"Elemental" is a

science fantasy file:Warhammer40kcosplay.jpg, Cosplay of a character from the ''Warhammer 40,000'' tabletop game; one critic has characterized the game's setting as "action-oriented science-fantasy." Science fantasy is a hybrid genre within speculative fiction ...

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

Geoffrey A. Landis Geoffrey Alan Landis (; born May 28, 1955) is an American aerospace engineer and author, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics. He h ...

. It was first published in ''

Analog Science Fiction ''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 Cl ...

'', in December 1984."Elemental"
at the

Internet Speculative Fiction Database The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...

; retrieved June 17, 2017

Synopsis

In a late 21st century where

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

has been systematized and incorporated into technology, two graduate students and their advisors discover the signs of an imminent disaster.

Reception

"Elemental" was a finalist for the 1985

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 ...

.1985 Hugo Awards
(), at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved June 17, 2017 ''

SF Site ''SF Site'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine edited by Rodger Turner. It is among the oldest of websites dedicated to science fiction and primarily publishes book reviews. It has won the Locus Award and received nominations for ...

'' describes it as having a "

Connie Willis Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than ...

-rewrites- Heinlein's-'' Magic, Inc.'' flavour", but notes that it "doesn't quite work".''Impact Parameter and Other Quantum Realities'', by Geoffrey A. Landis
reviewed by Greg L. Johnson, at ''

''; published 2001; retrieved June 17, 2017 John Grant, writing at '' Infinity Plus'', judged it to be "a piece of (relative)

juvenilia Juvenilia are literary, musical or artistic works produced by authors during their youth. Written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appear as retrospective publications, some time after the author has become well known for later works. Bac ...

", "clumsy", and "a bit of an embarrassment",''Impact Parameter, and Other Quantum Realities'', by Geoffrey A Landis
reviewed by John Grant, at ''Infinity Plus''; published March 16, 2002; retrieved June 17, 2017 and observed that Landis has admitted to having "mixed feelings about" the story.
Impact Parameter and Other Quantum Realities
', by Geoffrey Landis, published by

Golden Gryphon Press Golden Gryphon Press was an independent publishing company, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and cross-genre novels. It was founded in 1996 by Jim Turner, former editor at Arkham House, until his death in 1999. It was then o ...

in 2001; "Elemental was my first published story. I have mixed feelings about it now. With sixteen years of hindsight, it seems to me that the story is a little crude, the plot a little naive. But then, when I wrote it, I didn't know what I was doing."

References

{{reflist Science fiction short stories Works by Geoffrey A. Landis Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact