Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole

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"Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" is a 2024 science fiction short story by Isabel J. Kim, revisiting Ursula K. Le Guin's 1974 "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". It was first published in Clarkesworld .

Contents

Synopsis

The story explores the ramifications of the murder of the "load-bearing suffering child" by people who object to the Omelas system, in both the short term (after a string of disasters, the Omelans place a second child in the hole) and the long.

Reception

"Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole" won the 2024 BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction, [1] and won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 2024. [2] It is also nominated for the 2025 Locus Award for Best Short Story, [3] and the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. [4]

References

  1. ↑ BSFA Awards 2024, by Mike Glyer, at File 770; published April 20, 2025; retrieved May 14, 2025
  2. ↑ Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid In the Omelas Hole at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved May 14, 2025
  3. ↑ 2025 Locus Awards Top Ten Finalists, at Locus Online ; published May 2, 2025; retrieved May 14, 2025
  4. ↑ 2025 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved May 14, 2025
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