10^16 to 1

Last updated
"1016 to 1"
Short story by James Patrick Kelly
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Science fiction
Publication
Published in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Publication type Magazine
Publication dateJune 1999

"1016 to 1" is a science fiction novelette by American writer James Patrick Kelly, first published in 1999. It was the winner of the 2000 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and was also nominated for the 2000 Locus award and Asimov's Reader Poll. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

The story follows Ray Beaumont, a 12-year-old boy living in New York during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. During the Cold War tensions of the time, Ray meets Cross, a man he believes is from the future. He offers Cross a temporary place to stay in his family's back yard bomb shelter and proceeds to acquire the items necessary for Cross's mission. When he does not tell his parents about Cross, and comes home one afternoon to find that his mother has discovered an intruder in the bomb shelter, events quickly spiral out of control and Ray becomes convinced that he is the only one able to understand the truth about World War III.

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References

  1. "The LOCUS Index to SF Awards". Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2008-03-04.