Comments: The best description one can use for the 1978 Locus Award ballot is aberrant. The first change from previous practice is the split of the Best Novel category into two: The Best Science Fiction Novel category and the Best Fantasy Novel category. This split would not be repeated in 1979, but would become the standard thereafter.
But the other omissions from the list of categories are perplexing. The Best Collection and Best Anthology categories were both left off the ballot. The Best Fanzine category was merged into the Best Magazine category, resulting in a situation in which radically different kinds of publications were competing against one another. The Best Critic and Best Artist categories also vanished. There seems to have been no real reason for Locus to have taken a machete to their award categories, and most were restored in 1979, but they did and it is entirely inexplicable.
Best Science Fiction Novel
Winner:
1. Gateway by Frederik Pohl
Other Nominees:
2. In the Ocean of Night by Gregory Benford
3. The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley
4. Time Storm by Gordon R. Dickson
5. Michaelmas by Algis Budrys
6. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
7. The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert
8. Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
9. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
10. Dying of the Light by George R.R. Martin
11. The Forbidden Tower by Marion Zimmer Bradley
12. Hunter of Worlds by C.J. Cherryh
13. Mirkheim by Poul Anderson
14. The Dark Design by Philip José Farmer
15. A Heritage of Stars by Clifford D. Simak
16. Cirque by Terry Carr
17. Moonstar Odyssey by David Gerrold
18. Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker
19. Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan
20. All My Sins Remembered by Joe Haldeman
21. The Martian Inca by Ian Watson
22. A Little Knowledge by Michael Bishop
23. If the Stars Are Gods by Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund
Best Fantasy Novel
Winner:
1. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Other Nominees:
2. Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
3. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
4. The Shining by Stephen King
5. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
6. Sword of the Demon by Richard A. Lupoff
7. Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip
8. The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White
9. A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
10. The Grey Mane of Morning by Joy Chant
11. Cry Silver Bells by Thomas Burnett Swann
12. Trey of Swords by Andre Norton
13. Queens Walk in the Dusk by Thomas Burnett Swann
14. Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper
Best Novella
Winner:
1. Stardance by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson
Other Nominees:
2. A Snark in the Night by Gregory Benford
3. Aztecs by Vonda N. McIntyre4. Auk House by Clifford D. Simak
5. The Mars Ship by Robert Thurston
6. In the Hall of the Martian Kings by John Varley
7. The Family Monkey by Lisa Tuttle
8. Cold Cash War by Robert Asprin
9. Joelle by Poul Anderson
10. The Wonderful Secret by Keith Laumer
11. Growing Boys by Robert Aickman
12. Equinoctial by John Varley
13. Heretic in a Balloon by L. Sprague de Camp
Best Short Story
Winner:
1. Jeffty Is Five by Harlan Ellison
Other Nominees:
2. The Screwfly Solution by Raccoona Sheldon
3. Air Raid by Herb Boehm4. A Rite of Spring by Fritz Leiber
5. Eyes of Amber by Joan D. Vinge
6. The Kugelmass Episode by Woody Allen
7. The Stone City by George R.R. Martin
8. Particle Theory by Edward Bryant
9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
10. The Bagful of Dreams by Jack Vance
11. The Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven and Other Lost Songs by Carter Scholz
12. The House of Compassionate Sharers by Michael Bishop13. The Big Fans by Keith Roberts
14. The Detweiler Boy by Tom Reamy
15. Prismatica by Samuel R. Delany
16. Good-bye, Robinson Crusoe by John Varley
17. Camera Obscura by Thomas F. Monteleone
18. Dog Day Evening by Spider Robinson
19. (tie) Bitterblooms by George R.R. Martin
(tie) Pinnocchio by Stanley Schmidt
21. A Rain of Pebbles by Stephen Leigh
Best Magazine
Winner:
1. Fantasy & Science Fiction edited by Edward L. Ferman
Other Nominees:
2. Locus edited by Charles N. Brown
3. Analog edited by Ben Bova
4. Asimov's edited by George H. Scithers
5. Galaxy edited by James Baen and J.J. Pierce
6. Science Fiction Review edited by Richard E. Geis
7. Cosmos edited by David G. Hartwell
8. Algol edited by Andrew Porter
9. Galileo edited by Charles G. Ryan
10. Starlog edited by Howard Zimmerman
11. Amazing Stories edited by Ted White
12. Unearth edited by Jonathon Ostrowsky-Lantz and John M. Landsberg
13. Fantastic edited by Ted White
14. Universe edited by Terry Carr
15. Whispers edited by Stuart David Schiff
16. Delap's F&SF Review edited by Richard Delap
17. Cinefantastique edited by Frederick S. Clarke
18. Orbit edited by Damon Knight
19. SF Commentary edited by Bruce Gillespie
Best Publisher
Winner:
1. Ballantine/Del Rey
Other Nominees:
2. DAW
3. Berkley/Putnam
4. Science Fiction Book Club
5. Ace
6. Doubleday
7. St. Martin's
8. Dial
9. (tie) Donald M. Grant
(tie) Harper & Row
11. Avon
12. Gregg Press
13. Bantam
14. Pocket
15. Atheneum
16. Dell
Go to previous year's nominees: 1977
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