLean
Novelette: “The Queen of Air and Darkness” by Poul Anderson
Short Story: “Good News from the Vatican” by Robert Silverberg
1972
Novel: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
Novella: “A Meeting with Medusa” by Arthur C. Clarke
Novelette: “Goat Song” by Poul Anderson
Short Story: “When It Changed” by Joanna Russ
1973
Novel: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Novella: “The Death of Doctor Island” by Gene Wolfe
Novelette: “Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand” by Vonda N. McIntyre
Short Story: “Love Is the Plan, the Plan Is Death” by James Tiptree Jr.
Dramatic Presentation: Soylent Green
1974
Novel: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Novella: “Born with the Dead” by Robert Silverberg
Novelette: “If the Stars Are Gods” by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford
Short Story: “The Day before the Revolution” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Dramatic Presentation: Sleeper by Woody Allen
Grand Master: Robert Heinlein
&nbs
p; 1975
Novel: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Novella: “Home Is the Hangman” by Roger Zelazny
Novelette: “San Diego Lightfoot Sue” by Tom Reamy
Short Story: “Catch That Zeppelin” by Fritz Leiber
Dramatic Presentation: Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder
Grand Master: Jack Williamson
1976
Novel: Man Plus by Frederik Pohl
Novella: “Houston, Houston, Do You Read?” by James Tiptree Jr.
Novelette: “The Bicentennial Man” by Isaac Asimov
Short Story: “A Crowd of Shadows” by C. L. Grant
Grand Master: Clifford D. Simak
1977
Novel: Gateway by Frederik Pohl
Novella: “Stardance” by Spider and Jeanne Robinson
Novelette: “The Screwfly Solution” by Racoona Sheldon
Short Story: “Jeffty Is Five” by Harlan Ellison
1978
Novel: Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
Novella: “The Persistence of Vision” by John Varley
Novelette: “A Glow of Candles, A Unicorn’s Eye” by C. L. Grant
Short Story: “Stone” by Edward Bryant
Grand Master: L. Sprague de Camp
1979
Novel: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
Novella: “Enemy Mine” by Barry B. Longyear
Novelette: “Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin
Short Story: “GiANTS” by Edward Bryant
1980
Novel: Timescape by Gregory Benford
Novella: “Unicorn Tapestry” by Suzy McKee Charnas
Novelette: “The Ugly Chickens” by Howard Waldrop
Short Story: “Grotto of the Dancing Deer” by Clifford D. Simak
Grand Master: Fritz Leiber
1981
Novel: The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
Novella: “The Saturn Game” by Poul Anderson
Novelette: “The Quickening” by Michael Bishop
Short Story: “The Bone Flute” by Lisa Tuttle [declined by author]
1982
Novel: No Enemy but Time by Michael Bishop
Novella: “Another Orphan” by John Kessel
Novelette: “Fire Watch” by Connie Willis
Short Story: “A Letter from the Clearys” by Connie Willis
1983
Novel: Startide Rising by David Brin
Novella: “Hardfought” by Greg Bear
Novelette: “Blood Music” by Greg Bear
Short Story: “The Peacemaker” by Gardner Dozois
Grand Master: Andre Norton
1984
Novel: Neuromancer by William Gibson
Novella: “Press Enter []” by John Varley
Novelette: “Blood Child” by Octavia Butler
Short Story: “Morning Child” by Gardner Dozois
1985
Novel: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Novella: “Sailing to Byzantium” by Robert Silverberg
Novelette: “Portraits of His Children” by George R. R. Martin
Short Story: “Out of All Them Bright Stars” by Nancy Kress
Grand Master: Arthur C. Clarke
1986
Novel: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Novella: “R&R” by Lucius Shepard
Novelette: “The Girl Who Fell into the Sky” by Kate Wilhelm
Short Story: “Tangents” by Greg Bear
Grand Master: Isaac Asimov
1987
Novel: The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy
Novella: “The Blind Geometer” by Kim Stanley Robinson
Novelette: “Rachel in Love” by Pat Murphy
Short Story: “Forever Yours, Anna” by Kate Wilhelm
Grand Master: Alfred Bester
1988
Novel: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
Novella: “The Last of the Winnebagos” by Connie Willis
Novelette: “Schrödinger’s Kitten” by George Alec Effinger
Short Story: “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge” by James Morrow
Grand Master: Ray Bradbury
1989
Novel: The Healer’s War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Novella: “The Mountains of Mourning” by Lois McMaster Bujold
Novelette: “At the Rialto” by Connie Willis
Short Story: “Ripples in the Dirac Sea” by Geoffrey A. Landis
1990
Novel: Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Novella: “The Hemingway Hoax” by Joe Haldeman
Novelette: “Tower of Babylon” by Ted Chiang
Short Story: “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson
Grand Master: Lester del Rey
1991
Novel: Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick
Novella: “Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress
Novelette: “Guide Dog” by Mike Conner
Short Story: “Ma Qui” by Alan Brennert
1992
Novel: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Novella: “City Of Truth” by James Morrow
Novelette: “Danny Goes to Mars” by Pamela Sargent
Short Story: “Even the Queen” by Connie Willis
Grand Master: Fred Pohl
1993
Novel: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Novella: “The Night We Buried Road Dog” by Jack Cady
Novelette: “Georgia on My Mind” by Charles Sheffield
Short Story: “Graves” by Joe Haldeman
1994
The 1994 Nebulas were awarded at a ceremony in New York City in late April 1995.
Novel: Moving Mars by Greg Bear
Novella: “Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge” by Mike Resnick
Novelette: “The Martian Child” by David Gerrold
Short Story: “A Defense of the Social Contracts” by Martha Soukup
Grand Master: Damon Knight
Author Emeritus: Emil Petaja
1995
Novel: The Terminal Experiment by Robert J. Sawyer
Novella: “Last Summer at Mars Hill” by Elizabeth Hand
Novelette: “Solitude” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Short Story: “Death and the Librarian” by Esther M. Friesner
Grand Master: A. E. van Vogt
Author Emeritus: Wilson “Bob” Tucker
1996
Novel: Slow River by Nicola Griffith
Novella: “Da Vinci Rising” by Jack Dann
Novelette: “Lifeboat on a Burning Sea” by Bruce Holland Rogers
Grand Master: Jack Vance
Author Emeritus: Judith Merril
1997
Novel: The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre
Novella: “Abandon in Place” by Jerry Oltion
Novelette: “Flowers of Aulit Prison” by Nancy Kress
Short Story: “Sister Emily’s Lightship” by Jane Yolen
Grand Master: Poul Anderson
Author Emeritus: Nelson Slade Bond
1998
Novel: Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
Novella: “Reading the Bones” by Sheila Finch
Novelette: “Lost Girls” by Jane Yolen
Short Story: “Thirteen Ways to Water” by Bruce Holland Rogers
Grand Master: Hal Clement (Harry Stubbs)
Author Emeritus: William Tenn (Philip Klass)
1999
Novel: Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Novella: “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
Novelette: “Mars Is No Place for Children” by Mary A. Turzillo
Short Story: “The Cost of Doing Business” by Leslie What
Script: The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan
Grand Master: Brian W. Aldiss
Author Emeritus: Daniel
Keyes
2000
Novel: Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear
Novella: “Goddesses” by Linda Nagata
Novelette: “Daddy’s World” by Walter Jon Williams
Short Story: “macs” by Terry Bisson
Script: Galaxy Quest by Robert Gordon and David Howard
Ray Bradbury Award: Yuri Rasovsky and Harlan Ellison
Grand Master: Philip José Farmer
Author Emeritus: Robert Sheckley
2001
Novel: The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro
Novella: “The Ultimate Earth” by Jack Williamson
Novelette: “Louise’s Ghost” by Kelly Link
Short Story: “The Cure for Everything” by Severna Park
Script: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai, and Hui-Ling Wang
President’s Award: Betty Ballantine
2002
Novel: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Novella: “Bronte’s Egg” by Richard Chwedyk
Novelette: “Hell Is the Absence of God” by Ted Chiang
Short Story: “Creature” by Carol Emshwiller
Script: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, and Peter Jackson
Grand Master: Ursula K. Le Guin
Author Emeritus: Katherine MacLean
2003
Novel: Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Novella: “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman
Novelette: “The Empire of Ice Cream” by Jeffrey Ford
Short Story: “What I Didn’t See” by Karen Joy Fowler
Script: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson
Grand Master: Robert Silverberg
Author Emeritus: Charles L. Harness
2004
Novel: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Novella: “The Green Leopard Plague” by Walter Jon Williams
Novelette: “Basement Magic” by Ellen Klages
Short Story: “Coming to Terms” by Eileen Gunn
Script: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King by Frances Walsh, Phillipa Boyens, and Peter Jackson
Grand Master: Anne McCaffrey
2005
Novel: Camouflage by Joe Haldeman
Novella: “Magic for Beginners” by Kelly Link