"The 43 Antarean Dynasties" is a science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 short story

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 published in 1997 by Mike Resnick

Mike Resnick

Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:...

. It won the 1998 Hugo Award for Best Short Story

Hugo Award for Best Short Story

The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...

. The story itself can be considered as a science fictional spin on the study of postcolonialism

Postcolonialism

Post-colonialism is a specifically post-modern intellectual discourse that consists of reactions to, and analysis of, the cultural legacy of colonialism...

.

Plot summary

Hermes, a native and cynical insectoid tour guide shows a family of three visiting humans around the capital city of his home planet Antares. As he escorts the three visitors around he is annoyed by their insensitive actions, especially as his fares refuse to feel sorry for the violence and destruction the previous human invasions have caused for Antareans, and saddened by what has become of his own culture.

External links

• The 43 Antarean Dynasties at BestScienceFictionStories.com - short story reviews and resources.
• An audio version is available on Escape Pod
  Escape Pod (podcast)
  Escape Pod is a magazine-style podcast launched on 12 May 2005 which presents stories in the genre of science fiction. It has been called "the world's leading science fiction podcast". Until his retirement in May 2010, the podcast was hosted by founder Steve Eley and edited by Jeremiah Tolbert...
  
  : http://escapepod.org/2007/04/12/ep101-the-43-antarean-dynasties/