Press Enter
| "Press Enter" | |
|---|---|
| Short storybyJohn Varley | |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Asimov's Science Fiction |
| Publication date | May 1984 |
"Press Enter",often stylizedPRESS ENTER ■,is ascience fictionnovella by American writerJohn Varleyoriginally published in the May 1984 issue ofIsaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.[1]In 1985 it won theLocus Award for Best Novella,[2]Hugo Award for Best NovellaandNebula Award for Best Novella.[3][4]
Plot summary
[edit]Korean Warveteran Victor Apfel discovers his neighbor, Charles Kluge, has died and bequeathed a significant inheritance to him. TheLos Angeles Police Departmentis satisfied that Kluge has died by suicide, but a parallel investigation byCaltechcomputer expert Lisa Foo reveals that Kluge washackinginto dangerous, secretive government agencies that may have been involved in his death. Foo and Apfel become involved romantically as she follows Kluge's trail, exposing them to the same dangers.
Awards
[edit]- 1987:Seiun Award- Foreign Short Fiction (Best Translated Short Story)[5]
- 1985:Hugo Award- Novella[3]
- 1985:Nebula Award- Novella[4]
- 1985:Locus Award- Novella[2]
- 1985: Science Fiction Chronicle Readers Poll - Novella[6]
Reception and analysis
[edit]N. Katherine Haylesnoted the novella exhibited "a phobic reaction to the connection [between humans and a computer network] as an unbearable form of intimacy", with the precise moment of connecting being when Apfel first receives an automated phone call at the start of the story. Foo is more explicitly described as acyborg,both for herbreast implants(which she uses formammary intercourse,calling the act "touring the silicone valley" ) and her computer expertise.[7]: 160, 166 Donna Harawayis displeased with the manner and violence with which one character is killed, calling it "excessive destruction".[8]: 355
The names of many of the characters areinside jokesbased on the computer brands and culture at the time: "Victor Apfel" combines the German forApplewith either (or both) theVIC-20and/orVictor Technology,a popular European computer manufacturer;Lisawas the predecessor of theMacintosh,Fooa programming term for an otherwise unidentified object, "Kluge" a term (usuallykludge) for a cobbled-together system, and so on with several other names.
References
[edit]- ^Press Enter ▮,isfdb.org
- ^abLocus Award for Best Novella Winnersaccessed 4 March 2015
- ^ab"1985 Hugo Awards".World Science Fiction Society. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-05-07.Retrieved2010-04-19.
- ^ab"Nebula Awards 1985".Science Fiction Awards Database.Locus.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-10-25.Retrieved2011-12-06.
- ^"Tinh vân thưởng thụ thưởng tác ・ tham khảo hầu bổ tác nhất lãm"[List of The Seiun Awards Winners & Candidates] (in Japanese).Retrieved2016-03-25.
- ^Press Enter, Awards,varley.net
- ^Hayles, N. Katherine(1999). "8 | The Life Cycle of Cyborgs: Writing the Posthuman". In Wolmark, Jenny (ed.).Cybersexualities: A Reader on Feminist Theory, Cyborgs and Cyberspace(PDF).Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 157–173.ISBN0-7486-1118-5.
- ^Haraway, Donna(1999). "17 | The Promises of Monsters: A Regenerative Politics for Inappropriate/d Others". In Wolmark, Jenny (ed.).Cybersexualities: A Reader on Feminist Theory, Cyborgs and Cyberspace(PDF).Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 314–366.ISBN0-7486-1118-5.
External links
[edit]- Varley, John(May 1984)."PRESS ENTER ".Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.Vol. 8, no. 5. New York City: Davis Publications. pp. 110–168.