Comments: Usually when a well-known science fiction author is honored with an award win late in his career it is sort of a "make up" award. The book or story that is honored is typically not particularly good, but the voters aren't really honoring that work, but rather older, better books that were overlooked in prior years for one reason or another. Fortunately, when the Nebula was awarded to Arthur C. Clarke for The Fountains of Paradise, this was not the case, as Fountains is one of Clarke's best books. Given the typical pattern, it is good to see voters able to honor a writer as important to the science fiction genre as Clarke was without having to give the award to a below par book.
Sometimes an author has one blazing moment of glory that outshines the rest of his career. In 1980, Barry B. Longyear experienced such a moment with his novella Enemy Mine, which won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. Enemy Mine is a fantastic story, but Longyear has never been able to follow up on its brilliance. Although the rest of his career has been generally good, nothing else he has written has ever come close in terms of greatness.
Best Novel
The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
Other Nominees:
Jem by Frederik Pohl
Juniper Time by Kate Wilhelm
On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch
The Road to Corlay by Richard Cowper
Titan by John Varley
Best Novella
Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear
Other Nominees:
The Battle of the Abaco Reefs by Hilbert Schenck
Fireship by Joan D. Vinge
Mars Masked by Frederik Pohl
The Story Writer by Richard Wilson
The Tale of Gorgik by Samuel R. Delany
Best Novelette
Sandkings by George R.R. Martin
Other Nominees:
The Angel of Death by Michael Shea
Camps by Jack Dann
Options by John Varley
The Pathways of Desire by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Ways of Love by Poul Anderson
Best Short Story
giANTS by Edward Bryant
Other Nominees:
The Extraordinary Voyages of Amélie Bertrand by Joanna Russ
Red as Blood by Tanith Lee
Unaccompanied Sonata by Orson Scott Card
Vernalfest Morning by Michael Bishop
The Way of Cross and Dragon by George R.R. Martin
Go to previous year's nominees: 1979
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1981
Book Award Reviews Home