Aug 6, 2026 · 1 hr 38 min · 9 segments
It’s the Hugo shortlist time of year! I’m doing my part (a very small part) by hosting some of my Internet Friends to discuss the 2026 finalists for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story! This was a…
Sarah ElkinsGuestJW WarkikGuestLoriGuest
Lisa McCartyGuest
Ivor WatkinsGuest
Seth HeasleyHostAmyGuest
I'm going to talk about "Ten Visions of the Future" or "Self-Care and the End of Days" by Samantha Mills.
That's episode 63A on the podcast, and the audio version was read by Erika Ensign.
Um, you may remember Samantha Mills' short story, "Rabbit Test," on the subject of reproductive rights that won the Nebula Hu- and the Hugo in 2023.
Um, in this story, which I picked for our March 2025 short fiction spotlight, Mills wrestles with the feeling of impending doom by imagining a variety of fantastical or science fictional disasters.
Um, for example, a Hellgate opens off the coast of California, and there's also a zombifying virus pandemic.
It's called "Ten Visions of the Future," but the disasters stack up in a more cumulative way throughout the story rather than being 10 totally different storylines.
Um, the writing is concise and witty in the spirit of you have to laugh or you'll cry.
Um, the main idea of the story is about finding the moments of joy amid the horror and getting through it in, with a loving family and community that cares for each other.
Um, in the interview that the author gave on the Uncanny podcast, she talks about writing it in the wake of the 2024 presidential election in order to work through her feelings about it.
Yeah, the thing that I like about this is, is how, you know, we use science fiction to imagine versions of the future, right? And, and fantasy as well.
And, uh, and we can imagine good ones and bad ones, but it's important to kind of imagine them to prepare for them.
And, and I also like that y- in the end, right, it matters who you're going through these things with, good or bad.
I think I read this one third.
I read them all again yesterday, and I think I read this third, and it struck me that there's a running theme [chuckles] between all of these stories-
... sort of about the bleakness of waves, hands, and everything, you know.
I'm going to talk about "Ten Visions of the Future" or "Self-Care and the End of Days" by Samantha Mills.
That's episode 63A on the podcast, and the audio version was read by Erika Ensign.
Um, you may remember Samantha Mills' short story, "Rabbit Test," on the subject of reproductive rights that won the Nebula Hu- and the Hugo in 2023.
Um, in this story, which I picked for our March 2025 short fiction spotlight, Mills wrestles with the feeling of impending doom by imagining a variety of fantastical or science fictional disasters.
Um, for example, a Hellgate opens off the coast of California, and there's also a zombifying virus pandemic.
It's called "Ten Visions of the Future," but the disasters stack up in a more cumulative way throughout the story rather than being 10 totally different storylines.
Um, the writing is concise and witty in the spirit of you have to laugh or you'll cry.
Um, the main idea of the story is about finding the moments of joy amid the horror and getting through it in, with a loving family and community that cares for each other.
Um, in the interview that the author gave on the Uncanny podcast, she talks about writing it in the wake of the 2024 presidential election in order to work through her feelings about it.
Yeah, the thing that I like about this is, is how, you know, we use science fiction to imagine versions of the future, right? And, and fantasy as well.
And, uh, and we can imagine good ones and bad ones, but it's important to kind of imagine them to prepare for them.
And, and I also like that y- in the end, right, it matters who you're going through these things with, good or bad.
I think I read this one third.
I read them all again yesterday, and I think I read this third, and it struck me that there's a running theme [chuckles] between all of these stories-
... sort of about the bleakness of waves, hands, and everything, you know.
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