"Aurora in Four Voices" is a short science fiction novella written by

Catherine Asaro Catherine Ann Asaro (born November 6, 1955) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, singer and teacher. She is best known for her books about the Ruby Dynasty, called the Saga of the Skolian Empire. Biography Catherine Asaro was ...

and published in December 1998. It is part of the Skolian Empire series and was originally published in ''

Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William ...

''. It was also available free online at Analog magazine's website. It won the 1999 HOMer Award for Best Novella from the SF and Fantasy forum on

CompuServe CompuServe (CompuServe Information Service, also known by its initialism CIS) was an American online service provider, the first major commercial one in the world – described in 1994 as "the oldest of the Big Three information services (the oth ...

, the Analytical Laboratory (AnLab) Award for Best Novella from the readers of ''

,'' and the Sapphire Award for Best Science Fiction Romance Short Fiction for 2000 from the ''Science Fiction Romance Newsletter.'' It was also nominated for the 1999

Hugo Award for Best Novella The Hugo Award for Best Novella is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novella award is available for works of fiction of between ...

and

Nebula Award for Best Novella The Nebula Award for Best Novella is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novellas. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novella if it is between 17,500 and 4 ...

, the 2000

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Japan Science Fiction Convention. ...

for best overseas short fiction by the attendees of the

Japan Science Fiction Convention The is an annual science fiction convention held in Japan. Each of these conventions is officially the , but they are more popularly known by the official nicknames given to them based on their locations, e.g. TOKON (when it is held in Tokyo) or ...

, and placed sixth for the 1999

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

for Best Novella. The novella also loaned its title to a collection of Asaro's short stories published by

ISFiC Press ISFiC Press is the small press publishing arm of ISFiC. It often produces books by the Author Guest of Honor at Windycon, an annual Chicago science fiction convention, launching the appropriate title at the convention. Although the press official ...

in 2011.

Plot

On the planet Ansatz, Jato, a man imprisoned on false charges, and Soz, a powerful fighter, meet and embark on a mission for freedom. This mission not only leads them away from Crankenshaft and his control over Jato, but also leads them close to one another.

Characters

* Jato Stormson, the protagonist, grew up on a farm on the planet Sandstorm. After traveling to the planet Ansatz in hopes of performing a Trade with a Dreamer, he became a prisoner in the perpetually dark city Nightingale. Asaro describes him as having dark hair, a “...husky build and rugged good looks...”. * Soz appears in other of Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire works. In “Aurora in Four Voices” she is an ISC soldier with rank Imperial Messenger, Secondary Class. Her body has been modified with mechanics giving her advanced speed and strength. She arrived on Ansatz with her own spaceship, aboard which Jato hopes to be smuggled off the planet. * Granite Crankenshaft is a Dreamer of Nightingale, whose art is “...known across a thousand star systems” and is “...a genius among geniuses...”. Crankenshaft framed Jato for murder in order to keep him in Nightingale, so that Crakenshaft could use him as a model for his masterpiece.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora In Four Voices Saga of the Skolian Empire Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact