Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Thomas Olde Heuvelt's "The Boy Who Cast No Shadow" (novelette, free)

Cover of the online mobi version of the novelette The Boy Who Cast No Shadow by Thomas Olde HeuveltThe best I've seen so far among this year's Hugo nominees, though still far short of being great. An easy read, but may be a bit too long.

Caution: There are a couple of episodes late in the story of homosexual encounters.

Story summary.

Two male teenagers with peculiar bodies - one who neither casts a shadow nor gets a reflection in the mirror, irrespective of lighting conditions; other made of glass! And they get bullied & teased by their peers because of their differences. This is the story of their coming to terms with their differences.

Fact sheet.

First published: ? (as "De jongen die geen schaduw wierp" in Dutch)
Online mobi copy of the story contains this note: "Winner of the €750 Paul Harland Award ’09 for best Dutch story of the Fantastic". So originally published no later than 2009.
Download full text of English translation by Laura Vroomen from publisher's site.
Rating: B.
Nominated for Hugo Award 2013 in novelette category (perhaps the English translation was first published last year?)

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