"The Nutcracker Coup" is a 1992

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

short story by Janet Kagan. It was first published in ''

Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine edited by Sheila Williams and published by Dell Magazines, which is owned by Penny Press. It was launched as a quarterly by Davis Publications in 1977, after obtaining Isaac ...

''.

Synopsis

Human diplomats stationed on the planet Rejoicing teach the

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...

-like natives to revolt against their tyrannical emperor.

Reception

"The Nutcracker Coup" won the 1993

Hugo Award for Best Novelette The Hugo Award for Best Novelette 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 novelette award is available for works of fiction of ...

, 1993 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved November 13, 2017 and was nominated for the 1993

Nebula Award for Best Novelette The Nebula Award for Best Novelette is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to a science fiction or fantasy novelette. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novelette if it is between 7,5 ...

.''The Nutcracker Coup''
at

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

; retrieved November 13, 2017

Ben Jeapes Ben Jeapes (born 14 February 1965) is a British science fiction writer living in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Early life and education Jeapes was born in Belfast in 1965. He was educated at Hampton Dene Primary School, Hereford, Little C ...

has cited the story as the inspiration for the design of the alien species in his 1998 novel ''His Majesty's Starship'', while observing that its plot is predicated on "upholding the right of all decent Americans to interfere in the affairs of less developed planets if they find the culture un-American or even if they are just plain bored".His Majesty’s Starship, part 1: origins
by

, at BenJeapes.com; published December 10, 2018; retrieved January 13, 2019

References

1992 short stories Science fiction short stories Hugo Award for Best Novelette–winning works Works originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction {{1990s-sf-story-stub