Dreaming About Other Worlds: December 1976

Location: Campbell Conference Awards Banquet in Lawrence, Kansas.

Comments: In 1976, the Campbell judges decided not to give an award to any novel, instead reaching back six years to hand a Retrospective Prize to Wilson Tucker's 1970 novel The Year of the Quiet Sun. Like all of the other "off-brand" awards that have been handed out at the Campbell Awards, this was the first, and so far, only time this kind of prize was given out. Everything about the Campbell awards in 1976 is somewhat puzzling. Tucker's novel, while good (evidenced by its nominations in 1970 for both the Hugo and Nebula Award), isn't so compelling that it seems like it would have demanded retroactive recognition. Not only that, there seem to have been plenty of deserving novels that were eligible for the Best Novel award in 1976. Not only is Robert Silverberg's Stochastic Man a fine novel, but if one looks at the Hugo and Nebula nominees for this year one finds a list replete with excellent novels, starting with Joe Haldeman's Hugo and Nebula winning Forever War. But even if the Campbell judges didn't want to be seen as following the Hugos and Nebulas, they could have voted for Samuel R. Delany's Dhalgren, Joanna Russ' The Female Man, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's The Mote in God's Eye, Roger Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand, or any number of other excellent novels. Given the plethora of strong novels published in 1975, it seems puzzling that the Campbell Awards simply declined to recognize any of them.

Best Novel

Winner:

No Award

Second Place:

The Stochastic Man by Robert Silverberg

Third Place:
Orbitsville by Bob Shaw

Retrospective Prize

Winner:
The Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson Tucker

Other Nominees:
None

Go to previous year's nominees: 1975
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1977

Book Award Reviews Home

Location: Unknown.

Comments: In 1976 the Best Original Anthology and Best Reprint Anthology categories were eliminated and merged into a single Best Anthology category, a decision that I think was a good one. From a publishing perspective there is certainly a distinction to be made between an anthology that is comprised of original material and an anthology comprised of material that had previously been published elsewhere, but from a reader's perspective, the distinction matters almost not at all, and in many cases was probably confusing.

This year also saw the creation of a new category, which was listed at the time as Best Associational Item, but lines up with the later-created category of Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Work, which is how I have listed it here. Essentially, this category recognizes books that are about science fiction and fantasy, but aren't themselves works of science fiction or fantasy.

Best Novel
Winner:
1.   The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

Other Nominees:
2. The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
3.   The Computer Connection (aka The Indian Giver) by Alfred Bester
4.   The Stochastic Man by Robert Silverberg
5.   Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
6.   Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
7.   The Heritage of Hastur by Marion Zimmer Bradley
8.   Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny
9.   Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith
10. The Female Man by Joanna Russ
11. Sign of the Unicorn by Roger Zelazny
12. Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
13. Showboat World by Jack Vance
14. A Funeral for the Eyes of Fire by Michael Bishop
15. The Exile Waiting by Vonda N. McIntyre
16. Blake's Progress by Ray Nelson
17. Warriors of Dawn by M.A. Foster
18. Lifeboat by Gordon R. Dickson and Harry Harrison
19. Illuminatus! by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson
20. The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
21. Missing Man by Katherine MacLean

Best Novella
Winner:
1.   The Storms of Windhaven by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin

Other Nominees:

2. Home Is the Hangman by Roger Zelazny

3.   The Borderland of Sol by Larry Niven
4.   The Silent Eyes of Time by Algis Budrys
5.   ARM by Larry Niven
6.   The Custodians by Richard Cowper
7.   A Momentary Taste of Being by James Tiptree, Jr.
8.   Allegiances by Michael Bishop
9.   Silhouette by Gene Wolfe
10. Mother and Child by Joan D. Vinge
11. Ancient Shadows by Michael Moorcock
12. Sharking Down by Edward Bryant

Best Novelette
Winner:

1. The New Atlantis by Ursula K. Le Guin

Other Nominees:
2. Down to a Sunless Sea by Cordwainer Smith
3. And Seven Times Never Kill Man by George R.R. Martin

4. Retrograde Summer by John Varley (reviewed in Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume 116, Nos. 6 & 7 (June/July 2009)

5.   A Galaxy Called Rome by Barry N. Malzberg
6.   '. . . for a single yesterday' by George R.R. Martin
7.   In the Bowl by John Varley
8.   Sandsnake Hunter by Gordon Eklund
9.   The Black Hole Passes by John Varley
10. Polly Charms, the Sleeping Woman by Avram Davidson
11. Cambridge 1:58 A.M. by Gregory Benford
12. San Diego Lightfoot Sue by Tom Reamy
13. The Venging by Greg Bear
14. End Game by Joe Haldeman
15. Blooded on Arachne by Michael Bishop

Best Short Story
Winner:

1. Croatoan by Harlan Ellison

Other Nominees:

2. The Mother Trip by Frederik Pohl

3.   Child of All Ages by P.J. Plauger
4.   Sail the Tide of Mourning by Richard Lupoff
5.   Doing Lennon by Gregory Benford
6.   Sierra Maestra by Norman Spinrad
7.   Rogue Tomato by Michael Bishop
8.   Anniversary Project by Joe Haldeman
9.   Beyond Grayworld by Gregory Benford
10. Find the Lady by Nicholas Fisk
11. Catch That Zeppelin! by Fritz Leiber
12. All the Charms of Sycorax by Alan Brennert
13. Clay Suburb by Robert Young
14. Shatterday by Harlan Ellison

Best Single Author Collection
Winner:
1.   The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin

Other Nominees:
2.   The Best of Cordwainer Smith by Cordwainer Smith, edited by J.J. Pierce
3.   Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison
4.   Tales of Known Space by Larry Niven
5.   Warm Worlds and Otherwise by James Tiptree, Jr.
6.   The Best of Henry Kuttner by Henry Kuttner
7.   The Best of C.L. Moore by C.L. Moore, edited by Lester del Rey
8.   The Early del Rey by Lester del Rey
9.   The Infinity Box by Kate Wilhelm
10. The Second Book of Fritz Leiber by Fritz Leiber
11. The Feast of St. Dionysus by Robert Silverberg
12. No Direction Home by Norman Spinrad
13. Buy Jupiter and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov
14. The Best of Frederik Pohl by Frederik Pohl, edited by Lester del Rey

Best Anthology
Winner:
1.   Epoch edited by Roger Elwood and Robert Silverberg

Other Nominees:
2.   The Best Science Fiction of the Year #4 edited by Terry Carr
3.   Final Stage edited by Edward L. Ferman and Barry N. Malzberg
4.   New Dimensions 5 edited by Robert Silverberg
5.   The New Atlantis edited by Robert Silverberg
6.   The Best from Orbit Volumes 1-10 edited by Damon Knight

7. The 1975 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim with Arthur W. Saha

8.   The Best of Planet Stories #1 edited by Leigh Brackett
9.   Nebula Award Stories Ten edited by James E. Gunn
10. Women of Wonder edited by Pamela Sargent
11. Orbit 16 edited by Damon Knight
12. Science Fiction of the Thirties edited by Damon Knight

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Work
Winner:
1.   Alternate Worlds: The Illustrated History of Science Fiction by James E. Gunn

Other Nominees:
2.   SF Art by Brian W. Aldiss
3.   The Fantastic Art of Frank Frazetta by Frank Frazetta
4.   Lovecraft: A Biography by L. Sprague de Camp
5.   Hell's Cartographers edited by Brian W. Aldiss and Harry Harrison

6. Science Fiction Handbook, Revised by L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp

7.   Fantastic SF Art 1926 - 1954 by Lester del Rey
8.   Lovecraft at Last by Willis Conover
9.   Philip K. Dick: Electric Shepherd by Bruce Gillespie
10. Structural Fabulation by Robert S. Scholes
11. The Science Fiction Book: An Illustrated History by Franz Rottensteiner
12. The Science Fiction Book Review Index by Hal Hall

Best Magazine
Winner:
1. Fantasy & Science Fiction

Other Nominees:
2. Analog
3. Galaxy
4. Amazing Stories
5. Fantastic
6. New Dimensions

Best Fanzine
Winner:
1.   Locus

Other Nominees:
2.   Science Fiction Review
3.   Algol
4.   Outworlds
5.   Khatru
6.   Yandro
7.   Whispers
8.   Delap's F&SF Review
9.   Don-O-Saur
10. Notes from the Chemistry Dept.
11. Knights
12. Starling
13. SF Commentary

Best Critic
Winner:
1. Richard Geis

Other Nominees:
2. Lester del Rey
3. Algis Budrys
4. Richard Lupoff
5. Spider Robinson
6. Joanna Russ
7. Susan Wood
8. Richard Delap
9. Charles Brown
10. Baird Searles
11. Theodore Sturgeon
12. Don D'Ammassa

Best Hardback Publisher
Winner:
1. Science Fiction Book Club

Other Nominees:
2. Doubleday
3. Harper & Row
4. Putnam/Berkley
5. Donald M. Grant

Best Paperback Publisher
Winner:
1. Ballantine

Other Nominees:
2. DAW
3. Berkley
4. Ace
5. Avon
6. Bantam
7. Pyramid

Best Artist
Winner:
1. Rick Sternbach

Other Nominees:
2. Steve Fabian
3. Frank Kelly Freas
4. Tim Kirk
5. Vincent Di Fate
6. George Barr
7. John Schoenherr
8. Jack Gaughan
9. Frank Frazetta
10. Darrell Sweet
11. James Shull
12. Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon
13. William Rotsler
14. Mike Hinge
15. Wendy Pini
16. Jeff Jones
17. Grant Canfield
18. Alicia Austin
19. David Hardy

Go to previous year's nominees: 1975
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Friday, December 31, 1976

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