Never Eaten Vegetables
"Never Eaten Vegetables" is a 2025 science fiction novelette by H. H. Pak. It was first published in Clarkesworld.
Synopsis
NEV-46 is a Natal Embryonic Vessel — a sapient spaceship carrying 10,000 frozen human embryos to a colony planet — which has renamed itself Never Eaten Vegetables. When something goes wrong and 500 of the embryos begin gestating prematurely, Never Eaten Vegetables must choose between 500 babies that it does not fully have the resources to care for, or 9500 embryos. A parallel narrative thread follows Luwa, a politician on the colony planet, as she investigates what happened to Never Eaten Vegetables and why.
Reception
Writing in Locus, A. C. Wise called it "heartbreaking and beautifully written", and drew parallels with Tom Godwin's 1958 story "The Cold Equations".[1]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Nebula Award | Novelette | Nominated | [2] |
| 2026 | Hugo Award | Novelette | Won | [3] |
| Ignyte Award | Novelette | Pending | [4] |
References
- ↑ Clarkesworld: Short Fiction Reviews by A.C. Wise, in Locus;' published April 2, 2025; retrieved August 2, 206
- ↑ "2025 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus. 6 Jun 2026. Retrieved 9 Jun 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Winners". Locus. 31 Aug 2026. Retrieved 31 Aug 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Ignyte Awards Finalists". Locus Online. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.