And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side

"And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side" is a science fiction short story by American author James Tiptree, Jr.. It was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction's March 1972 edition.^[1]

Its title is a quote from John Keats' 1819 poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci.

Plot

The story is set in the far future, when humanity has begun to interact with aliens from all over the galaxy. A station engineer at a space port tells a cautionary tale to a young journalist about becoming obsessed with alien visitors, and his own history of sexual obsession with travelers from other worlds.

Publications

This short story has been reprinted in numerous anthologies over the years:^[2]

• The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, March 1972
• Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home by James Tiptree, Jr. (1973)
• Space Odysseys edited by Brian W. Aldiss (1974)
• Aliens! edited by Jack M. Dann and Gardner Dozois (1980)
• Alien Sex edited by Ellen Datlow (1990)
• Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree, Jr. (1990)
• Invaders! edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois (1993)
• Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century edited by Justine Larbalestier (2006)
• A Science Fiction Omnibus edited by Brian Aldiss (2007)
• The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction (2010)
• Nebula Awards Showcase 2012 edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel (2012)

Awards

• 1973 Hugo Award for Best Short Story—Nominated
• 1973 Nebula Award for Best Short Story—Nominated
• 1973 Locus Magazine Poll Award for Best Short Fiction—Fourth Place

References