Impossible Things
1994 short story collection by Connie Willis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Impossible Things is a collection of short stories by American writer Connie Willis, first published in January 1994,[1][2] that includes tales of ecological disaster, humorous satire, tragedy, and satirical alternate realities. Its genres range from comedy to tragedy to horror. Three of the stories won Nebula Awards,[3] and two won Hugo Awards.
First edition cover | |
| Author | Connie Willis |
|---|---|
| Genre | Short story collection |
Publication date | January 1994 |
| ISBN | 0-553-56436-6 |
Like her novel Bellwether, the stories In the Late Cretaceous and At the Rialto explore aspects of scientific research. Like All Seated on the Ground, the story Spice Pogrom involves first contact with an intelligent alien species. Like the two-part novel Blackout/All Clear, the story of Jack involves life during The Blitz. The stories Ado and Winter's Tale both refer to William Shakespeare, while Time Out, like her time travel novels, explores the nature of time.
Contents
- "The Last of the Winnebagos" (1988)
- "Even the Queen" (1992)
- "Schwarzschild Radius" (1987)
- "Ado" (1988)
- "Spice Pogrom" (1986)
- "Winter's Tale" (1988)
- "Chance" (1986)
- "In the Late Cretaceous" (1991)
- "Time Out" (1989)
- "Jack" (1991)
- "At the Rialto" (1989)
Awards
| Year | Story | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Spice Pogrom" | Hugo Award for Best Novella | Nominated | [4] |
| 1988 | "Schwarzschild Radius" | Nebula Award for Best Novelette | Nominated | [5] |
| 1989 | "At the Rialto" | Nebula Award for Best Novelette | Won | [6] |
| "The Last of the Winnebagos" | Hugo Award for Best Novella | Won | [7] | |
| Nebula Award for Best Novella | Won | [8] | ||
| 1990 | "At the Rialto" | Hugo Award for Best Novelette | Nominated | [9] |
| "Time Out" | Hugo Award for Best Novella | Nominated | [10] | |
| 1992 | "In the Late Cretaceous" | Hugo Award for Best Short Story | Nominated | [11] |
| "Jack" | Hugo Award for Best Novella | Nominated | [11] | |
| Nebula Award for Best Novella | Nominated | [12] | ||
| 1993 | "Even the Queen" | Hugo Award for Best Short Story | Won | [13] |
| Nebula Award for Best Short Story | Won | [14] | ||
| 1994 | Collection as a whole | Locus Award for Best Collection | Won | [15] |