It came in ninth in the Locus Poll for Best Short Story that year. Ed shoulda won. (The winner was "Close Encounter" by Connie Willis, a good story, but....)
One of the few 1990s issues of the magazine I've never owned, much less read. Late than never, 32 years later. Willis was and remains both popular and well-respected in sf fandom/not least the LOCUS-reader subdivision. Ed's story would have to cure a range of neo-natal diseases to beat any of her Pretty Good, much less better, stories.
The longlists for 1993 publications: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?28+1994 Ed's story came in 9th, as Jerry notes...one of Kathe Koja's came in 8th. It was a ridiculously good year for short fiction, even by most standards. (Willis placed high in three categories in the '94 poll for ''93, was *1 for both sf novel and short story in the previous poll.)
Best Short Story 1 Close Encounter Connie Willis 2 Mwalimu in the Squared Circle Mike Resnick 3 The Story So Far Martha Soukup 4 The Bone Woman Charles de Lint 5 Martin on a Wednesday Nancy Kress 6 The Battle of Long Island Nancy Kress 7 Feedback Joe Haldeman 8 I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood Kathe Koja 9 The Face Ed Gorman 10 Useful Phrases Gene Wolfe 11 Sacred Cow Bruce Sterling 12 The Extra Greg Egan 12 The Good Pup Bridget McKenna 14 The Sri Lanka Position Robert Silverberg 15 The Plot to Save Hitler W. R. Thompson 16 Love Toys of the Gods Pat Cadigan 17 Everything That Rises, Must Converge Michael Armstrong 18 Sinner-Saints Kristine Kathryn Rusch 19 Carriers Brian Stableford 20 "Forever," Said the Duck Jonathan Lethem 20 Sea-Scene, or, Vergil and the Ox-Thrall Avram Davidson 22 Cliffs That Laughed R. A. Lafferty
And just before Ed's story in the F&SF issue, Barry's casually brilliant setting of Emily Dickinson in 1993-contemporary NYC, and how things go. https://archive.org/details/Fantasy_Science_Fiction_v084n04_1993-04_Lenny_Silv3r-dtsg0318-SLiV/page/n31/mode/1up?view=theater
And I find I could've read Ed's story and congratulated him on it if I'd fetched my copy of CONFEDERACY OF THE DEAD from the moving boxes much sooner after buying it just before one passage from domicile to domicile.
Ed Gorman had the ability to write in several genres. What a talented guy!
ReplyDeleteI agree. His short stories were memorable, if usually melancholy. He was always on my list of favorite mystery short story writers.
ReplyDeleteIt came in ninth in the Locus Poll for Best Short Story that year. Ed shoulda won. (The winner was "Close Encounter" by Connie Willis, a good story, but....)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine a better story than this one.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few 1990s issues of the magazine I've never owned, much less read. Late than never, 32 years later. Willis was and remains both popular and well-respected in sf fandom/not least the LOCUS-reader subdivision. Ed's story would have to cure a range of neo-natal diseases to beat any of her Pretty Good, much less better, stories.
ReplyDeleteThe longlists for 1993 publications: https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ay.cgi?28+1994 Ed's story came in 9th, as Jerry notes...one of Kathe Koja's came in 8th. It was a ridiculously good year for short fiction, even by most standards. (Willis placed high in three categories in the '94 poll for ''93, was *1 for both sf novel and short story in the previous poll.)
ReplyDeleteBest Short Story
ReplyDelete1 Close Encounter Connie Willis
2 Mwalimu in the Squared Circle Mike Resnick
3 The Story So Far Martha Soukup
4 The Bone Woman Charles de Lint
5 Martin on a Wednesday Nancy Kress
6 The Battle of Long Island Nancy Kress
7 Feedback Joe Haldeman
8 I Shall Do Thee Mischief in the Wood Kathe Koja
9 The Face Ed Gorman
10 Useful Phrases Gene Wolfe
11 Sacred Cow Bruce Sterling
12 The Extra Greg Egan
12 The Good Pup Bridget McKenna
14 The Sri Lanka Position Robert Silverberg
15 The Plot to Save Hitler W. R. Thompson
16 Love Toys of the Gods Pat Cadigan
17 Everything That Rises, Must Converge Michael Armstrong
18 Sinner-Saints Kristine Kathryn Rusch
19 Carriers Brian Stableford
20 "Forever," Said the Duck Jonathan Lethem
20 Sea-Scene, or, Vergil and the Ox-Thrall Avram Davidson
22 Cliffs That Laughed R. A. Lafferty
...something in the water, perhaps.
Some--a few--of these writers have received everything good they're (are/were) due. Most, not so much.
ReplyDeleteAnd just before Ed's story in the F&SF issue, Barry's casually brilliant setting of Emily Dickinson in 1993-contemporary NYC, and how things go. https://archive.org/details/Fantasy_Science_Fiction_v084n04_1993-04_Lenny_Silv3r-dtsg0318-SLiV/page/n31/mode/1up?view=theater
ReplyDeleteAnd I find I could've read Ed's story and congratulated him on it if I'd fetched my copy of CONFEDERACY OF THE DEAD from the moving boxes much sooner after buying it just before one passage from domicile to domicile.
"And, of course. Ed's story is truly F&SF...vs. AMAZING. Tip your waitstaff, please."
ReplyDeleteIf one also wants to dip into CONFEDERACY OF THE DEAD: https://archive.org/details/confederacyofdea0000gill/mode/2up
ReplyDelete