Friday, November 02, 2012

Reading the Nebula Nominees


Since 1966, 296 novels have been nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel. Nebula awards are administered, judged and granted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, making this a peer, rather than a popular, award. 

I'm reasonably well read, particularly in this genre, but as I've written before when presenting other pop culture lists, it's very difficult for any one person to read or see everything given our limited lifetimes and the sheer amount of work available. For fun, I tallied up all of the Nebula nominees and winners, and discovered to my shock that I've only read 86 of them, or around 29 percent of the list. Luckily many of the unread winners and nominees already exist in my collection, so I can probably complete about half the list without even leaving the house.

I've marked the winners and nominees I've read in bold. Winners are listed first on this list; note that in 1967, Babel-17 and Flowers for Algernon tied to win the award.

Nebula Award for Best Novel

1966
Dune, Frank Herbert
All Flesh is Grass, Clifford D. Simak
The Clone, Theodore L. Thomas and Kate Wilhelm
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb, Philip K. Dick
The Escape Orbit, James White
The Genocides, Thomas M. Disch
Nova Express, William S. Burroughs
A Plague of Demons, Keith Laumer
Rogue Dragon, Avram Davidson
The Ship That Sailed the Time Stream, G.C. Edmondson
The Star Fox, Poul Anderson
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Philip K. Dick

1967
Babel-17, Samuel R. Delany
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert A. Heinlein

1968
The Einstein Intersection, Samuel R. Delany
Chthon, Piers Anthony
The Eskimo Invasion, Hayden Howard
Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
Thorns, Robert Silverberg

1969
Rite of Passage, Alexi Panshin
Black Easter, James Blish
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
The Masks of Time, Robert Silverberg
Past Master, R.A. Lafferty
Picnic on Paradise, Joanna Russ
Stand on Zanzibar, John Brunner

1970
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin
Bug Jack Barron, Norman Spinrad
Isle of the Dead, Roger Zelazny
The Jagged Orbit, John Brunner
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
Up the Line, Robert Silverberg

1971
Ringworld, Larry Niven
And Chaos Died, Joanna Russ
Fourth Mansions, R.A. Lafferty
The Steel Crocodile, David G. Compton
Tower of Glass, Robert Silverberg
The Year of the Quiet Sun, Wilson Tucker

1972
A Time of Changes, Robert Silverberg
The Byworlder, Poul Anderson
The Devil is Dead, R.A. Lafferty
Half Past Human, T.J. Bass
The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. LeGuin
Margaret and I, Kate Wilhelm

1973
The Gods Themselves, Isaac Asimov
The Book of Skulls, Robert Silverberg
Dying Inside, Robert Silverberg
The Iron Dream, Norman Spinrad
The Sheep Look Up, John Brunner
What Entropy Means to Me, George Alec Effinger
When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One, David Gerrold

1974
Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke
Gravity’s Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
The Man Who Folded Himself, David Gerrold
The People of the Wind, Poul Anderson
Time Enough for Love, Robert A. Heinlein

1975
The Dispossessed, Ursula K. LeGuin
334, Thomas M. Disch
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, Philip K. Dick
The Godwhale, T.J. Bass

1976
The Forever War, Joe Haldeman
Autumn Angels, Arthur Byron Cover
The Birthgrave, Tanith Lee
The Computer Connection, Alfred Bester
Dhalgren, Samuel R. Delany
Doorways in the Sand, Roger Zelazny
The Embedding, Ian Watson
The Exile Waiting, Vonda N. McIntyre
The Female Man, Joanna Russ
A Funeral for the Eyes of Fire, Michal Bishop
Guernica Night, Barry N. Malzberg
The Heritage of Hastur, Marion Zimmer Bradley
Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino
A Midsummer Tempest, Poul Anderson
The Missing Man, Katherine MacLean
The Mote in God’s Eye, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow
The Stochastic Man, Robert Silverberg

1977
Man Plus, Frederik Pohl
Inferno, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Islands, Marta Randall
Shadrach in the Furnace, Robert Silverberg
Triton, Samuel R. Delany
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, Kate Wilhelm

1978
Gateway, Frederik Pohl
Cirque, Terry Carr
In the Ocean of Night, Gregory Benford
Moonstar Odyssey, David Gerrold
Sword of Demon, Richard A. Lupoff

1979
Dreamsnake, Vonda McIntyre
Blind Voices, Tom Reamy
The Faded Sun: Kesrith, C.J. Cherryh
Kalki, Gore Vidal
Strangers, Gardner Dozois

1980
The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke
Jem, Frederik Pohl
Juniper Time, Kate Wilhelm
On Wings of Song, Thomas M. Disch
The Road to Corlay, Richard Cowper
Titan, John Varley

1981
Timescape, Gregory Benford
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, Frederik Pohl
Mockingbird, Walter Tevis
The Orphan, Robert Stallman
The Shadow of the Torturer, Gene Wolfe
The Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge

1982
The Claw of the Conciliator, Gene Wolfe
Little, Big, John Crowley
The Many-Colored Land, Julian May
Radix, A.A. Attanasio
Riddley Walker, Russell Hoban
The Vampire Tapestry, Suzy McKee Charnas

1983
No Enemy But Time, Michael Bishop
Foundation’s Edge, Isaac Asimov
Friday, Robert A. Heinlein
Helliconia Spring, Brian Aldiss
The Sword of the Lictor, Gene Wolfe
The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, Philip K. Dick

1984
Startide Rising, David Brin
Against Infinity, Gregory Benford
The Citadel of the Autarch, Gene Wolfe
Lyonesse, Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon, R.A. MacAvoy
The Void Captain’s Tale, Norman Spinrad

1985
Neuromancer, William Gibson
Frontera, Lewish Shiner
The Integral Trees, Larry Niven
Job: A Comedy of Justice, Robert A. Heinlein
The Man Who Melted, Jack Dann
The Wild Shore, Kim Stanley Robinson

1986
Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
Blood Music, Greg Bear
Dinner at Deviant’s Palace, Tim Powers
Helliconia Winter, Brian Aldiss
The Postman, David Brin
The Remaking of Sigmund Freud, Barry N. Malzberg
Schismatrix, Bruce Sterling

1987
Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card
Count Zero, William Gibson
Free Live Free, Gene Wolfe
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
The Journal of Nicholas the American, Leigh Kennedy
The is the Way the World Ends, James K. Morrow

1988
The Falling Woman, Pat Murphy
The Forge of God, Greg Bear
Soldier of the Mist, Gene Wolfe
The Uplift War, David Brin
Vergil in Averno, Avram Davidson
When Gravity Fails, George Alec Effinger

1989
Falling Free, Lois McMaster Bujold
Deserted Cities of the Heart, Lewis Shiner
Drowning Towers, George Turner
Great Sky River, Gregory Benford
Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson
Red Prophet, Orson Scott Card
The Urth of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe

1990
The Healer’s War, Elizabeth Anne Scarborough
The Boat of a Million Years, Poul Anderson
Prentice Alvin, Orson Scott Card
Good News From Outer Space, John Kessel
Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future, Mike Resnick
Sister Light, Sister Dark, Jane Yolen

1991
Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin
Mary Reilly, Valerie Martin
Only Begotten Daughter, James K. Morrow
The Fall of Hyperion, Dan Simmons
Redshift Rendezvous, John E. Stith
White Jenna, Jane Yolen

1992
Stations of the Tide, Michael Swanwick
Orbital Resonance, John Barnes
Barrayar, Lois McMaster Bujold
Bone Dance, Emma Bull
Synners, Pat Cadigan
The Difference Engine, Bruce Sterling and William Gibson

1993
Doomsday Book, Connie Willis
A Million Open Doors, John Barnes
Sarah Canary, Karen Joy Fowler
China Mountain Zhang, Maureen F. McHugh
A Fire Upon the Deep, Vernor Vinge
Briar Rose, Jane Yolen

1994
Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson
Assemblers of Infinity, Kevin J. Anderson and Doug Beason
Hard Landing, Algis Budrys
Beggars in Spain, Nancy Kress
Nightside the Long Sun, Gene Wolfe

1995
Moving Mars, Greg Bear
Parable of the Sower, Octavia E. Butler
Gun, with Occasional Music, Jonathan Lethem
Towing Jehovah, James K. Morrow
Temporary Agency, Rachel Pollack
Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson
A Night in the Lonesome October, Roger Zelazny

1996
The Terminal Experiment, Robert J. Sawyer
Mother of Storms, John Barnes
Beggars and Choosers, Nancy Kress
Celestis, Paul Park
Metropolitan, Walter Jon Williams
Calde of the Long Sun, Gene Wolfe

1997
Slow River, Nicola Griffith
The Silent Strength of Stones, Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Winter Rose, Patricia A. McKillip
Expiration Date, Tim Powers
Starplex, Robert J. Sawyer
The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson

1998
The Moon and the Sun, Vonda N. McIntyre
Memory, Lois McMaster Bujold
King’s Dragon, Kate Elliot
A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
Ancient Shores, Jack McDevitt
City on Fire, Walter Jon Williams
Bellwether, Connie Willis

1999
Forever Peace, Joe Haldeman
The Last Hawk, Catherine Asaro
Moonfall, Jack McDevitt
How Few Remain, Harry Turtledove
Death of the Necromancer, Martha Wells
To Say Nothing of the Dog, Connie Willis

2000
Parable of the Talents, Octavia E. Butler
The Cassini Division, Ken MacLeod
A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin
Mission Child, Maureen F. McHugh
Mockingbird, Sean Stewart
A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge

2001
Darwin’s Radio, Greg Bear
A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
Crescent City Rhapsody, Kathleen Ann Goonan
Midnight Robber, Nalo Hopkinson
Infinity Beach, Jack McDevitt
Forests of the Heart, Charles de Lint

2002
The Quantum Rose, Catherine Asaro
Eternity’s End, Jeffrey Carver
Mars Crossing, Geoffrey A. Landis
A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin
The Collapsium, Wil McCarthy
The Tower at Stony Wood, Patricia A. McKillip
Declare, Tim Powers
Passage, Connie Willis

2003
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Solitaire, Kelley Eskridge
The Other Wind, Ursula K. LeGuin
Picoverse, Robert A. Metzger
Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
Bones of the Earth, Michael Swanwick

2004
The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon
Diplomatic Immunity, Lois McMaster Bujold
The Mount, Carol Emshwiller
Light Music, Kathleen Ann Goonan
The Salt Roads, Nalo Hopkinson
Chindi, Jack McDevitt

2005
Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow
Omega, Jack McDevitt
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
Perfect Circle, Sean Stewart
The Knight, Gene Wolfe

2006
Camouflage, Joe Haldeman
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
Polaris, Jack McDevitt
Going Postal, Terry Pratchett
Air, Geoff Ryman
Orphans of Chaos, John C. Wright

2007
Seeker, Jack McDevitt
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
The Girl in the Glass, Jeffrey Ford
Farthing, Jo Walton
From the Files of the Time Rangers, Richard Bowes
To Crush the Moon, Wil McCarthy

2008
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, Michael Chabon
Odyssey, Jack McDevitt
The Accidental Time Machine, Joe Haldeman
The New Moon’s Arms, Nalo Hopkinson
Ragamuffin, Tobias S. Buckell

2009
Powers, Ursula K. LeGuin
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Cauldron, Jack McDevitt
Brasyl, Ian McDonald
Making Money, Terry Pratchett
Superpowers, David J. Schwartz

2010
The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi
The Love We Share Without Knowing, Christopher Barzak
The City & The City, China Mieville
Boneshaker, Cherie Priest
Finch, Jeff VanderMeer

2011
Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis
The Native Star, M.K. Hobson
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin
Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
Echo, Jack McDevitt
Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor

2012
Among Others, Jo Walton
Embassytown, China Mieville
Firebird, Jack McDevitt
God’s War, Kameron Hurley
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti
The Kingdom of Gods, N.K. Jemisin

2 comments:

  1. You've read The Left Hand Of Darkness. We read it together. It was required reading for that literature class at the U of A ("Asimov was a hack!"). The class was fun, and that book was excellent.

    As for The Sword Of The Lictor, you should read that, if only to clear up the mystery of the title. As far as I am aware, lictors (Roman senatorial bodyguards) were not allowed to have swords. They carried fasces (bundled rods) which could be augmented with axes outside of the proscribed boundary of the Imperial city.

    Mind you it's Gene Wolfe, so as far as language and meaning go, all bets are off. I'm sure it's very, very good, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know, I suspected that I had read The Left Hand of Darkness, but my memories were so dim that I played it safe and left it marked as unread. Thanks for reminding me, Jeff! That was a fun class.

    Many of the Nebula nominee titles are extremely evocative, The Sword of the Lictor among them. I've heard many great things about Gene Wolfe, but have yet to sample his work.

    ReplyDelete