Seven Goldfish

Free Hugo & Nebula Novelette Winners (2000–2024)

After years of religiously devouring Hugo and Nebula nominees (and burning through Escape Pod episodes and those "Year's Best" anthologies like candy), I finally looked at the novelette category and went "wait, what the hell even is a novelette?" It's funny - every sci-fi nerd I know either reads novels or shorts, but somehow we all skip right over these mid-length pieces. Turns out they're these perfect little hour-long reads sitting between short stories and novellas, and there's a whole pile of award-winners just sitting there free on the web. So I'm working my way down the list, one by one, and writing up reviews as I go. Consider this my attempt to fill a weird blind spot that apparently everyone else has too.

Award / Year / ≈read‑time	Title (link) & Author	Summary	My Rating / Review
Hugo & Nebula, 2005, ~32 min	The Faery Handbag – Kelly Link	A young woman’s grandmother leaves her a mysterious black handbag inhabited by an entire fairy world, which the granddaughter must protect – even as her boyfriend and best friend vanish into it.	I haven't read The Faery Handbag yet
Hugo, 2010, ~52 min	The Island – Peter Watts	A distant‑future starship crew encounters a gargantuan, sentient entity encircling a star; a mother–son team must decide whether to carry out orders to destroy this ancient lifeform or find another path.	I haven't read The Island yet
Nebula, 2010, ~36 min	That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made – Eric James Stone	On a space station inside the Sun, a Mormon congregation includes giant plasma beings called “swales,” and when their deity becomes offended, a humble church leader must use faith and diplomacy to prevent disaster.	I haven't read That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made yet
Hugo, 2012, ~33 min	Six Months, Three Days – Charlie Jane Anders	A romance blossoms between two precognitive people—Doug, who sees one fixed future, and Judy, who sees all possible futures—even though they both know their relationship will last exactly six months and three days.	I haven't read Six Months, Three Days yet
Hugo, 2014, ~32 min	The Lady Astronaut of Mars – Mary Robinette Kowal	In an alternate‑history space age, an aging former astronaut faces an agonizing choice between accepting one last interplanetary mission or staying on Earth to care for her dying husband.	I haven't read The Lady Astronaut of Mars yet
Hugo, 2015, ~42 min	The Day the World Turned Upside Down – Thomas Olde Heuvelt (trans. Lia Belt)	When gravity inverts across the globe, sending people and objects skyward, a heartbroken man navigates an upside‑down world to reunite with his lost love and find meaning amid cataclysm.	I haven't read The Day the World Turned Upside Down yet
Hugo, 2016, ~65 min	Folding Beijing – Hao Jingfang (trans. Ken Liu)	In a futuristic Beijing that literally folds and reconfigures itself to segregate social classes, a low‑class worker undertakes a risky mission across class zones and witnesses the stark injustices of his stratified city.	I haven't read Folding Beijing yet
Hugo, 2017, ~56 min	The Tomato Thief – Ursula Vernon (as T. Kingfisher)	Grandma Harken just wants to grow her tomatoes, but when a shape‑shifting spirit starts stealing them she must embark on a desert quest to confront an ancient trickster and save an innocent soul.	I haven't read The Tomato Thief yet
Hugo, 2018, ~36 min	The Secret Life of Bots – Suzanne Palmer	A long‑dormant maintenance robot awakens on a starship during a crisis and enthusiastically tackles a series of “small” problems—proving that even the tiniest bot can save the day with enough creativity.	I haven't read The Secret Life of Bots yet
Hugo, 2019, ~44 min	If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again – Zen Cho	A beleaguered immortal serpent in mythic China repeatedly fails to ascend to dragonhood; after centuries and an unexpected friendship with a human woman, it discovers new purpose in love and perseverance.	I haven't read If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again yet
Hugo, 2020, ~47 min	Emergency Skin – N. K. Jemisin	In this epistolary tale, a soulless android is sent to abandoned Earth to fetch resources for its off‑world masters, only to discover humanity thriving and its creators’ narrative of Earth’s doom was a lie.	I haven't read Emergency Skin yet
Hugo, 2021, ~48 min	Two Truths and a Lie – Sarah Pinsker	A woman returning to her hometown becomes obsessed with a disturbing local children’s show that never existed; unraveling the uncanny mystery forces her to confront an eldritch truth haunting her since childhood.	I haven't read Two Truths and a Lie yet
Hugo, 2022, ~48 min	Bots of the Lost Ark – Suzanne Palmer	A resourceful maintenance robot leads a ragtag team of bots in a comedic rebellion aboard a generation starship—thwarting a mutiny while searching for its long‑missing friend.	I haven't read Bots of the Lost Ark yet
Nebula, 2022, ~40 min	If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You – John Chu	A hacker receives a bizarre holy mission from an online chatbot claiming to be God and must decide how far he’ll go—miracles and monstrous angels included—to save the man he loves.	I haven't read If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You yet
Hugo, 2023, ~50 min	The Space‑Time Painter – Hai Ya (trans. Andy Dudak)	In a far‑future China, an artist literally paints with space‑time; when an imperial archivist witnesses his work, she becomes entangled in a rebellion that spans centuries and universes.	I haven't read The Space‑Time Painter yet
Hugo, 2022, ~48 min	Bots of the Lost Ark – Suzanne Palmer	A resourceful maintenance robot leads a ragtag team of bots in a comedic rebellion aboard a generation starship—thwarting a mutiny while searching for its long‑missing friend.	I haven't read Bots of the Lost Ark yet
Nebula, 2022, ~40 min	If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You – John Chu	A hacker receives a bizarre holy mission from an online chatbot claiming to be God and must decide how far he’ll go—miracles and monstrous angels included—to save the man he loves.	I haven't read If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You yet
Hugo, 2023, ~50 min	The Space‑Time Painter – Hai Ya (trans. Andy Dudak)	In a far‑future China, an artist literally paints with space‑time; when an imperial archivist witnesses his work, she becomes entangled in a rebellion that spans centuries and universes.	I haven't read The Space‑Time Painter yet
Nebula, 2023, ~44 min	The Year Without Sunshine – Naomi Kritzer	After a high‑tech climate disaster blots out the Sun, a group of Minnesota kids cope with perpetual darkness; one teen’s hopeful quest for “sunlight” reveals the power of community resilience.	I haven't read The Year Without Sunshine yet
Hugo, 2024, ~44 min	The Year Without Sunshine – Naomi Kritzer	Same as above—Kritzer’s hopeful tale made history by winning both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.	I haven't read The Year Without Sunshine yet
Nebula, 2024, ~39 min	Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being – A. W. Prihandita	A dying grad student in Jakarta attempts a radical occult experiment to prove life after death, but ghostly mentors and supernatural bureaucracy threaten to unleash dark forces in the name of academic glory.	I haven't read Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being yet

Award / Year / ≈read‑time

Title (link) & Author

Summary

My Rating / Review

Hugo & Nebula, 2005, ~32 min

The Faery Handbag – Kelly Link

A young woman’s grandmother leaves her a mysterious black handbag inhabited by an entire fairy world, which the granddaughter must protect – even as her boyfriend and best friend vanish into it.

I haven't read The Faery Handbag yet

Hugo, 2010, ~52 min

The Island – Peter Watts

A distant‑future starship crew encounters a gargantuan, sentient entity encircling a star; a mother–son team must decide whether to carry out orders to destroy this ancient lifeform or find another path.

I haven't read The Island yet

Nebula, 2010, ~36 min

That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made – Eric James Stone

On a space station inside the Sun, a Mormon congregation includes giant plasma beings called “swales,” and when their deity becomes offended, a humble church leader must use faith and diplomacy to prevent disaster.

I haven't read That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made yet

Hugo, 2012, ~33 min

Six Months, Three Days – Charlie Jane Anders

A romance blossoms between two precognitive people—Doug, who sees one fixed future, and Judy, who sees all possible futures—even though they both know their relationship will last exactly six months and three days.

I haven't read Six Months, Three Days yet

Hugo, 2014, ~32 min

The Lady Astronaut of Mars – Mary Robinette Kowal

In an alternate‑history space age, an aging former astronaut faces an agonizing choice between accepting one last interplanetary mission or staying on Earth to care for her dying husband.

I haven't read The Lady Astronaut of Mars yet

Hugo, 2015, ~42 min

The Day the World Turned Upside Down – Thomas Olde Heuvelt (trans. Lia Belt)

When gravity inverts across the globe, sending people and objects skyward, a heartbroken man navigates an upside‑down world to reunite with his lost love and find meaning amid cataclysm.

I haven't read The Day the World Turned Upside Down yet

Hugo, 2016, ~65 min

Folding Beijing – Hao Jingfang (trans. Ken Liu)

In a futuristic Beijing that literally folds and reconfigures itself to segregate social classes, a low‑class worker undertakes a risky mission across class zones and witnesses the stark injustices of his stratified city.

I haven't read Folding Beijing yet

Hugo, 2017, ~56 min

The Tomato Thief – Ursula Vernon (as T. Kingfisher)

Grandma Harken just wants to grow her tomatoes, but when a shape‑shifting spirit starts stealing them she must embark on a desert quest to confront an ancient trickster and save an innocent soul.

I haven't read The Tomato Thief yet

Hugo, 2018, ~36 min

The Secret Life of Bots – Suzanne Palmer

A long‑dormant maintenance robot awakens on a starship during a crisis and enthusiastically tackles a series of “small” problems—proving that even the tiniest bot can save the day with enough creativity.

I haven't read The Secret Life of Bots yet

Hugo, 2019, ~44 min

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again – Zen Cho

A beleaguered immortal serpent in mythic China repeatedly fails to ascend to dragonhood; after centuries and an unexpected friendship with a human woman, it discovers new purpose in love and perseverance.

I haven't read If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again yet

Hugo, 2020, ~47 min

Emergency Skin – N. K. Jemisin

In this epistolary tale, a soulless android is sent to abandoned Earth to fetch resources for its off‑world masters, only to discover humanity thriving and its creators’ narrative of Earth’s doom was a lie.

I haven't read Emergency Skin yet

Hugo, 2021, ~48 min

Two Truths and a Lie – Sarah Pinsker

A woman returning to her hometown becomes obsessed with a disturbing local children’s show that never existed; unraveling the uncanny mystery forces her to confront an eldritch truth haunting her since childhood.

I haven't read Two Truths and a Lie yet

Hugo, 2022, ~48 min

Bots of the Lost Ark – Suzanne Palmer

A resourceful maintenance robot leads a ragtag team of bots in a comedic rebellion aboard a generation starship—thwarting a mutiny while searching for its long‑missing friend.

I haven't read Bots of the Lost Ark yet

Nebula, 2022, ~40 min

If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You – John Chu

A hacker receives a bizarre holy mission from an online chatbot claiming to be God and must decide how far he’ll go—miracles and monstrous angels included—to save the man he loves.

I haven't read If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You yet

Hugo, 2023, ~50 min

The Space‑Time Painter – Hai Ya (trans. Andy Dudak)

In a far‑future China, an artist literally paints with space‑time; when an imperial archivist witnesses his work, she becomes entangled in a rebellion that spans centuries and universes.

I haven't read The Space‑Time Painter yet

Hugo, 2022, ~48 min

Bots of the Lost Ark – Suzanne Palmer

A resourceful maintenance robot leads a ragtag team of bots in a comedic rebellion aboard a generation starship—thwarting a mutiny while searching for its long‑missing friend.

I haven't read Bots of the Lost Ark yet

Nebula, 2022, ~40 min

If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You – John Chu

A hacker receives a bizarre holy mission from an online chatbot claiming to be God and must decide how far he’ll go—miracles and monstrous angels included—to save the man he loves.

I haven't read If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You yet

Hugo, 2023, ~50 min

The Space‑Time Painter – Hai Ya (trans. Andy Dudak)

In a far‑future China, an artist literally paints with space‑time; when an imperial archivist witnesses his work, she becomes entangled in a rebellion that spans centuries and universes.

I haven't read The Space‑Time Painter yet

Nebula, 2023, ~44 min

The Year Without Sunshine – Naomi Kritzer

After a high‑tech climate disaster blots out the Sun, a group of Minnesota kids cope with perpetual darkness; one teen’s hopeful quest for “sunlight” reveals the power of community resilience.

I haven't read The Year Without Sunshine yet

Hugo, 2024, ~44 min

The Year Without Sunshine – Naomi Kritzer

Same as above—Kritzer’s hopeful tale made history by winning both the Nebula and Hugo Awards.

I haven't read The Year Without Sunshine yet

Nebula, 2024, ~39 min

Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being – A. W. Prihandita

A dying grad student in Jakarta attempts a radical occult experiment to prove life after death, but ghostly mentors and supernatural bureaucracy threaten to unleash dark forces in the name of academic glory.

I haven't read Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being yet