Stable Strategies for Middle Management

"Stable Strategies for Middle Management"
Short story by Eileen Gunn
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction
Publication
Published in	Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
Publication type	Magazine
Publication date	June 1988

"Stable Strategies for Middle Management" is a science fiction short story published in 1988 by Eileen Gunn.

Plot summary

Margaret is a corporate executive who, to prove her loyalty to the company, undergoes bioengineering that gradually transforms her into a giant insect.

Reception

"Stable Strategies for Middle Management" was a finalist for the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[1]

Strange Horizons considered that it "must come high in any list of best SF short stories";[2] similarly, Michael Swanwick has placed it on his personal "short list (...) of the best short stories of the late twentieth century."[3]

Background

The story is inspired by Gunn's experiences as an advertising director at Microsoft.[4]

References

1. 1989 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved September 9, 2021
2. Questionable Practices by Eileen Gunn, reviewed by Andy Sawyer, at Strange Horizons, published June 16, 2014; retrieved September 9, 2021
3. About Stable Strategies..., by Michael Swanwick, at MichaelSwanwick.com; published 2005; retrieved September 9, 2021
4. Stable Strategies and Others, by Eileen Gunn; published 2004 by Tachyon Publications

External links

• Stable Strategies for Middle Management title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database