'Hello,' Said the Stick
Short story by Michael Swanwick
| "'Hello,' Said the Stick" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Michael Swanwick | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Analog Science Fiction and Fact |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Publication date | March 2002 |
"'Hello,' Said the Stick" is a science fiction short story by American writer Michael Swanwick, published in 2002. It was nominated for the 2003 Hugo Award for Best Short Story as well as the 2003 Locus Award.[1]
Plot summary
Set in a distant future where the Earth's ex-colonies have turned the planet into a steampunkish, pseudo-medieval wasteland in order to stop their technological advancement, particularly in weapons, the story follows a foot soldier who is going to join the Iron Duke's army to help him in his siege at Port Morningstar, a town held by the despotic Council of Seven. Along the way he finds a talking stick which convinces him to take it with him.
Author's comments
In a 2017 interview, Swanwick said: "I came up with the idea for "'Hello,' Said the Stick" while listening to a friend's reading on a Friday night, started writing it the next morning after breakfast, and got it into the mail at 2:30 that afternoon. No diagrams, no outlines, no sweat. And it placed on the Hugo ballot too! If every story came that easily, I'd be a very happy man."[2]
References
External links
- 'Hello,' Said the Stick title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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Works by Michael Swanwick
- In the Drift (1984)
- Vacuum Flowers (1987)
- Stations of the Tide (1991)
- The Iron Dragon's Daughter (1993)
- Jack Faust (1997)
- Bones of the Earth (2002)
- The Dragons of Babel (2008)
- Dancing With Bears (2011)
- Chasing the Phoenix (2015)
- The Iron Dragon's Mother (2019)
- "Dogfight" (1985)
- "The Dead" (1996)
- "The Very Pulse of the Machine" (1998)
- "Radiant Doors" (1999)
- "Ancient Engines" (1999)
- "Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" (1999)
- "The Dog Said Bow-Wow" (2001)
- "Slow Life" (2002)
- "'Hello,' Said the Stick" (2002)
- "Legions in Time" (2003)
- Gravity's Angels (1991)
- A Geography of Unknown Lands (1997)
- Moon Dogs (2000)
- Puck Aleshire's Abecedary (2000)
- The Periodic Table of Science Fiction (2005)
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