A type of Prose Fiction which is essentially a short novel which is longer than the novelette. Described by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as any work between 17,500 and 40,000 words in length. Depending on the definition, they can also be described as a Short Story.
Novellas are relatively uncommon in modern English language publishing due to there being little market for them. However, there are notable exceptions. Novellas were popular in digest-sized magazines since they could be marketed as "containing a complete novel". E-publishing has also meant a resurgence of the format.
Quite a few video games in the 1980s came with novellas, which acted to provide backstory that wasn't possible to squeeze into the games themselves.
Novellas tend to have simpler plots than novels, but these plots necessitate more complexity than in a novelette due to the added length.
Compare: Novel, Novelette, Short Story.
Examples:
- Alpha's Tale, a tie-in to Survivor Dogs by Erin Hunter
- "And Us, Too, I Guess", by George Alec Effiger (1973)
- Animal Farm by George Orwell.
- Anthem by Ayn Rand
- At the Mountains of Madness, by H. P. Lovecraft
- The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder
- Carmilla, by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
- "Chains Of The Sea", by Gardner Dozois (1973)
- The Circus of Doctor Lao, by Charles G. Finney
- Como agua para chocolate (Or, Like Water for Chocolate) by Laura Esquivel
- Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
- Daisy Miller, by Henry James
- Future History, by Aaron Wall
- "The Fifth Head Of Cerberus", by Gene Wolfe (1972)
- "The Gold At The Starbows End", by Frederik Pohl (1972)
- The Great God Pan, by Arthur Machen
- Stephen King: Mr King's novellas have been published as stand-alone books as well as in Anthology collections.
- "The Lineman", by Walter M Miller Jr (1957)
- The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
- Nightshade Trilogy, by Andrea Cremer, includes a few Novellas:
- Aftermath
- Treachery
- Shadow Days
- Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.
- The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway.
- Chapter 22 of The Pale King.
- Pharmakembru series, by Monos D.O.A
- "Profession", by Isaac Asimov
- Sherlock Holmes had four associated novellas:
- "The Shrine Of Sebastian", by Gordon Eklund (1973)
- Sula, by Toni Morrison
- True Names, by Vernor Vinge
- "Two Dooms", by CM Kornbluth (1958)
- Unstrung, a tie-in to the Unwind trilogy, by Neal Shusterman.
- Warrior Cats tie-in novellas by Erin Hunter:
- Hollyleaf's Story
- Mistystar's Omen
- Cloudstar's Journey
- Tigerclaw's Fury
- Leafpool's Wish
- Dovewing's Silence
- Mapleshade's Vengeance
- Goosefeather's Curse
- Ravenpaw's Farewell
- Pinestar's Choice
- Spottedleaf's Heart
- Thunder's Echo
- "The Way To Amalteia", by Boris Strugatsky and Arkady Strugatsky (1960)
- Viy, by Nikolai Gogol.
