Movement: A Short Story [Kindle Edition]

Nancy Fulda (Author)

Book Description

This story has been nominated for this year's Hugo and Nebula awards.

When her concerned parents investigate a treatment that could change her life forever, Hannah's world is thrown into turmoil.  Unable to speak -- at least not in ways most people can understand -- Hannah struggles to face the question of who she really is, and who she wishes to become.

Originally published in the March 2011 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, "Movement" was marked Highly Recommended by Lois Tilton of Locus Reviews. Mundane-SF called it the "best story I have read so far this year", and SFRevu called it "a truly fine story". It is quite short, easily readable during a half-hour lunch break, and interweaves Hannah's sincere narrative with concepts drawn from neurology, entropy, social evolution and chaos theory.

About 17 pages or 4000 words.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When I review a story this well-written, I find myself admiring one expression after the other and wanting to quote them all, to tell readers, 'Look at this! Admire this!' Hannah's thoughts are wondrous, but unlike her, Fulda can express them." -- Lois Tilton, Locus Reviews

"This is a short but very powerful piece.... Hannah's condition prevents her from having "normal" interpersonal relationships, but it also allows her a unique perspective on the fast-changing world around her and contributes to her exceptional dancing and cognitive skills." -- Aaron Hughes, Fantastic Reviews Blog

Product Details

• File Size: 149 KB
• Print Length: 18 pages
• Publisher: Nancy Fulda (December 12, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006LNRZ44
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,234 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely June 1, 2012

By E. Olmon

Format:Kindle Edition

Lovely little story about an autistic girl in the future told in first person. This is a 2012 Hugo Nominee for Short Story.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Short Story Set in the Future December 24, 2011

By J. Orvis

Format:Kindle Edition

Movement is a well written short story about Hannah, a silent girl whose parents are exploring ways to "fix' her. Movement is her autistic focus; whether it be the flow of glass down the pane, the crustal plates shifting beneath her feet, or the billowing of clouds. Hannah notices what the rest of the world does not. The world sees Hannah as rather shallow, but her story exposes the depth of her perceptions. Her mind is "attuned to the dizzying flow of seconds and centuries." In a way, Hannah is mature beyond her years - "it should not be surprising that, on the way from what we are to what we are becoming, there should be friction and false starts along the way." Hannah's unresponsive condition to her family's chatter is not because she does not understand or does not hear, but because words feel insignificant compared to the movement going on around her. In "Movement," Hannah shares her story, and as in all good stories, evolves through the telling. She has decided something profound by the end, because Hannah, too, is moving.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and Powerful December 19, 2011

By April Amberdrake

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a short story but has so much in it that it has the impact of a full novel.

Not only does this story give us a new perspective on those that see the world differently but allows us the opportunity to understand that sometimes we may fail to communicate properly but mostly because we view the world differently.

The title Movement not only describes the main character's prime outlet and her view of the world but says exactly what it does. It moved me.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful without slapping you upside the head December 15, 2011

By Maria Schneider

Format:Kindle Edition

I don't normally read this type of story, but Fulda has a way of creating interesting characters and settings that draw you in without turning things into a tear-jerking saga. There's really nothing sad about this story and that's the whole point. This is a character based story of strength and purpose. It is a light toward appreciating the tiny intricacies in life for what they are--even if we don't completely understand them.

A very good read.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful December 14, 2011

By Christine Amsden

Format:Kindle Edition

If I were given only one word to describe "Movement" by Nancy Fulda, I would choose beautiful. I have more words, and will do my best to use them well, but I wonder if any can do as much justice to the story as the one.

Hannah is an unusual character, suffering from what specialists call "temporal autism," though she isn't sure how aptly the label fits. At least, not the autism part. She is trapped in a strange world, with unique perspectives and ways of perceiving things. Her parents are trying to decide whether or not to okay a procedure to make her "normal," and Hannah does not know what she thinks about that.

One of the powers of the written word over more visual mediums like television is the ability to get inside a character's head and show us a perspective we would not otherwise know. For the space of this story, I was Hannah, looking out at a futuristic world through her eyes. And it was...beautiful.

I highly recommend this story.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Brilliant April 16, 2012

By Rinne Katja Kristina

Format:Kindle Edition

I don't read many short stories, but I'm glad I did read this one. It's beautiful, brilliant -- well worthy of the nominations it got.

It's a story written from the POV of an autistic teenage girl and it lets you deep into her thoughts. Truly amazing.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely and Sad December 21, 2011

By Laurel VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

In a story set well in the future, Hannah has a condition known as "temporal autism." She senses and appreciates the passage of time, well beyond what ordinary people notice. This makes communication difficult, since she likes to spend a long time thinking before answering any question. She particularly notices how creatures and systems adapt and evolve over time. Her autism also draws her to dance.

Her parents see her as unhappy and unresponsive, rather than thoughtful. When a possible new cure is available, they discuss with the doctor, each other, and Hannah whether they should attempt it, raising the question: is it worth destroying who she is to make Hannah conform to everyone else's desires?

The story is told entirely from Hannah's perspective, as she thinks about her world and her parents and her self, and tries to communicate her own wishes. The ending seems ambiguous at first, but on reflection, it's really not.

Recommended especially for parents, or anyone who wants some insight on autism.

More About the Author

Nancy Fulda is a Hugo and Nebula Nominee, a Phobos Award winner and a Vera Hinckley Mayhew Award recipient. She is the first (and so far only) female recipient of the Jim Baen Memorial Award. Her short story "Movement" recently received a Readers' Choice award from Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.

Praise from Reviewers:

"As engrossing and brief and clever as a Twilight Zone episode, Fulda's story hooks your attention from the first sentence and stays with you long past the startling, yet fitting, end." -- Tangent Online

"The Breath of Heaven -- essentially a retelling of the HAL 9000 story, but with a very different outcome -- with its intricate examination of directives was a quite plausible updating of the classic three laws of robotics, and in some ways outshone both Asimov and Clarke in the way the story unfolded." -- Pearson Moore, Sift Book Reviews

"Movement is an award-caliber story, and clearly a major breakthrough in the career of Nancy Fulda." -- Aaron Hughes, Fantastic Reviews Blog