Comments: In 1976 Joe Haldeman's Forever War, the "response" to Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Although Haldeman asserts that he didn't intend his book to be a counter to Heinlein's seminal novel, many fans regarded it as such. Many of those same fans expected some sort of fracas between the two authors. They were to be sadly disappointed. According to Spider Robinson, Heinlein said The Forever War "may be the best future war story I've ever read". So much for Hugo Award controversies over the 1976 Best Novel winner.
In the Best Dramatic Presentation category, however, there was a controversy, and it focused on Harlan Ellison. The film version of A Boy and His Dog won the Hugo Award in that category, and as usual, the award was presented to the director and screenwriter of the film. Ellison objected to being left out on the grounds that he had written the original short novella the movie was based upon, and raised such a fuss that the Hugo committee decided to give in and recognize him. Unfortunately, they didn't have any extra Hugo statues, but they did have an extra base, so they handed Ellison the base, which he now jokingly refers to as his "half-Hugo".
Best Novel
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Other Finalists:
The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester
Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny
Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Stochastic Man by Robert Silverberg
Best Novella
Home Is the Hangman by Roger Zelazny
Other Finalists:
ARM by Larry Niven
The Custodians by Richard Cowper
The Silent Eyes of Time by Algis Budrys
The Storms of Windhaven by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin
Best Novelette
The Borderland of Sol by Larry Niven
Other Finalists:
And Seven Times Never Kill Man by George R.R. Martin
The New Atlantis by Ursula K. Le Guin
San Diego Lightfoot Sue by Tom Reamy
Tinker by Jerry Pournelle
Best Short Story
Catch That Zeppelin! by Fritz Leiber
Other Finalists:
Child of All Ages by P.J. Plauger
Croatoan by Harlan Ellison
Doing Lennon by Gregory Benford
Rogue Tomato by Michael Bishop
Sail the Tide of Mourning by Richard Lupoff
Best Dramatic Presentation
A Boy and His Dog
Other Finalists:
The Capture (slide show by Phil Foglio, written and narrated by Robert Asprin)
Dark Star
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Rollerball
Best Professional Editor
Ben Bova
Other Finalists:
Jim Baen
Edward L. Ferman
Robert Silverberg
Ted White
Best Professional Artist
Frank Kelly Freas
Other Finalists:
George Barr
Vincent Di Fate
Steve Fabian
Rick Sternbach
Best Fanzine
Locus edited by Charles Brown and Dena Brown
Other Finalists:
Algol edited by Andrew Porter
Don-O-Saur edited by Don C. Thompson
Outworlds edited by Bill Bowers
Science Fiction Review edited by Richard E. Geis
Best Fan Writer
Richard E. Geis
Other Finalists:
Charles Brown
Don D'Ammassa
Don C. Thompson
Susan Wood
Best Fan Artist
Tim Kirk
Other Finalists:
Grant Canfield
Phil Foglio
Bill Rotsler
Jim Shull
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Tom Reamy
Other Finalists:
Arsen Darnay
M.A. Foster
John Varley
Joan D. Vinge
What Are the Hugo Awards?
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Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1977
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