Here we have some small quotes from this year’s nominated novelettes.

“Grens hedonometer” (“Gren’s Hedonometer”), Anne-Marie Træholt (Rasmussen), Lige under overfladen 12: Efter fødslen (Just Below the Surface 12: After the Birth), SFC

“Have you ever read any of uncle’s books?” With two fingers she hit the cover of the paperback she had just drawn her nose out of. On the front page was a man with a naked torso in the middle of a rain forest. If it hadn’t been for the big, wild beard, covering most of the breast, it would never have been approved by the censors. “Three out of four passengers on Behavoris have read it.”

“Iversens tragedie” (“The Tragedy of Iversen”), Christian Holger Pedersen, Lige under overfladen 12: Efter fødslen (Just Below the Surface 12: After the Birth), SFC

“Oh, hell,” said Iversen. But the man just stopped and looked up into the air with the same brain dead expression as the cyclist. Iversen got tired. He turned into the opposite lane, overtook the others and just reached the other side before the yellow light ran out, and he reached home in time to feed to the goldfish. – The first space ship materialised about 100 kilometers above Earth’s surface.

“Kat!” (“Cat!”), Jesper Goll, Lige under overfladen 12: Efter fødslen (Just Below the Surface 12: After the Birth), SFC

It’s a relatively small crater, maybe 75 m in diameter. It’s fairly deep, but there are no obvious signs of water in large quantities. On the other hand there’s something down here, that the satellites radar imaged. It’s why they’re here. Lunarcorp wants to know, whether there’s money here.

“Tilbage til Kibeta” (“Back to Kibeta”), Richard Ipsen, Lige under overfladen 12: Efter fødslen (Just Below the Surface 12: After the Birth), SFC

That day long ago up in the hills close to Bukoba where I met someone I never even dreamed of. Because I threw a stone at a snake. Because I let the fear take over and lost a part of my soul. Or whatever I lost back then, a long time ago, where I was twelve years old and suddenly alone in a completely different world. What I got back, what I brought back with me through a long life, I had no idea.

Transfervindue (Transfer Window), Maria Gerhardt, Politikens Forlag

Mikkel gets up and makes a fist and acts: “We are making history! The people will love us for this, we calm their worst fears, we wrap them in cotton and the most delicious surroundings.” His speach is a little mannered, and a couple of old ladies stare at him, mouths open. “My God, up north isn’t for the rich, it’s for the sick!”

Oprøret 2: Afsløring af Kobranetværket (The Rebellion 2: Exposing the Kobra Network), Jacob Oliver Krarup, Calibat

He starts to drag me along. Towards a door in the middle of the centre. Employees only, it says. It’s the first time I’ve been caught stealing. I’ve only done it for two weeks, while I’ve been living on the streets of Elysium.

N3xus, Emil Blichfeldt, Alinea

I am a courier, and they don’t dare make eye contact with a courier working for the Clan. The Clan, running the city since the government fell apart. I can feel people looking at my back. They can’t help looking at it. The briefcase chained to my wrist.

Ogel i fare (Ogel in Danger), Carolineskolens 4. klasse (4th grade) 2016/17, Lurifaks

Bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrkkkkkkrrrrrrrggggggg was the sound of Ogel getting smashed and bits tearing lose from the planet and flying into space. A lot of Ogel people and their houses, roads, forests and animals went into space with the lose part of Ogel. They were never seen again.

(Translations by Lise.)