Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole
"Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" is a 2024 science fiction short story by Isabel J. Kim, revisiting Ursula K. Le Guin's 1974 "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". It was first published in Clarkesworld.
Synopsis
[edit]The story explores the ramifications of the murder of the "load-bearing suffering child" by people who object to the Omelas system, in both the short term (after a string of disasters, the Omelans place a second child in the hole) and the long.
Reception
[edit]"Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" won the 2024 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction,[1] and won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 2024.[2] It is also nominated for the 2025 Locus Award for Best Short Story,[3] and the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ BSFA Awards 2024, by Mike Glyer, at File 770; published April 20, 2025; retrieved May 14, 2025
- ^ Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved May 14, 2025
- ^ 2025 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists, at Locus Online; published May 2, 2025; retrieved May 14, 2025
- ^ 2025 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved May 14, 2025