Legions in Time

Last updated
"Legions in Time"
Author Michael Swanwick
Genre(s) Science fiction
Publisher Asimov's Science Fiction
Publication date 2003

"Legions in Time" is a science fiction novelette by Michael Swanwick. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 2004. The story was reprinted in Science Fiction: The Best of 2003 and in three other collections and anthologies.

Science fiction Genre of speculative fiction

Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that has been called the "literature of ideas". It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations.

Michael Swanwick American science fiction author

Michael Swanwick is an American science fiction author who began publishing in the early 1980s.

Hugo Award for Best Novelette literary award for science fiction or fantasy stories in English

The Hugo Award for Best Novelette is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novelette award is available for works of fiction of between 7,500 and 17,500 words; awards are also given out in the short story, novella and novel categories. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for speculative fiction" and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing".

Contents

Swanwick wrote that his story was inspired by A. E. Van Vogt's classic "Recruiting Station," "which just speeds along like racehorse afire, and thought I'd try to write something similar." [1]

Plot summary

A widow with the strange job of sitting in an empty office and guarding an empty closet, decides to take action and steps through—and falls into a cosmic, time-spanning adventure that ends with her becoming an entire organization spread throughout time with a goal of destroying the evil Empire of the Aftermen.

“Time criminals of the Dawn Era,” his voice thundered from a hidden speaker. “Listen and obey.” [2]

Sources, references, external links, quotations

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy fiction and horror fiction. The ISFDB is a volunteer effort, with both the database and wiki being open for editing and user contributions. The ISFDB database and code are available under Creative Commons licensing and there is support within both Wikipedia and ISFDB for interlinking. The data are reused by other organizations, such as Freebase, under the creative commons license.

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