In the Western Tradition

"In the Western Tradition" is a science fiction short story by Phyllis Eisenstein. It was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, in March 1981.

Synopsis

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Alison is a time viewer technician supervising research into the Old West, who becomes fixated on one of the long-dead subjects of the project's surveillance.

Reception

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"In the Western Tradition" was a finalist for the 1982 Hugo Award for Best Novella,[1] and for the Nebula Award for Best Novella of 1981.[2]

James Nicoll considered it to be a "gem".[3] Steven H. Silver, however, found the story to be "a little on the long side", and faulted it for not adequately resolving issues surrounding Alison's romance with her coworker Barry.[4]

References

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  1. ^ 1982 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved December 30, 2020
  2. ^ In the Western Tradition, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved December 30, 2020
  3. ^ At the narrow passage, there is no brother and no friend, by James Nicoll; at JamesDavisNicoll.com; published October 15, 2015; retrieved December 30, 2020
  4. ^ Steven Silver's Reviews: NIGHT LIVES by Phyllis Eisenstein (with Alex Eisenstein); at the SF Site; published no later than April 23, 2004 (oldest version on archive.org); retrieved December 30, 2020