External links
- Text of the story, at Fireside Fiction
 | This article about a science fiction short story (or stories) published in the 2010s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| "STET" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Sarah Gailey | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genres | science fiction, literary fiction |
| Publication | |
| Publisher | Fireside Magazine |
| Publication date | October 2018 |
"Stet" (stylized STET) is a science fiction short story by Sarah Gailey, about self-driving cars. It was first published in Fireside Magazine in October 2018.
Rather than being a narrative, "Stet" is presented as a scientific paper analyzing the principles by which self-driving cars make decisions. The paper is interspersed with suggestions to remove or change content which the journal editor finds inappropriate, to each of which the paper's author responds "stet".
"Stet" was a finalist for the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Short Story [1] and the 2019 Locus Award for Best Short Story. [2]
At Boing Boing , Cory Doctorow described it as "a beautiful piece of innovative storytelling" and "a wonderful gem". [3]
The story argues that emotions such as grief and loss cannot simply be edited out to maintain academic objectivity. It highlights the tension between Anna’s personal pain and the editor’s demand for neutrality, showing how human experiences do not fit neatly into formal structures. The way the story is presented, as what seems to be a manuscript with editorial comments and Anna’s responses, makes that emotional conflict come through in a subtle yet powerful way. What first appears to be a dry academic article slowly turns into something deeply personal, and the reader only realises the full story through the growing tension between Anna and her editor.
| | This article about a science fiction short story (or stories) published in the 2010s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |