Oceanic (novella)

(Redirected from Oceanic (story))

"Oceanic" is a science fiction novella by Australian writer Greg Egan, published in 1998.[1] It won the 1999 Hugo Award for Best Novella.

"Oceanic"
Short story by Greg Egan
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Science fiction novella
Publication
Published inAsimov's Science Fiction
Publication typeMagazine
Publication dateAugust 1998

Publication history

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"Oceanic" was first published in the August 1998 edition of Asimov's Science Fiction by Dell Magazines. Editor Gardner Dozois republished it in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Sixteenth Annual Collection (1999) and The Best of the Best Volume 2: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels (2007). It was again republished in Greg Egan's collection Dark Integers and Other Stories (2008) and in Egan's collections Oceanic (2009)[2] and The Best of Greg Egan (2019).

Reception

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Reviews

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Russell Letson, writing in the Locus Magazine, says that the novella "edges into extreme post-human and/or far-future territory, but that story’s armature is a kind of bildungsroman" and "is a whole novel’s worth of material that remains background."[3]

Awards

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In 1999, "Oceanic" won the Hugo Award for Best Novella, Locus Award best novella, and Asimov's Reader Poll for best novella.[4][5][6] It also won two foreign short story awards: the 2000 Hayakawa's SF Magazine Reader's Award and the 2001 Seiun Award.[7][8] "Oceanic" was also a finalist in the 1998 Aurealis Award for best science fiction short story, a long list nominee for the 1999 James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award, and a short-list nominee for the 1999 HOMer Award for best novella.[9][10][11]

Synopsis

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The story follows Martin, a Freelander living on the oceans of Covenant. As a boy he has a religious experience that shapes his life for years to come. As he grows into manhood his experiences and studies begin to conflict with his deep rooted faith. Eventually he joins a small circle of scholars studying the effects of one of Covenant’s most abundant microbes as his views of life change dramatically.

References

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  1. ^ ""Oceanic" by Greg Egan". ISFDB. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Bibliography: Oceanic". ISFDB. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  3. ^ Letson, Russell (2019-06-14). "Russell Letson Reviews The Best of Greg Egan by Greg Egan". Locus Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-04-30. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  4. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 Hugo Awards". Locus Online. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  5. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 Locus Awards". Locus Online. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  6. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 Asimov's Reader Poll". Locus Online. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  7. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2000 Hayakawa's SF Magazine Reader's Award". Locus Online. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  8. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2001 Seiun Awards". Locus Online. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  9. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 Aurealis Awards". Locus Online. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  10. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award". Locus Online. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  11. ^ "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 HOMer Awards". Locus Online. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
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  • Egan, Greg Egan. Oceanic. Full text online.