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woahno's review
3.0
I struggle what to write for this story. It was a hit and miss tale for me. There is certainly a great discussion and question around weapons of mass destruction. I thought it made for a interesting premise for this story. I also felt like the plotting and pacing was a bit wonky and the ending a bit rushed. At all times, however, I was engaged and entertained.
carolmia's review
4.0
This is a short story with a haunting ethical dilemma, it will stay with you long after you finish reading.
In 2020, it won a Hugo for Best Short Story was and you can read it for free here
In 2020, it won a Hugo for Best Short Story was and you can read it for free here
tui_reads's review
4.0
Hugo 2020 reading and the eventual winner. Explores the old idea that in order to use a nuclear weapon a president should be willing to personally kill someone. Really haunting last lines. This was second or third on my ballot but not a bad choice for winner at all, voting in this category was difficult.
heniaakbar's review
2.0
Best Short Story 2020 Winner: 2
The concept of "It's not right or wrong, it's making it hard" is good, but the rest is ordinary.
There's a surgical, isn't there? Why is it so hard to kill one child in order to preserve millions? And if killing one is already hard, what's the point of the missile anyway? I have so many questions.
The concept of "It's not right or wrong, it's making it hard" is good, but the rest is ordinary.
There's a surgical, isn't there? Why is it so hard to kill one child in order to preserve millions? And if killing one is already hard, what's the point of the missile anyway? I have so many questions.
miawvdl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
whitecat5000's review
5.0
“It’s not about right and wrong,” she said to him. “It’s about making it hard.”
That was a really great story. I can see why it won the Hugo Award.
That was a really great story. I can see why it won the Hugo Award.
trish204's review
3.0
Peach petals drift down
Cheerful pink snow
And I clasp them to me
As the last I may know.
This story is about Nyma. In the beginning, she's a 10-year-old girl belonging to a mysterious Order that plants a capsule into a chosen child's chest. The capsule contains the codes needed to fire seres missiles that can annihilate an entire city (organic and inorganic matter alike). If the respective president wants to use the seres missiles, he or she first has to kill the carrier child with their own hands using a ceremonial dagger and retrieve the capsule from the boy's or girl's chest.
Nyma is the carrier child for newly elected President Han.
Over the years, as war rages on, they get to know each other a little. Sometimes they talk about Nyma's poetry. The Order's hope is that no president will be able to kill a child themselves and thus peace reigns. But, of course, it's not that easy because even if YOU want peace, that doesn't mean the other countries think and feel the same and it's usually not about the survival of just one person ...
The basic concept of this story is not new. One of the most popular and somewhat recent examples of it being addressed is Doctor Who's The Moment (aka Eye of Discord), a sentient interface with telepathic abilities, enabling it to read the thoughts and memories of those who intend to use it (like the War Doctor).
I like that this theme keep spopping up as there are quite some creative ways of displaying the conundrum one should face before using a superweapon. Here, however, I missed a certain je ne sais quoi that would have given the story a special twist or extra gravitas.
“It’s not about right and wrong,” she said to him. “It’s about making it hard.”
I actually disagree with this notion in some way.
Of course it should be hard(er). I agree that just nodding or even pressing a button but from the safety of a bunker somewhere isn't like having to get your own hands dirty and actually killing someone yourself. There is this threshold most of us can't cross (at least not without training). And that is how it should be.
However, it is also about right vs wrong. If it's too easy, everyone would do it - some even just because they can. The two are interwoven.
There is something to be said for wars needing to take many lives. We don't like it, but then we might be motivated not to have another war exactly because of that. Owning the uber weapon that means no sacrifices on your part but total destruction for your enemy is ... too easy. As Theodore Roosevelt once famously said: "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…" - and it's true. That being said, having a weapon and not using it under any circumstances can be equally catastrophic, unfortunately.
So yeah, the concept of the story makes you think. And since we're talking about children carriers, it might have even more of an impact for some. But it lacked something for me. The story dripping on was OK stylistically as it mirrored Nyma's waiting, but we jumped forward in time relatively quickly and the end petered out too much in my opinion (especially considering that this is a HUGO nominee). Too bad.
You can read the story for free here: https://www.tor.com/2019/10/23/as-the-last-i-may-know-s-l-huang/
anna_hepworth's review
5.0
Read because it was nominated for a Hugo award
Brutal - about using one life to save many. I think this one says a lot more in a more nuanced way than the last such I read.
Brutal - about using one life to save many. I think this one says a lot more in a more nuanced way than the last such I read.