1987 Locus Award Nominees

Location: Unknown.

Comments: After just missing the year before with Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card captured the Best Science Fiction Novel award for 1987 with Speaker for the Dead. The thing that is interesting about this win is that overall, I think Speaker for the Dead is a weaker book than Ender's Game, so the fact that Speaker won and Ender didn't seems a bit odd. One could possibly chalk this oddity up to weaker competition in 1987 when compared to 1986, but looking at the list of other nominees like The Handmaid's Tale, Chanur's Homecoming, and Marooned in Realtime, that simply doesn't seem plausible. It seems that the best explanation for this win is that the voters, now more aware of Card because of the success of Ender's Game, were voting a "make up" win for him as compensation for their oversight the previous year. I can't say that this is certain, but it does seem like the most plausible explanation.

Best Science Fiction Novel
Winner:
1.   Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Other Nominees:
2.   Heart of the Comet by Gregory Benford and David Brin
3.   Count Zero by William Gibson
4.   The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
5.   Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
6.   Chanur's Homecoming by C.J. Cherryh
7.   Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge
8.   The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
9.   The Coming of the Quantum Cats by Frederik Pohl
10. Santiago by Mike Resnick
11. Enigma by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
12. When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger
13. Lear's Daughters by M. Bradley Kellogg with William Rossow
14. Star of Gypsies by Robert Silverberg
15. Nerilka's Story by Anne McCaffrey
16. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold
17. The Moon Goddess and the Son by Donald M. Kingsbury
18. Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams
19. The Architect of Sleep by Steven R. Boyett
20. Venus of Dreams by Pamela Sargent
21. The Nimrod Hunt by Charles Sheffield
22. This Is the Way the World Ends by James Morrow
23. The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt
24. The Forever Man by Gordon R. Dickson
25. The Ragged Astronauts by Bob Shaw
26. Rebels' Seed by F.M. Busby

Best Fantasy Novel
Winner:
1.   Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe

Other Nominees:
2.   Blood of Amber by Roger Zelazny
3.   It by Stephen King
4.   Godbody by Theodore Sturgeon
5.   Twisting the Rope by R.A. MacAvoy
6.   The Folk of the Air by Peter S. Beagle
7.   The Serpent Mage by Greg Bear
8.   Wizard of the Pigeons by Megan Lindholm
9.   The Quest for Saint Camber by Katherine Kurtz
10. A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
11. The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson
12. The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay
13. Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold! by Terry Brooks
14. Homunculus by James P. Blaylock
15. Wielding a Red Sword by Piers Anthony
16. The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy
17. The Dragon in the Sword by Michael Moorcock
18. Jinian Star-Eye by Sheri S. Tepper
19. New York by Knight by Esther M. Friesner
20. The King of Ys: Roma Mater by Poul Anderson and Karen Anderson
21. The Hounds of God by Judith Tarr
22. The Unconquered Country by Geoff Ryman
23. Yarrow by Charles de Lint
24. The Hungry Moon by Ramsey Campbell
25. Dragonsbane by Barbara Hambly
26. A Voice for Princess by John Morressy
27. Talking Man by Terry Bisson

Best First Novel
Winner:
1.   The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt

Other Nominees:
2.   Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
3.   A Hidden Place by Robert Charles Wilson
4.   Wrack & Roll by Bradley Denton
5.   The Cross-Time Engineer by Leo Frankowski
6.   No Safe Place by Anne Moroz
7.   Sentience by Terry A. Adams
8.   (tie) The Doomsday Effect by Thomas Wren
      (tie) Windmaster's Bane by Tom Deitz
10. The Game of Fox and Lion by Robert R. Chase
11. Fire Sanctuary by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel
12. Warchild by Richard Bowes
13. Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr
14. The Curse of Sagamore by Kara Dalkey
15. The Star Country by Michael Cassutt
16. The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea
17. The Burning Stone by Deborah Turner Harris

Best Novella
Winner:
1.   R & R by Lucius Shepard

Other Nominees:

2.   Escape from Kathmandu by Kim Stanley Robinson

3.   Tango Charlie and Foxtrot Romeo by John Varley
4.   Gilgamesh in the Outback by Robert Silverberg
5.   Collision by James Tiptree, Jr.
6.   Spice Pogrom by Connie Willis
7.   Voice in the Dark by Jack McDevitt
8.   Good Night, Sweethearts by James Tiptree, Jr.
9.   As Big as the Ritz by Gregory Benford
10. Dydeetown Girl by F. Paul Wilson
11. Though the Heavens Fall by Harry Turtledove
12. Born from the Beast by Vance Aandahl
13. Hotel Mind Slaves by Ronald Anthony Cross
14. Eifelheim by Michael F. Flynn
15. The Head of Shemesh the Eshurian by Avram Davidson
16. Newton Sleep by Gregory Benford

Best Novelette
Winner:
1.   Thor Meets Captain America by David Brin

Other Nominees:
2.   Hatrack River by Orson Scott Card
3.   The Glass Flower by George R.R. Martin
4.   The Winter Market by William Gibson
5.   Permafrost by Roger Zelazny
6.   Of Space-Time and the River by Gregory Benford
7.   Aymara by Lucius Shepard
8.   Fire Zone Emerald by Lucius Shepard
9.   The Arcevoalo by Lucius Shepard
10. Salvage by Orson Scott Card (reviewed in The Folk of the Fringe)
11. The Girl Who Fell into the Sky by Kate Wilhelm
12. The Barbarian Princess by Vernor Vinge
13. Windows by Ian Watson
14. Chance by Connie Willis
15. Fiddling for Waterbuffaloes by Somtow Sucharitkul
16. Fill It With Regular by Michael Shea
17. Into Gold by Tanith Lee
18. Against Babylon by Robert Silverberg
19. The Beautiful and the Sublime by Bruce Sterling
20. Video Star by Walter Jon Williams
21. Cold Light by Ian Watson
22. The News from D Street by Andrew Weiner
23. (tie) The Prisoner of Chillon by James Patrick Kelly
      (tie) The Pure Product by John Kessel
25. Voices by Michael Bishop
26. The Gate of Ghosts by Karen Joy Fowler
27. Grave Angels by Richard Kearns
28. Surviving by Judith Moffett
29. The Metaphysical Gun by Wayne Wightman

Best Short Story
Winner:

1.   Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov (reviewed in Robot Dreams)

Other Nominees:

2.   Down and Out in the Year 2000 by Kim Stanley Robinson

3.   Rat by James Patrick Kelly
4.   Tangents by Greg Bear
5.   The Boy Who Plaited Manes by Nancy Springer
6.   Alien Graffiti by Michael Bishop
7.   Face Value by Karen Joy Fowler
8.   Thorn by Robert Holdstock
9.   Pretty Boy Crossover by Pat Cadigan
10. Jeff Beck by Lewis Shiner
11. Voyage South from Thousand Willows by Lucius Shepard
12. Our Town by Kim Stanley Robinson
13. The Lions Are Asleep This Night by Howard Waldrop
14. And So to Bed by Harry Turtledove
15. Blindsight by Robert Silverberg
16. Strangers on Paradise by Damon Knight
17. Lo, How an Oak E'er Blooming by Suzette Haden Elgin
18. Fair Game by Howard Waldrop
19. The Idea Trap by George Zebrowski
20. Phone Repairs by Nancy Kress
21. Snake-Eyes by Tom Maddox
22. Skintwister by Paul Di Filippo
23. State of the Art by Robert Charles Wilson
24. Sea Change by Scott Baker

Best Collection
Winner:

1.   Blue Champagne by John Varley

Other Nominees:
2.   Burning Chrome by William Gibson
3.   Howard Who? by Howard Waldrop
4.   Visible Light by C.J. Cherryh
5.   Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
6.   The River of Time by David Brin
7.   Callahan's Secret by Spider Robinson
8.   Robot Dreams by Isaac Asimov
9.   Artificial Things by Karen Joy Fowler
10. The Planet on the Table by Kim Stanley Robinson
11. In Alien Flesh by Gregory Benford
12. The Starry Rift by James Tiptree, Jr.
13. Close Encounters with the Deity by Michael Bishop
14. Dreams of Dark and Light by Tanith Lee
15. Cascade Point and Other Stories by Timothy Zahn
16. Tales of the Quintana Roo by James Tiptree, Jr.
17. Merlin's Booke by Jane Yolen
18. Beyond the Safe Zone by Robert Silverberg
19. Retief in the Ruins by Keith Laumer
20. The Complete Nebula Award-Winning Fiction by Samuel R. Delany
21. Kaeti & Company by Keith Roberts

Best Anthology
Winner:

1.   The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois

Other Nominees:

2.   Wild Cards edited by George R.R. Martin

3.   Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction of the Year #15 edited by Terry Carr
4.   Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology edited by Bruce Sterling

5.   Afterlives: Stories About Life After Death edited by Pamela Sargent and Ian Watson

6.   Universe 16 edited by Terry Carr
7.   The Hugo Winners, Volume 5: 1980-1982 edited by Isaac Asimov
8.   Heroes in Hell edited by Janet Morris

9.   The 1986 Annual World's Best SF edited by Donald A. Wollheim with Arthur W. Saha

10. Cutting Edge edited by Dennis Etchison
11. Tales from the Spaceport Bar edited by George H. Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer
12. L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume II edited by Algis Budrys
13. Hitler Victorious edited by Gregory Benford and Martin H. Greenberg
14. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. IV edited by Terry Carr

15. Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories: 15 (1953) edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg

16. Nebula Awards 21 edited by George Zebrowski
17. Uncollected Stars edited by Piers Anthony
18. The Year's Best Horror Stories: XIV edited by Karl Edward Wagner
19. Shadows 9 edited by Charles L. Grant
20. The Year's Best Fantasy Stories: 12 edited by Arthur W. Saha
21. Under the Wheel edited by Elizabeth Mitchell

Best Nonfiction, Related, or Reference Book
Winner:

1.   Trillion Year Spree by Brian W. Aldiss with David Wingrove

Other Nominees:

2.   Only Apparently Real: The World of Philip K. Dick by Paul Williams

3.   The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol. 1 edited by Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr., Tony Chapdelaine, and George Hay

4.   Industrial Light and Magic: The Art of Special Effects by Thomas G. Smith
5.   Science Fiction in Print: 1985 by Charles N. Brown and William G. Contento
6.   The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural edited by Jack Sullivan
7.   The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller with Klaus Janson and Lynn Varley

8.   Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines edited by Marshall B. Tymn and Mike Ashley

9.   Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers, Second Edition edited by Curtis C. Smith

10. Lightship by Chris Evans, art by Jim Burns
11. H.R. Giger's Necronomicon 2 by H.R. Giger

12. Inside Outer Space: Science Fiction Professionals Look at Their Craft edited by Sharon Jarvis

13. . . . And the Lurid Glare of the Comet by Brian W. Aldiss
14. Hard Science Fiction edited by George E. Slusser and Eric S. Rabkin
15. Galaxy Magazine: The Dark and the Light Years by David L. Rosheim
16. Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomburg by Jon Gustafson, art by Alex Schomburg

Best Magazine or Fanzine
Winner:
1.   Fantasy & Science Fiction

Other Nominees:
2.   Asimov's
3.   Analog
4.   Omni
5.   Amazing Stories
6.   Interzone
7.   Twilight Zone
8.   Science Fiction Chronicle
9.   Fantasy Review
10. Science Fiction Review
11. Night Cry
12. Starlog

Best Publisher
Winner:
1.   Ballantine/Del Rey

Other Nominees:
2.   Tor
3.   Putnam/Berkley/Ace
4.   Bantam
5.   DAW
6.   Baen
7.   Arbor House
8.   Bluejay
9.   Doubleday
10. Phantasia
11. Warner/Popular Library/Questar
12. Arkham House
13. Donald M. Grant
14. NAL/Signet
15. Gollancz
16. Underwood-Miller
17. Avon

Best Artist
Winner:
1.   Michael Whelan

Other Nominees:
2.   Jim Burns
3.   J.K. Potter
4.   Frank Kelly Freas
5.   Darrell Sweet
6.   Don Maitz
7.   Rowena Morrill
8.   Boris Vallejo
9.   Barclay Shaw
10. David A. Cherry
11. David Mattingly
12. H.R. Giger
13. Thomas Kidd
14. Victoria Poyser
15. Vincent Di Fate
16. Tom Canty
17. Phil Foglio
18. Carl Lundgren
19. David Hardy
20. Robert Gould

Go to previous year's nominees: 1986
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1988

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