As the Last I May Know

"As the Last I May Know" is a 2019 fantasy short story by S. L. Huang, about nuclear deterrence. It was first published on Tor.com. The story takes inspiration from a suggestion by academic Roger Fisher on how to prevent nuclear war.

Synopsis

Nyma is a ten-year-old child who must accompany the President of her nation everywhere he goes, because a capsule with weapon launch codes has been surgically implanted in her heart, such that if the President wants to use those weapons, he must first kill her.

Reception

"As The Last I May Know" won the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.^[1]

References

^ 2020 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved March 6, 2024

Hugo Award for Best Short Story (2001–2020)

"Different Kinds of Darkness" by David Langford (2001)
"The Dog Said Bow-Wow" by Michael Swanwick (2002)
"Falling onto Mars" by Geoffrey A. Landis (2003)
"A Study in Emerald" by Neil Gaiman (2004)
"Travels with My Cats" by Mike Resnick (2005)
"Tk'tk'tk" by David D. Levine (2006)
"Impossible Dreams" by Tim Pratt (2007)
"Tideline" by Elizabeth Bear (2008)
"Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (2009)
"Bridesicle" by Will McIntosh (2010)
"For Want of a Nail" by Mary Robinette Kowal (2011)
"The Paper Menagerie" by Ken Liu (2012)
"Mono no aware" by Ken Liu (2013)
"The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" by John Chu (2014)
<no award> (2015)
"Cat Pictures Please" by Naomi Kritzer (2016)
"Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar (2017)
"Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™" by Rebecca Roanhorse (2018)
"A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow (2019)
"As the Last I May Know" by S. L. Huang (2020)