Comments: Every world-wide phenomenon has to have a starting point, and for George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, that starting point was more or less here, at the 1997 Locus Awards where The Game of Thrones won the award for Best Fantasy Novel. The salient point to remember about this event is that it took fifteen years to get from the publication of the novel to the HBO television series. Even though the book was obviously fairly well-regarded when it was published, the series didn't become the titanic hit that it has become until much later. Things take time to build up steam, and A Song of Ice and Fire is a clear demonstration of this fact.
Best Science Fiction Novel
Winner:
1. Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Other Nominees:
2. Endymion by Dan Simmons
3. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
4. Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold
5. Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling
6. Idoru by William Gibson
7. Inheritor by C.J. Cherryh
8. Night Lamp by Jack Vance
9. Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley
10. Exodus from the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe
11. Voyage by Stephen Baxter
12. Beggars Ride by Nancy Kress
13. Excession by Iain M. Banks
14. The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven
15. Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
16. Otherland: City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams
17. Dreamfall by Joan D. Vinge
18. Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon
19. Distress by Greg Egan
20. Pirates of the Universe by Terry Bisson
21. River of Dust by Alexander Jablokov
22. Night Sky Mine by Melissa Scott
23. The Other End of Time by Frederik Pohl
24. Gibbon's Decline and Fall by Sheri S. Tepper
25. The Tranquillity Alternative by Allen M. Steele
26. Oaths and Miracles by Nancy Kress
27. Infinity's Shore by David Brin
Best Fantasy Novel
Winner:
1. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Other Nominees:
2. Lunatics by Bradley Denton
3. Winter Rose by Patricia A. McKillip
4. Blameless in Abaddon by James Morrow
5. Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
6. A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan
7. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
8. Nadya: The Wolf Chronicles by Pat Murphy
9. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
10. The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
11. One for the Morning Glory by John Barnes
12. Walking the Labyrinth by Lisa Goldstein
13. Ancient Echoes by Robert Holdstock
14. Clouds End by Sean Stewart
15. The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights) by Philip Pullman
16. Mother of Winter by Barbara Hambly
17. Fair Peril by Nancy Springer
18. Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind
19. Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
20. The Golden Key by Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliott
21. The Dragon and the Unicorn by A.A. Attanasio
22. Sea Without a Shore by Sean Russell
Best Horror or Dark Fantasy Novel
Winner:
1. Desperation by Stephen King
Other Nominees:
2. Sacrament by Clive Barker
3. Unknown Regions (aka The Fetch) by Robert Holdstock
4. The Hunger and Ecstasy of Vampires by Brian Stableford
5. Requiem by Graham Joyce
6. The 37th Mandala by Marc Laidlaw
7. Servant of the Bones by Anne Rice
8. The Green Mile by Stephen King
9. The Pillow Friend by Lisa Tuttle
10. Stainless by Todd Grimson
Best First Novel
Winner:
1. (tie) Reclamation by Sarah Zettel
(tie) Whiteout by Sage Walker
Other Nominees:
3. The Waterborn by J. Gregory Keyes
4. The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter
5. Celestial Matters by Richard Garfinkle
6. Looking for the Mahdi by N. Lee Wood
7. Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling
8. Mordred's Curse by Ian McDowell
9. Mainline by Deborah Christian
10. Wind from a Foreign Sky by Katya Reimann
11. Shade and Shadow by Francine G. Woodbury
12. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
13. Mage Heart by Jane Routley
14. Commencement by Roby James
15. First Dawn by Mike Moscoe
Best Novella
Winner:
1. Bellwether by Connie Willis
Other Nominees:
2. Blood of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin
3. Human History by Lucius Shepard4. The Unicorn Sonata by Peter S. Beagle
5. Kilroy Was Here by Jack Cady
6. Gas Fish by Mary Rosenblum
7. Immersion by Gregory Benford
8. The Tree that Grew from the Sky by Robert Silverberg
9. Chrysalis by Robert Reed
10. The Cost to be Wise by Maureen F. McHugh
11. Abandon in Place by Jerry Oltion
12. The Littlest Jackal by Bruce Sterling
13. Verglas by Ian R. MacLeod
14. Saddle Point Sequence by Stephen Baxter
15. Fugue on a Sunken Continent by G. David Nordley
16. (tie) Primrose and Thorn by Bud Sparhawk
(tie) Saddle Point Dreamtime by Stephen Baxter
Best Novelette
Winner:
1. Mountain Ways by Ursula K. Le Guin
Other Nominees:
2. The Edge of the Universe by Terry Bisson
3. The Land of Nod by Mike Resnick
4. Bicycle Repairman by Bruce Sterling
5. Beauty and the Opéra or The Phantom Beast by Suzy McKee Charnas
6. The Dog's Story by Eleanor Arnason
7. A Dry, Quiet War by Tony Daniel
8. The Flowers of Aulit Prison by Nancy Kress
9. Radio Waves by Michael Swanwick
10. The Man in the Pepper Mill by Gene Wolfe
11. Age of Aquarius by William Barton
12. The First Law of Thermodynamics by James Patrick Kelly
13. Amends by John Brunner
14. After a Lean Winter by Dave Wolverton
15. Martian Valkyrie by G. David Nordley
16. Try and Kill It by Gene Wolfe
17. Kronos by Allen M. Steele
18. The Peacock Throne by Charles Sheffield
19. Out of the Mouths by Sheila Finch
20. Diana of the Hundred Breasts by Robert Silverberg
21. The Longer Voyage by Michael Cassutt
22. The Three Labors of Bubba by Bud Webster
23. Nonstop to Portales by Connie Willis
24. In the Upper Room by Terry Bisson
Best Short Story
Winner:
1. Gone by John Crowley
Other Nominees:
2. Counting Cats in Zanzibar by Gene Wolfe
3. The Last Homosexual by Paul Park4. The Dead by Michael Swanwick
5. The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective by Connie Willis
6. Forget Luck by Kate Wilhelm7. On Sequoia Time by Daniel Keys Moran
8. Decency by Robert Reed
9. Strings by Maureen F. McHugh
10. Appointment in Sinai by Ben Bova
11. Community by Gardner Dozois
12. A Silurian Tale by Steven Utley
13. Columbiad by Stephen Baxter
14. Un-Birthday Boy by James White
15. Invasion by Joanna Russ
16. The Spacetime Pit by Stephen Baxter and Eric Brown
17. Breakaway, Backdown by James Patrick Kelly
18. First Tuesday by Robert Reed
19. Death Do Us Part by Robert Silverberg
20. Under Pressure by Sarah Zettel
Best Collection
Winner:
1. None So Blind by Joe Haldeman
Other Nominees:
2. Unlocking the Air and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin
3. Quicker than the Eye by Ray Bradbury4. Bible Stories for Adults by James Morrow
5. Dreamweaver's Dilemma by Lois McMaster Bujold
6. All One Universe by Poul Anderson
7. The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye by Jonathan Lethem
8. Killdozer!: Volume III: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon by Theodore Sturgeon, edited by Paul Williams
9. Microcosmic God: Volume II: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon by Theodore Sturgeon, edited by Paul Williams
10. The Panic Hand by Jonathan Carroll
11. Over the River and Through the Woods: The Best Short Fiction of Clifford D. Simak by Clifford D. Simak
12. At the City Limits of Fate by Michael Bishop13. Standard Candles by Jack McDevitt
14. Ribofunk by Paul Di Filippo
15. Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling
16. Minor Arcana by Diana Wynne Jones
17. The Nightmare Factory by Thomas Ligotti
18. Before . . . 12:01 . . . After by Richard A. Lupoff
19. The Invisible Country by Paul J. McAuley
20. Synthesis and Other Virtual Realities by Mary Rosenblum
Best Anthology
Winner:
1. The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirteenth Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois
Other Nominees:
2. The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Ninth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
3. Year's Best SF edited by David G. Hartwell4. Starlight 1 edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden
5. War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches edited by Kevin J. Anderson
6. Nebula Awards 30 edited by Pamela Sargent
7. Visions of Wonder edited by David G. Hartwell and Milton T. Wolf
8. Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex edited by Ellen Datlow
9. Intersections: The Sycamore Hill Anthology edited by John Kessel, Mark L. Van Name, and Richard Butner
10. American Gothic Tales edited by Joyce Carol OatesBest Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Book
Winner:
1. Look at the Evidence by John Clute
Other Nominees:
2. Time & Chance: An Autobiography by L. Sprague de Camp
3. The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones4. H.P. Lovecraft: A Life by S.T. Joshi
5. St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers edited by David Pringle
6. Ash of Stars: On the Writing of Samuel R. Delany edited by James Sallis
7. Jules Verne: An Exploratory Biography by Herbert R. Lottman
8. The Jules Verne Encyclopedia by Brian Taves and Stephen Michaluk, Jr.
Best Art Book
Winner:
1. Spectrum 3: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by Cathy Burnett and Arnie Fenner, with Jim Loehr
Other Nominees:
2. The Faces of Fantasy by Patti Perret
3. The World of Edward Gorey by Clifford Ross and Karen Wilkin; artist Edward Gorey
4. Neurotica: The Darkest Art of J.K. Potter by J.K. Potter
5. H.R. Giger's Film Design by H.R. Giger
6. Maxfield Parrish: A Retrospective by Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler; artist Maxfield Parrish
7. Animal Farm: 50th Anniversary Edition by George Orwell, illustrated by Ralph Steadman
8. A City in Winter by Mark Helprin, illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg9. The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Alan Lee
Best Editor
Winner:
1. Gardner Dozois
Other Nominees:
2. Kristine Kathryn Rusch
3. Ellen Datlow
4. David G. Hartwell
5. Stanley Schmidt
6. Patrick Nielsen Hayden
7. Scott Edelman
8. Terri Windling
9. David Pringle
Best Magazine
Winner:
1. Asimov's
Other Nominees:
2. Fantasy & Science Fiction
3. Analog
4. Science Fiction Age
5. Interzone
6. Realms of Fantasy
7. Century
Best Publisher
Winner:
1. Tor/St. Martin's
Other Nominees:
2. Bantam/Doubleday/Dell
3. Ballantine/Del Rey/etc.
4. Baen
5. DAW
6. Putnam Berkley/Ace
7. HarperCollins/HarperPrism
8. Avon/Morrow
9. White Wolf
10. Warner
11. Penguin/Roc
Best Artist
Winner:
1. Michael Whelan
Other Nominees:
2. Bob Eggleton
3. Don Maitz
4. Thomas Canty
5. Jim Burns
6. J.K. Potter
7. W.J. Hodgson
Go to previous year's nominees: 1996
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1998
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