Comments: After Isaac Asimov took home the Best Novel prize in 1973 for The Gods Themselves, the only one of the "Big Three" without a Best Novel Hugo Award was Arthur C. Clarke. As soon as the voters got the chance, they rectified this situation, handing the award to Clarke in 1974 for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. In an interesting twist, Clarke beat out fellow "Big Three" member Heinlein for the honor, with his novel topping Heinlein's Time Enough for Love. Perhaps the voters were nonplussed by the incest storyline in Heinlein's book. Robert Silverberg didn't have any novels or stories nominated this year, but does appear on the slate for the Best Professional Editor Award, although he lost the award to Ben Bova.
While Ursula K. Le Guin's win for The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas was heralded as another step towards breaking up the male-dominance of the Hugo Awards, one interesting note is that, although no one knew it at the time, two Hugo awards were won by women in 1974. No one knew it, because no one at the time knew that James Tiptree, Jr. was actually Alice B. Sheldon (well, no one other than Alice B. Sheldon).
The real oddity of the year's awards was in the Best Dramatic Presentation category where the Woody Allen comedy Sleeper beat out a collection of other, more deserving nominees. Perhaps it was the environment of the mid-1970s that made Allen's piece of sexual fluff seem more weighty than it actually is, but for it to beat out a movie like Soylent Green seems almost inexplicable now. Oddly, the set-up for Allen's movie is very similar to the set up for the also-nominated Genesis II. I suppose 1974 was just a year in which stories about cryogenicaly frozen humans being revived after sleeping for hundreds of years seemed like a good idea to production executives.
Best Novel
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Other Nominees:
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold
The People of the Wind by Poul Anderson
Protector by Larry Niven
Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein
Best Novella
The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr. (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 3, Book 2)
Other Nominees:
Chains of the Sea by Gardner Dozois
Death and Designation Among the Asadi by Michael Bishop
The Death of Doctor Island by Gene Wolfe
The White Otters of Childhood by Michael Bishop
Best Novelette
The Deathbird by Harlan Ellison (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 3, Book 2)
Other Nominees:
The City on the Sand by George Alec Effinger
He Fell Into a Dark Hole by Jerry Pournelle
Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death by James Tiptree, Jr.
Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand by Vonda N. McIntyre
Best Short Story
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin (reviewed in The Hugo Winners, Volume 3, Book 2)
Other Nominees:
Construction Shack by Clifford D. Simak
Wings by Vonda N. McIntyre
With Morning Comes Mistfall by George R.R. Martin
Best Dramatic Presentation
Sleeper
Other Nominees:
Genesis II (television movie)
The Six Million Dollar Man (television movie)
Soylent Green
Westworld
Best Professional Editor
Ben Bova
Other Nominees:
Terry Carr
Edward L. Ferman
Robert Silverberg
Ted White
Donald A. Wollheim
Best Professional Artist
Frank Kelly Freas
Other Nominees:
Vincent Di Fate
Frank Frazetta
Jack Gaughan
John Schoenherr
Best Fanzine
(tie) Algol edited by Andrew Porter
(tie) The Alien Critic edited by Richard E. Geis
Other Nominees:
Locus edited by Charles Brown and Dena Brown
Outworlds edited by Bill Bowers and Joan Bowers
Best Fan Writer
Susan Wood
Other Nominees:
Laura Basta
Richard E. Geis
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Sandra Miesel
Best Fan Artist
Tim Kirk
Other Nominees:
Alicia Austin
Grant Canfield
Bill Rotsler
Arthur Thomson
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
(tie) Spider Robinson
(tie) Lisa Tuttle
Other Nominees:
Jesse Miller
Thomas F. Monteleone
Guy Snyder
What Are the Hugo Awards?
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