“What are the most award-winning Science Fiction & Fantasy books of 1979?” We looked at all the large SFF book awards given, aggregating and ranking the books that appeared so we could answer that very question!

A note on our grading system: We give 5 points for every nomination a book received and an additional 5 points for each win. These values are purely arbitrary, easy to add up, numbers. For more info on our super scientific grading system visit our Info page. For a full list of the awards and award winners can be found below our rankings at the bottom of the page.

Before we take a look at the top Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 1979, let’s set the scene for those awards by taking a look at what else was happening that year:

1979

Iranian Revolution. Mardi Gras canceled due to Police strike. Voyager 1 photos reveal Jupiter’s rings. Compact Discs demonstrated publicly for the first time. Egypt and Israel sign Peace Treaty. McDonald’s introduces the Happy Meal. Steven Weinberg wins Physics Nobel Prize. Mother Teresa Wins Nobel Peace Prize. Seattle SuperSonics win NBA Championship. LA city council passes city’s first homosexual rights bill. First International Election in history held between European community member states. Sony Walkman goes on sale. Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn. ESPN is launched. Iran Hostage Crisis begins. Eradication of Smallpox is certified. The one-child policy is introduced in China. Worldwide per capita oil production reaches peak. Deaths: Nelson Rockefeller, Sid Vicious, John Wayne, Zeppo Marx, etc. Other popular culture released – Alien, Apocalypse Now, The Warriors, Mad Max, Life of Brian, Kramer vs. Kramer, Being There, Manhattan, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Jerk, The Muppet Movie. Non-SFF books – If on a Winters Night a Traveler, The Neverending Story, Sophie’s Choice, The Right Stuff, Godel, Escher, Bach, etc.

And now, on to the list…

The Top Science Fiction & Fantasy Books Of 1979

24 .) A.K.A.: A Cosmic Fable by Rob Swigart

Avery K. Augenblaue, gazillionaire, leaves for outer space in his bagel shaped space ship. When he gets back all hell breaks loose

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23 .) Altered States by Paddy Chayefsky

Altered States is the ultimate horror story– the story of one young scientist’s terrifying experiment to find the origins of consciousness. Entombed in an isolation tank, fed with a powerful hallucinogenic drug, he experiences finally the supreme moment of terror that is the beginning of life

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22 .) And Having Writ… by Donald R. Bensen

Four aliens crash-land on Earth in 1908 and then journey around the planet, trying to jump-startWorld War I. Even though they fail to do this, they succeed in creating the circumstances for their ultimate departure from Earth after a period ofsuspended animation

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21 .) Kalki by Gore Vidal

Who is Kalki, and why is he planning to destroy the world — and everything in it? And if Kalki is a mystical legend, then why does his ultimate world include only a select few chosen to breed a new human race?

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20 .) Night’s Master by Tanith Lee

Rediscover Tanith Lee’s classic, most popular fantasy series,Tales from the Flat Earth, where demons and gods grant wonders and wreak havoc. Visit the Upperearth, where dwell the gods; the Underearth, the realm of nightmarish demons; the Innerearth, the domain of the dead; and the Flat Earth itself, the home of mortals. Supreme amongst them all is the demon god Azhrarn, Night’s Master, whose deadly whims could change the lives of those in the Flat Earth. Azhrarn holds in his heart a mystery which could alter the very existence of the Flat Earth forever

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19 .) On Wings of Song by Thomas M. Disch

In Disch’s dazzlingly imagined future America, Daniel Weinraub dreams of escaping the repressive midwest of the mid-twenty-first century through an electronic device with which the user takes flight into cyberspace when activated with a quasi-musical code called “The Symphonette.” Daniel’s adventures take him from Iowa’s God-fearing police state and its “correctional” labor camps for the sinful to Manhattan’s mean streets and “cyberspatial flight paths

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18 .) Starseed by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson

another dancer of genius faced the end of her career when her body failed her, and Rain McLeod followed Shara into space. If she joined with a symbiotic lifeform that would let her live without artificial protection in the vacuum of space, she would take a quantum leap in human evolution.

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17 .) Strangers by Gardner Dozois

Hundreds of years in the future, Earthmen have moved out into the galaxy of inhabited worlds, only to find that space travelers from Earth are second-class citizens or worse on most of the planets they visit. Joseph Farber, an artist, is part of an Earth colony among the alien Cian on the planet Weinunnach. He is deeply moved by the rituals of the Cian—and by the captivating Liraun, a humanoid Cian. With love between races forbidden, Faber allows himself to be genetically altered so that he and Liraun may marry and interbreed. But the couple soon discovers that the fundamental differences between their very modes of being may lead to tragedy and, perhaps, ultimate revelation

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16 .) The Avatar by Poul Anderson

In the future, humankind has taken only limited advantage of a miraculous gift left for it in the far-distant past. A beneficent and inscrutable alien race called the Others has provided “gates” that enable passage to all corners of the galaxy. But after the colonization of a single star system, a repressive government on Earth has forbidden all further explorations, seizing the returning starship Emissary and taking its crew captive along with an alien passenger the vessel encountered on its voyage

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15 .) The Black Castle by Les Daniels

The Black Castle is a fast-moving tale of battle between brothers. One is seen as evil because he is a vampire, while the other is perceived as good because he is a man of God. But the vampire only does what he has to do to survive while the churchman, an Inquisitor, inflicts pain for the power it confers upon him. Which is the greater evil? And who will win the soul (and body) of a pretty witch?

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14 .) The Far Call by Gordon R. Dickson

Jens Wylie would never leave Earth, but his heart was with the brave men and women of the first Mars Expedition, enchanted by the siren song of the stars. As U.S. Undersecretary of Space, he thought he could share some small part of that bold adventure. But as the mission progressed, Jens saw the sure signs of imminent disaster, a mission failure that could bring Earth’s Space program to a halt. He knew that he must risk his future, and maybe even his life, to keep humanity on the road to the stars-the only question was whether he had the courage to do it.

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13 .) The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clark

Renowned structural engineer Dr. Vannevar Morgan seeks to link Earth to the stars-through the construction of a space elevator connecting to an orbiting satellite 22,300 miles from the planet’s surface. The elevator would lift interstellar spaceships into orbit without the need of rockets to blast through the Earth’s atmosphere-making space travel easier and more cost-effective. Unfortunately, the only appropriate surface base for the elevator is located at the top of a mountain already occupied-by an ancient order of Buddhist monks who strongly oppose the project. Morgan must face down their opposition-as well as enormous technical, political, and economic challenges-in order to make the project successful

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12 .) The Genesis Machine by James P. Hogan

In an America becoming repressive in the face of world tensions, Brad Clifford, a young mathematical physicist, had been virtually drafted from academia to work on defense projects. But Brad’s true dedication was to bring about the unification of all fields and forces, and his theory was too wild for his superiors to take seriously. So he defied the political authorities and went AWOL to work with a fellow maverick scientist. They built the machine that his theory made possible – but the machine made all weapons impotent, and could either wreck the world or save it. And the Powers That Be wanted to control it for their own benefit

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11 .) The Persistence of Vision by John Varley

The Persistance of Vision collects nine amazing fiction stories—including the Hugo and Nebula award-winning title novella—that could only come from the mesmerizing imagination of one of science fiction’s most renowned and respected writers.

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10 .) The Sound of Midnight by Charles L. Grant

Fiery lights are seen in the the small town of Oxrun Station. A series of strange murders, a group of odd, apparently possessed children terrorizing the adults of the town, all serve to make things interesting in the Chinese sense for toy store owner Dale, and her beau Vic, who find themselves drawn into a web of ancient intrigue, pitted against powers that were old when the New World was a big, empty garden

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9 .) The Stand by Stephen King

A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity

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8 .) Ringworld by Larry Niven

A new place is being built, a world of huge dimensions, encompassing millions of miles, stronger than any planet before it. There is gravity, and with high walls and its proximity to the sun, a livable new planet that is three million times the area of the Earth can be formed. We can start again!

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7 .) The Faded Sun: Kesrith by C. J. Cherryh

This is the story of three people: Sten Duncan, a soldier of humanity; Niun, last warrior of the MRI, humanity’s enemies; and Melein, priestess-queen of the final fallen MRI stronghold. It is the story of two mighty species fighting for a galaxy, humanity driving out from Earth, and the enigmatic regul struggling to hold their stars with MRI mercenaries. It is a story of diplomacy and warfare, of conspiracy and betrayal, and of three flesh-and-blood people who found themselves thrown together in a life-and-death alliance

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6 .) The Unlimited Dream Company by J. G. Ballard

When a light aircraft crashes into the Thames at Shepperton, the young pilot who struggles to the surface minutes later seems to have come back from the dead. Within hours everything in the dormitory suburb is transformed. Vultures invade rooftops, luxuriant tropical vegetation overruns the quiet avenues, and the local inhabitants are propelled by the young man’s urgent visions through ecstatic sexual celebrations toward an apocalyptic climax. In this characteristically inventive novel Ballard displays to devastating effect the extraordinary imagination that has established him as one of the twentieth century’s most visionary writers

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5 .) Wheels Within Wheels by F. Paul Wilson

A monstrous conspiracy is brewing against the LaNague Federation and the freedoms its guarantees to its member planets—at least that’s what Old Pete says. He’s come to the offices of Interstellar Business Advisors, a firm he co-founded more than half a century before, to enlist the aid of its current CEO, Josephine Finch. Dubious at first, Jo humors the old man by promising to look into the matter

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4 .) Blind Voices by Tom Reamy

One summer day in the 1920s, Haverstock’s Traveling Curiosus and Wondershow rides into a small Midwestern town. Haverstock’s show is a presentation of mysterious wonders: feats of magic, strange creatures, and frightening powers. Three teenage girls attend the opening performance that evening which, for each, promises love and threatens death. The three girls are drawn to the show and its performers-a lusty centaur, Angel the magical albino boy, the rowdy stage hands-but frightened by the enigmatic owner, Haverstock. The girls at first try to dismiss these marvels as trickery, but it becomes all too real, too vivid to be other than nightmare reality

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3 .) The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Jaxom, a rebellious young aristocrat, and Ruth, his white dragon, fly into another time to retrieve the queen’s stolen egg, thereby averting a dragonrider war, and find their planet threatened once again by a Threadfall

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2 .) Gloriana by Michael Moorcock

A fable satirizing Spenser’s “The Fairie Queen” and reflecting the real life of Elizabeth I, tells of a woman who ascends to the throne upon the death of her debauched and corrupted father, King Hern. Gloriana’s reign brings the Empire of Albion into a Golden Age, but her oppressive responsibilities choke her, prohibiting any form of sexual satisfaction, no matter what fetish she tries. Her problem is in fact symbolic of the hypocrisy of her entire court. While her life is meant to mirror that of her nation – an image of purity, virtue, enlightenment and prosperity – the truth is that her peaceful empire is kept secure by her wicked chancellor Monfallcon and his corrupt network of spies and murderers, the most sinister of whom is Captain Quire, who is commissioned to seduce Gloriana and thus bring down Albion and the entire empire

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1 .) Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre

This is the haunting story of an extraordinary woman and her dangerous quest to reclaim her healing powers. Revered healer Snake must undertake a journey in search of the dreamsnake, whose bite eases the fear and pain of death

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The 1979 Award Nominations & Winners

(Winners Highlighted)

Nebula Award – Best Novel

Hugo Award – Best Novel

BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) – Best Novel

The World Fantasy Award – Best Novel

Prometheus Award – Best Novel

Seiun (Japanese) Award – Best Translated Novel

John W. Campbell Memorial Award – Best Science Fiction Novel

Locus Award – Best Science Fiction Novel

The Ditmar (Australian) Award – Best International Long Fiction