| If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love | |
| Author: | Rachel Swirsky |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Speculative fiction |
| Published In: | Apex Magazine |
| English Pub Date: | 2013 |
"If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" is a short story by American writer Rachel Swirsky. It was first published in Apex Magazine in 2013.
As a paleontologist lies in a coma, his fiancée tells him how things would be different if he were a Tyrannosaurus rex.
"If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" won the 2013 Nebula Award for Best Short Story,[1] and was nominated for the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[2] At Kirkus Reviews, critic Ana Grilo describes it as "beautiful", "powerful", and "intense", and "almost like a piece of poetry", but questions whether it can truly be considered speculative fiction.[3]
The story was at the center of the Sad Puppies controversy; it was held up as an example of "message fiction" by its detractors, symptomatic of a clique ofsocial justice ideologues who they said were controlling the awards.[4] It was strongly criticized by Sad Puppies-involved[5] [6] authors such as John C. Wright[7] and Sarah Hoyt.[8]