Nebula Finalists 1984

[James Nicoll]

This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!

Note: if you've read Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction, First
Annual Collection, you've read a lot of the shorter pieces.

Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

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

All but the Vance. I own the roleplaying game, though. I own a lot of
RPGs based on various Vance settings.

Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

Hardfought by Greg Bear
Eszterhazy and the Autogondola-Invention by Avram Davidson
Her Habiline Husband by Michael Bishop
Homefaring by Robert Silverberg
The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis (or, the Astrogator's
Testimony) by Michael Bishop
Transit by Vonda N. McIntyre

The Bear, the Bishop (as part of a fix-up), the Silverberg, and
the McIntytre (also as part of a fix-up).

Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

Blood Music by Greg Bear
Black Air by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blind Shemmy by Jack Dann
Cicada Queen by Bruce Sterling
Slow Birds by Ian Watson
The Monkey Treatment by George R. R. Martin
The Sidon in the Mirror by Connie Willis

All of them and not just because of Dozois.

Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

The Peacemaker by Gardner Dozois
Cryptic by Jack McDevitt
Ghost Town by Chad Oliver
Her Furry Face by Leigh Kennedy
The Geometry of Narrative by Hilbert Schenck
Wong's Lost and Found Emporium by William F. Wu

The Dozois, the McDevitt, and the Kennedy.

[James Nicoll]

While poking through ISFDB entries for these stories, I discovered there
were _two_ volumes of Ace's The Endless Frontier anthology series I
never saw. I blame bimetallism.

[Robert Woodward]

Post by James Nicoll
While poking through ISFDB entries for these stories, I discovered there
were _two_ volumes of Ace's The Endless Frontier anthology series I
never saw. I blame bimetallism.

I have just discovered that I don't have the 3rd volume (but do have the
4th). I blame the closing of my favorite bookstore in 1990.

[Robert Woodward]

Post by James Nicoll
This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!
Note: if you've read Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction, First
Annual Collection, you've read a lot of the shorter pieces.
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
Startide Rising by David Brin
Against Infinity by Gregory Benford
Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad
All but the Vance. I own the roleplaying game, though. I own a lot of
RPGs based on various Vance settings.

I have read the Vance, plus the Brin, MacAvoy, and the Wolfe

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?
Hardfought by Greg Bear
Eszterhazy and the Autogondola-Invention by Avram Davidson
Her Habiline Husband by Michael Bishop
Homefaring by Robert Silverberg
The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis (or, the Astrogator's
Testimony) by Michael Bishop
Transit by Vonda N. McIntyre
The Bear, the Bishop (as part of a fix-up), the Silverberg, and
the McIntytre (also as part of a fix-up).

Definitely the Davidson, don't recognize the others.

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Black Air by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blind Shemmy by Jack Dann
Cicada Queen by Bruce Sterling
Slow Birds by Ian Watson
The Monkey Treatment by George R. R. Martin
The Sidon in the Mirror by Connie Willis
All of them and not just because of Dozois.

I think I have read the Bear, don't believe I have read the others.

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
The Peacemaker by Gardner Dozois
Cryptic by Jack McDevitt
Ghost Town by Chad Oliver
Her Furry Face by Leigh Kennedy
The Geometry of Narrative by Hilbert Schenck
Wong's Lost and Found Emporium by William F. Wu
The Dozois, the McDevitt, and the Kennedy.

I don't remember reading the Oliver, but I should have.

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by James Nicoll
This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!
Note: if you've read Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction, First
Annual Collection, you've read a lot of the shorter pieces.
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
Startide Rising by David Brin
Against Infinity by Gregory Benford
Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad

Brin, Vance, MacAvoy, Wolfe

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?
Hardfought by Greg Bear
Eszterhazy and the Autogondola-Invention by Avram Davidson
Her Habiline Husband by Michael Bishop
Homefaring by Robert Silverberg
The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis (or, the Astrogator's
Testimony) by Michael Bishop
Transit by Vonda N. McIntyre

None

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Black Air by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blind Shemmy by Jack Dann
Cicada Queen by Bruce Sterling
Slow Birds by Ian Watson
The Monkey Treatment by George R. R. Martin
The Sidon in the Mirror by Connie Willis

Bear and Watson

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
The Peacemaker by Gardner Dozois
Cryptic by Jack McDevitt
Ghost Town by Chad Oliver
Her Furry Face by Leigh Kennedy
The Geometry of Narrative by Hilbert Schenck
Wong's Lost and Found Emporium by William F. Wu

Kennedy and Wu

pt

[Michael F. Stemper]

Post by James Nicoll
This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
Startide Rising by David Brin
Against Infinity by Gregory Benford
Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad

Brin, Wolfe, and Spinrad. I've reread the Brin several times, along
with the other two Uplift books. I found the long/short/borrowed/blue
sun stuff impenetrable, and remember nothing about the Spinrad.

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Black Air by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blind Shemmy by Jack Dann
Cicada Queen by Bruce Sterling
Slow Birds by Ian Watson
The Monkey Treatment by George R. R. Martin
The Sidon in the Mirror by Connie Willis

The Bear

[James Nicoll]

Post by Michael F. Stemper

Post by James Nicoll
This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
Startide Rising by David Brin
Against Infinity by Gregory Benford
Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad

Brin, Wolfe, and Spinrad. I've reread the Brin several times, along
with the other two Uplift books. I found the long/short/borrowed/blue
sun stuff impenetrable, and remember nothing about the Spinrad.

It was one of two books set in a distant future. Lead is a space
caption of a space ship powered by a woman's space orgasms. In Space.

There was some ambitious slang. And sex. In Space.

I have a faint memory this did not sell well but I may be thinking
of the other book in the sequence, Child of Fortune, about which
all I remember is liking it at the time. Also, "did not sell well"
is not a review, except of sales, because many factors can tank
a book and only a few are due to the book itself.

[Chris Buckley]

Post by James Nicoll
This week in Which Nebula Finalists Have You Read?: 1984! The year in
which Brian Mulroney won a 211-seat majority, the Americans presumably
held some sort of federal election, and the UK was organizing funds for
overseas famine relief rather than doing their best to ensure famines
at home!
Note: if you've read Dozois's The Year's Best Science Fiction, First
Annual Collection, you've read a lot of the shorter pieces.
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
Startide Rising by David Brin
Against Infinity by Gregory Benford
Lyonesse: Suldrun's Garden by Jack Vance
Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
The Void Captain's Tale by Norman Spinrad
All but the Vance. I own the roleplaying game, though. I own a lot of
RPGs based on various Vance settings.

Also all but the Vance. I read _Lyonesse_, but that was the last
Vance I read. I've read an amazing number of Vance novels (20+) for
not particularly liking his longer work! Competent novels but nothing
better than good.

The Brin is a strong Favorite, the Wolfe is a favorite and MacAvoy is
a borderline Favorite. I'll probably drop it from Favorites if I ever
clean out my Favorite Bookcase again (no longer done since all the
new entries are ebooks and don't take up any space). The MacAvoy was
a nice combination of characters and computer technology at the time
but hasn't lasted as well as the other early works like _True Names_
or _Neuromancer_.

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?
Hardfought by Greg Bear
Eszterhazy and the Autogondola-Invention by Avram Davidson
Her Habiline Husband by Michael Bishop
Homefaring by Robert Silverberg
The Gospel According to Gamaliel Crucis (or, the Astrogator's
Testimony) by Michael Bishop
Transit by Vonda N. McIntyre
The Bear, the Bishop (as part of a fix-up), the Silverberg, and
the McIntytre (also as part of a fix-up).

None.

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Black Air by Kim Stanley Robinson
Blind Shemmy by Jack Dann
Cicada Queen by Bruce Sterling
Slow Birds by Ian Watson
The Monkey Treatment by George R. R. Martin
The Sidon in the Mirror by Connie Willis
All of them and not just because of Dozois.

Just the novel form of the Bear (very good for the time).

Post by James Nicoll
Which 1984 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
The Peacemaker by Gardner Dozois
Cryptic by Jack McDevitt
Ghost Town by Chad Oliver
Her Furry Face by Leigh Kennedy
The Geometry of Narrative by Hilbert Schenck
Wong's Lost and Found Emporium by William F. Wu
The Dozois, the McDevitt, and the Kennedy.

None

Chris