Published at the same time as Vol 4, this volume contains the nine winning stories from three conventions. In due course I will read them all again, but in the meantime I have for those stories previously read and for which I wrote short summaries, said notelets have been cut and pasted. Also listed are the runners-up in each category, as a BestSF.net ‘Valued Added Bonus’ tm.
1980 38th Convention. Boston.
Best Novella :
Barry B. Longyear. Enemy Mine. (Asimovs, Sept 1979)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Hilbert Schenck. The Battle of the Abaco Reefs. (F&SF Jun 1979)
- Ted Reynolds. Ker-Plop. (Asimov’s Jan 1979)
- Donald Kingsbury. The Moon Goddess and the Son. (Analog Dec 1979)
- Orson Scott Card. Songhouse (Analog Sep 1979)
Best Novelette :
George R.R. Martin. Sandkings. (Omni Aug 1979)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Vonda N. McIntyre. Fireflood. (F&SF Nov 1979)
- Barry B. Longyear. Homecoming. (Asimov’s Oct 1979)
- Larry Niven & Steve Barnes. The Locusts. (Analog Jun 1979)
- John Varley. Options. (Universe 9)
- Christopher Priest. Palely Loitering. (F&SF Jan 1979)
Best Short Story :
George R.R. Martin. The Way of Cross and Dragon. (Omni June 1979)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Ted Reynolds. Can These Bones Live? (Analog Mar 1979)
- Connie Willis. Daisy, In the Sun. (Galileo Nov 1979)
- Edward Bryant. giANTS. (Analog Aug 1979)
- Orson Scott Card. Unaccompanied Sonata. (Omni Mar 1979)
For those of you so inclined, there follows a list of links to other volumes which attempted to identify the best short stories of 1975 :
- Nebula Awards #15
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year #9 edited by Terry Carr, 1980
- The 1980 Annual World’s Best SF, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur Saha, 1980
- Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, Ninth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois 1979
1981 39th Convention. Denver.
Best Novella :
Gordon R. Dickson. Lost Dorsai. (Destinies v2 #1 Feb/Mar 1980)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Harlan Ellison. All the Lies that Are My Life. (F&SF Nov 1980; Underwood-Miller)
- Thomas M. Disch. The Brave Little Toaster. (F&SF Aug 1980)
- George R. R. Martin. Nightflyers. (Analog Apr 1980)
- Far future in which researchers are hired to crew a spaceship to seek the legendary Volcryn. The ship’s master has an initially ghostly presence on the ship, with an even ghostlier presence behind him – his uploaded mother. This malevolent presence takes a dislike to the crew members, and bad things start to happen.
A cross between HAL of 2001, Alien, and Norman Bates, in which the tight drama as crew members are despatched is contrasted by the aeon slow sedate pace of the Volcryn as they pass by, unaware of our insignificant presence. - Lisa Tuttle & George R. R. Martin. One-Wing. (Analog Jan,Feb 1980)
Best Novelette :
Gordon R. Dickson. The Cloak and the Staff. (Analog Aug 1980)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Michael Shea. The Autopsy. (F&SF Dec 1980)
- John Varley. Beatnik Bayou. (New Voices III: The Campbell Award Nominees)
- Keith Roberts. The Lordly Ones. (F&SF Mar 1980)
- Barry B. Longyear. Savage Planet. (Analog Feb 1980)
- Howard Waldrop. The Ugly Chickens. (Universe 10)
- A researcher finds evidence that the Dodo may have survived a little longer in the Deep South, ah say, may have survived a little longer. But not that much longer. Damn those finger lickin’ recipes.
Best Short Story :
Clifford D. Simak. Grotto of the Dancing Deer. (Analog Apr 1980)
Prehistoric cave paintings, but is one of the local volunteers more directly connected to the paintings? The story also won the equivalent Nebula.
Other nominees :
- Jeff Duntemann. Cold Hands. (Asimov’s Jun 1980)
- Jeff Duntemann. Guardian. (Asimov’s Sep 1980)
- Robert Silverberg. Our Lady of the Sauropods. (Omni Sep 1980)
- Susan C. Petrey. Spidersong. (F&SF Sep 1980)
For those of you so inclined, there follows a list of links to other volumes which attempted to identify the best short stories of 1976 :
- Nebula Awards #16
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year #10 edited by Terry Carr, 1981
- The 1981 Annual World’s Best SF, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur Saha, 1981
- Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, Tenth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois 1981
1982 40th Convention. Chicago.
Best Novella:
Poul Anderson. he Saturn Game. (Analog Feb 2 1981)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- John Varley. Blue Champagne. (New Voices 4)
- David R. Palmer. Emergence. (Analog Jan 5 1981)
- Phyllis Eisenstein. In the Western Tradition. (F&SF Mar 1981)
- Vernor Vinge. True Names. (Binary Star #5)
- Kate Wilhelm. With Thimbles, With Forks and Hope (Asimov’s Nov 23 1981)
Best Novelette :
Roger Zelazny. Unicorn Variation. (Asimov’s Apr 13 1981)
review to follow
Other nominees :
- Parke Godwin. The Fire When It Comes. (F&SF May 1981)
- George R. R. Martin. Guardians. (Analog Oct 12 1981)
- Michael Bishop. The Quickening. (Universe 11)
- Edward Bryant. The Thermals of August. (F&SF May 1981)
Best Short Story :
John Varley. The Pusher. (F&SF Oct 1981)
Other nominees :
- Somtow Sucharitkul. Absent Thee from Felicity Awhile. (Analog Sep 14 1981)
- George Florance-Guthridge. The Quiet. (F&SF Jul 1981)
- Gene Wolfe. The Woman the Unicorn Loved. (Asimov’s Jun 8 1981)
For those of you so inclined, there follows a list of links to other volumes which attempted to identify the best short stories of 1977 :
- Nebula Awards #17 – not in my collection yet
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year #11 edited by Terry Carr, 1982 – not in my collection yet
- The 1982 Annual World’s Best SF, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and Arthur Saha, 1982