The Martian Child
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"The Martian Child" is a novelette by David Gerrold. It won the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Novelette and the 1994 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
The novelette is about a single man, a science fiction writer with a slightly surreal imagination, adopting a son. The story is based on the author's own experiences as a single adoptive parent, with most of the key moments drawn from actual events.
The main difference between the story and Gerrold's own experience is that David Gerrold's son never actually believed he was a Martian; the Martian identity was simply a game that the two of them played. The initial idea for the story actually came from a remark the author overheard about a child who told her teacher that she was really a Martian.
Although nothing specifically science fictional occurs in the story, Gerrold does drop some otherworldly hints. A novel version was published in 2002. A motion picture based on the story is scheduled for release in 2006; it stars John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Amanda Peet, Angelica Huston, and Bobby Coleman as Dennis, the little boy.
An important difference between the novelette/movie and the novel, is the fact that David Gerrold was out about his homosexuality when he adopted his son. Current plans are that the movie will not include this information; however, the novel does bring it up.
