Waters of Versailles

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"Waters of Versailles" is a 2015 fantasy novella by Kelly Robson, about plumbing. It was first published by Tor.com.

Contents

Synopsis

Sylvain de Guilherand introduces toilets and other aspects of indoor plumbing to the Palais de Versailles during the reign of Louis XV; however, this is complicated by the attitudes of the aristocracy — and by the personality of the captive nixie he is secretly using to power the system.

Reception

"Waters of Versailles" won the 2016 Aurora Award for Short Fiction, [1] and was a finalist for the 2015 Nebula Award for Best Novella [2] and the 2016 World Fantasy Award—Long Fiction. [3]

Jonathan Strahan called it "light, funny, and perceptive", [4] while Gary K. Wolfe considered it to be "clever". [5]

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References

  1. Announcing the 2016 Aurora Awards Winners, at Tor.com; published August 15, 2016; retrieved September 4, 2018
  2. 2015 Nebula Awards, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved September 4, 2018
  3. 2016 World Fantasy Convention, at the [WorldFantasy.org World Fantasy Convention]; retrieved September 4, 2018
  4. Kelly Robson’s Gods, Monsters and the Lucky Peach is one of 2018s highlights, by Jonathan Strahan, at JonathanStrahan.com.au; published December 24, 2017; retrieved September 4, 2018
  5. Gary K. Wolfe Reviews Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach by Kelly Robson, by Gary K. Wolfe, in Locus ; published online May 4, 2018; retrieved September 4, 2018