The Ray-Gun: A Love Story
"The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" is a science fiction novelette by American writer James Alan Gardner, published in 2008. It won the 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Award.[1] It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette as well as the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.[2]
| "The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Alan Gardner |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Published in | Asimov's Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Magazine |
| Publication date | February 2008 |
Plot summary
The story is about an unpopular teenage boy who finds an alien ray gun in the forest. Although he does not do much with the gun, contemplating its design or use and handling the ray-gun when alone gives his life more direction and purpose. The story has some elements of "coming of age" stories in that it follows an adolescent becoming an adult, PhD student, and ultimately finding love. The ray-gun played a role in the direction of his life in all these things. However, in the end the ray-gun itself is abandoned as too dangerous or no longer needed.
Footnotes
- "The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award". Locus. Locus. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- The LOCUS Index to SF Awards Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- The Ray-Gun: A Love Story title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database