Some responses to Omelas

“one does not simply walk away from Omelas” (—Frumiosa, in a comment at The Toast)

There’ve been many many nonfiction articles about Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1973 story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” but the pieces that I’m linking to here are all presented as fiction. This is not a complete list; I know of at least three stories inspired by Omelas that I’ve left off of this list, for various reasons (such as, imo, not being especially relevant to the ideas in the original Omelas story).

Even for the works that are included on the list below, I don’t endorse everything that they say.

Content warnings for many horrible things being done to kids and adults. (Even one of the story titles listed below includes violent imagery.)

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” by Ursula K. Le Guin
The original story, first published in New Dimensions 3 in 1973.
“The Ones Who Pickaback Away from Omelets,” by Ruth Berman
A parody. Includes lines like “I apologize for the uncertainty, but it’s a perfectly good literary technique, and if you don’t think so you haven’t been reading enough Kafka and Borges.” Published in Space and Time #63 in 1982; link is to a digitized version of that issue.
“Lullaby for a Lost World,” by Aliette de Bodard
The author notes that the story was “not consciously intended as [a response to ‘Omelas’], but after I wrote it I realised that yes, it was in direct conversation with that story (which I utterly, utterly love).” Published by tor.com in June, 2016.
“After We Walked Away,” by Erica L Satifka
Two of the people who walked away try to live in the mundane world. Published in Apex in November, 2016.
“The Ones Who Know Where They Are Going,” by Sarah Pinsker
The child notices that someone has left the door to the room unlocked. Published in Asimov’s in March, 2017. (You can purchase an ebook version of this back issue in the Asimov’s iOS app; I’m not sure whether you can get it elsewhere.)
Variations on Omelas, by Moriwen
About twenty brief but thought-provoking variants on the Omelas scenario. (“Variations on Omelas” is my description; the piece doesn’t appear to have a title as such.) Posted in January, 2018. (No longer available in its original location; link is to a Wayback Machine archived version.)
“The Court Magician,” by Sarah Pinsker
I hear that the author considers this story to be a response to Omelas. Published in Lightspeed in January, 2018.
“A House by the Sea,” by P H Lee
What happens to the child when they get older? “Would you believe me if I told you that they all live together in a house by the sea?” Published in Uncanny’s Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction issue, in September, 2018.
“The Ones Who Stay and Fight,” by N. K. Jemisin
Originally published in How Long ’Til Black Future Month?, in November, 2018. (…This story is not to be confused with “The Ones Who Stay and Fight in Omelas,” by W.S., which I’m not including in this list.)
“The Ones Who Made The Cage,” by Sedeer el-Showk
How Omelas began. Published in Daily Science Fiction, in December, 2018. (No longer available in its original location; link is to a Wayback Machine archived version.)
“The Ones Who Don’t Walk Away,” by Sean Vivier
About some of the people who stay. Published in Daily Science Fiction in August, 2020. (No longer available in its original location; link is to a Wayback Machine archived version.)
“And the Ones Who Walk In,” by Sarah Avery
Some people might want to go toward Omelas instead of away from it. Published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies in December, 2020.
“My First and Last Proclamation as the Child Freed and Crowned Queen of Omelas,” by Palimrya
A poem, published in Prismatica in February, 2021.
“Omelas Revisited: A Dystopian Fantasy Novella,” by C. S. Johnson
I haven’t read this one. It was originally published in three installments (with titles like “The Ones Who See” and “The Ones Who Fight”) in a trilogy of anthologies in 2020, then reprinted as a full novella in June, 2021.
“The Ones Who Take The Train To Omelas,” by John Holbo
Two people argue about whether to visit Omelas as tourists. “Fuck Covid. We deserve to get out. Let’s take the train to Omelas.” Also includes Omelas travel posters. (Holbo also links to a page of notes talking about the underpinnings of what he was trying to do with this piece.) Posted in November, 2021 (I think).
“The Ones Who Walk Away from the Ones Who Walk Away,” by David Gerrold
An expedition sets out for the fabled ruined city. Published in Asimov’s in November, 2021. Linked-to version is paywalled.
“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach,” Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 1, episode 6
A Trek adaptation of Omelas. Aired in June, 2022.
“The Odyssey Problem,” by Chris Willrich
What happens when a starship from the Federated Cultural Republic rescues the child from the Room. Published in Clarkesworld in June, 2022.
“Walkin’ Away from Omelas,” lyrics by Benjamin Newman
A song to the tune of Dave Carter’s “Walkin’ Away from Caroline.” Posted in May, 2023.
“The Ones Who Come Back to Heal,” by Cynthia Gómez
After Omelas changes, healers attempt to heal the child. Published in Strange Horizons in July, 2023.
“Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole,” by Isabel J. Kim
“So they broke into the hole in the ground, and they killed the kid, and all the lights went out in Omelas: click, click, click.” Published in Clarkesworld in February, 2024.
“Okay, so, uh, bad, uh, bad news,” by artbyblastweave
“it was actually secretly one of those Aesop's about how utopia will inevitably be dependent on our ability to accept and accommodate lifestyle choices we don't understand.” Posted on Tumblr in February, 2024.
“Salemo,” by David Marino
Short-short commentary. Published in Lightspeed in April, 2024.
“new dnd character: the former omelas kid,” by chaumas-deactivated20240115
“the omelas kid background doesn’t give you any special bonuses apart from being able to shut down a lot of arguments by bringing up the fact that you used to be the omelas kid.” Posted on Tumblr in June and July, 2024.
“The thing about Omelas is, you know, they really want you to think there's only one kid in a hole,” by bramblepatch
“It's a shared shame that you're not supposed to talk about.” Posted on Tumblr in July, 2024.
"The Ones Who Refuse to Walk Away," by Andrea Kriz
The author says this is about “an AI drone network taking exactly the wrong lesson from Omelas and trying to convince You that You live in a terrorist state.” Published in Analog in September/October, 2024.
“The Ones Who Walked Away,” by Beth Kinderman
A song. “I will not cede this city to the ones who look the other way / by walking with the ones who walked away.” (For lyrics, scroll down on the Bandcamp page.) Released in October, 2024.
“The Ones Who Come At Last,” by P H Lee
Refugees are welcomed in the City. Published in Lightspeed in November, 2024.

Notes

In 2021, I posted a blog post linking to a few stories related to Omelas. Over time, I encountered more such stories; eventually I decided to turn the list into a page that I can update over time.