“Have you noticed, Tatep, that the farther away from home you go, the more important it becomes to keep traditions?”
In December of 2012 I picked up the newly released Christmas-themed SFF anthology, Season of Wonder, and read it cover to cover as a part of my celebration of the season.
I wrote a detailed, non-spoiler review of each story (found in the link above), in which I gave three stories an “A” grade, the Hugo Award winning novellete by Janet Kagan, “Nutcracker Coup” being one of them. Details of this story have been nibbling at my consciousness for the past few weeks and now that it is officially the Christmas Season, it felt like a good time to revisit it to see if it held the same charm that I remember from my initial reading.
After my initial reading, I wrote:
“The first outstanding story in the collection, for my money, is Janet Kagan’s tale “The Nutcracker Coup”. Building on the long popularity of Tchaikovsky’s late 19th century symphony, Kagan introduces us to race of quill-covered aliens on a planet whose name translated into English is called “Rejoicing”. The Rejoicers, as they are affectionately known by the diplomatic corps and ethnologists stationed there, are a curious race who live under a dictatorial ruler and suffer the punishment of having their quills clipped for any offense of speech or action. The reader follows Marianne, a diplomat with great affection for the Rejoicers, who unwittingly touches off the sparks of revolution by befriending the locals and speaking her mind. This is a delightful, smile-inducing story. If you like H. Beam Piper’s novel Little Fuzzy or John Scalzi’s reboot, Fuzzy Nation, I suspect this is a short story you would enjoy. (A+)”
Having just experienced the story for a second time, I feel proudly pleased with my brief description. Both it and my affection for the story have stood the test of time.
Being a novelette, “Nutcracker Coup” is able to dissuade some of the criticism that is leveled at works of short fiction, in that this story allows for the reader to develop a relationship with and affection for both Marianne, the main human protagonist, and Tatep, the main Rejoicer protagonist. This is the most satisfying aspect of what is a very good story.
This time of year is filled with traditions regardless of one’s national or cultural origins, be it the Western traditions of the Christmas season, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, a celebration of the Solstice and no doubt numerous others. Any change of the seasons brings a history of cultural and/or religious celebration. The opening quote of this post, which comes early on in the story, really encapsulates what the story is about.
Marianne is a diplomat sharing space with a small group of Earth humans far, far from home, and the despite the satisfaction derived from her job and the depth of relationships being built with the Rejoicers, the ache for honoring traditions is palpable. Marianne is homesick, and longs to share her traditions with the people of this planet.
Though her intentions are nothing but honorable, Marianne soon discovers that opening up one’s cultural and traditions others creates ripples that are sometimes unintended, and potentially harmful.
Though it was only three years ago when I first read this story, the world has changed dramatically. Culture and race and how they intertwine, or don’t, is at the forefront of all of our news. Ostensibly a story about rising above repression, I was surprised by the fact that my feelings about what transpires in the story were broadened to include feelings of concern and questioning…which is what I suspect Janet Kagan was doing when she crafted what, on the surface, could be seen as a light, fluffy story. It is interesting how our maturity and ever-growing world view affects our ability to dig deeper into a story to ferret out layers of meaning.
That deeper meaning has not changed my affection for the story. It has expanded it. I truly enjoy these characters, and the Rejoicer culture that we discover in this novelette. While I would love to know more about what happens to Marianne and Nick and Tatep and others, the story as it exists is a wonderful package worth unwrapping.
In the Steve Martin film remake, Father of the Bride 2, he utters an exasperated line “What are we, the Schmaltz family?!?!”. I always chuckle at that line, because when I think of me and my family, the answer is undoubtedly “yes!”. And though I was schmatlzy enough to put on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite to listen to while writing this review, Kagan’s story is not overly sentimental or saccharine. It is just right.
“Nutcracker Coup” was originally released in the December 1992 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction. Unfortunately I could not find a legitimate free version online. I would recommend picking up the Season of Wonder collection as it has a number of worthwhile seasonal science fiction and fantasy stories. It can be found on Half.com for as little as 75 cents. It was also reproduced in The New Hugo Winners Volume IV, published by Baen Books.
Revisiting this story was the perfect way to start the day on this post-Thanksgiving Friday. While my wife slept soundly in our bed, sugar plums dancing in her head, and thousands are out celebrating Black Friday, I sat snugly in my library recliner, faux-stove burning, listening to the rain patter against the window, celebrating Christmas with humans and aliens on a world I would love to visit. If you ever do get a chance to read this story, the image that begins this post will make perfect sense.
Be safe out there today, wherever you may be.