1953 winner:   The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester.
In the future, murderers are not executed or imprisoned. Instead, they undergo a personality demolition and reconstruction. Interplanetary tycoon Ben Reich, subconsciously driven to murder his father, tries to escape this fate and is pursued over a futuristic wasteland by a telepathic policeman. At the same time, Reich is haunted by dreams of a man with no face, the symbol of his evil deed. Some strong language. RC 37844.

1956 winner:   Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein.
Down-and-out unemployed actor Lorenzo Smythe is in a bar drinking away his troubles in the year 2100. A space pilot buys him a drink, and the next thing Smythe knows, he is shanghaied to Mars for the most important and dangerous role of his career. RC 13118.

1960 winner:   Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.
Thousands of years in the future, a young man joins mobile infantry and fights in an interplanetary war against insect-like aliens. RC 17818.

1961 winner:   A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
In this futuristic novel set in a monastery after the destruction of the present civilization, the theme is the church's role as preserver of wisdom and spiritual life. RC 32968, BR 8614.

1962 winner:   Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.
Valentine Michael Smith was born on Mars, so he understands the strange ways and superhuman abilities of the Mars population. A young nurse kidnaps him from a hospital after his arrival on Earth and ensures that he is protected from exploitation by scientists and politicians. RC 55938, BR 13700.

1963 winner:   The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.
The German author portrays an alternate history in which the Axis powers have won World War II and jointly occupy the United States. Some strong language. RC 38995, BR 9889.

1964 winner:   Way Station by Clifford D. Simak.
As keeper of Earth’s only galactic transfer station, 124-year-old civil war veteran Enoch Wallace has been attending to visitors and facilitating interstellar communication for over a century. When his charts indicate Earth’s impending destruction, his alien friends offer a solution that seems worse than the disaster itself. RC 58565, BR 15514.
 
1965 winner:   Wanderer by Fritz Leiber.
The action of this novel is described from the points of view of a number of characters. The Wanderer, a strange purple and gold planet, pulls into the Earth's orbit causing catastrophic changes in its surface. After breaking up the Moon and using it for fuel, the Wanderer speeds away, pursued by the spaceship Baba Yaga. Some strong language. RC 32930, BR 8641.

1966 winner:   Dune by Frank Herbert.
In this science fiction novel with sociological and religious overtones, an exile with psychic powers becomes the prophet of the savage people on the planet Dune. Dune series, book 1. RC 44126.

1967 winner:   The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein.
Luna is a twenty-first century penal colony, but because no one can stand Earth gravity after being on the moon for a few weeks, all who are sent must stay. When the liberated people rise against the authority, they receive unexpected help from a computer with a personality. RC 25524.

1968 winner:   Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.
Long after the death of the Earth, a band of men on a colony planet gain technological control and grant themselves immortality and god-like powers. RC 7827.

1969 winner:   Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner.
Manhattan, 2010. Roommates Norman House and Donald Hogan must find their way in an overpopulated world of megabrain computers, mass-market psychedelics, and eugenics. One is a junior vice president, the other a mild-mannered student and programmed assassin. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. RC 60870.

1970 winner:   The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin.
Confused and afraid, a lone human becomes the pawn in an intrigue on Gethen, a planet inhabited by creatures that have the potential to be either male or female. RC 43166, BR 12827.

1971 winner:   Ringworld by Larry Niven.
A motley band of humans and aliens is sent to unlock the mysteries of a vast, ring-shaped world built around a distant sun by a defunct civilization. Ringworld series, book 1. RC 17418.

1972 winner:   To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer.
People from all centuries and countries are reborn on the banks of a river millions of miles long. The nineteenth century adventurer, Sir Richard Burton, leads a group of historical figures in a search to explain their baffling new existence. Riverworld series, book 1. RC 23296, BR 6390.

1973 winner:   The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov.
In the twenty-first century, Frederick Hallam discovers the electron pump which delivers a ceaseless flow of energy from another universe. It soon becomes evident that this is a one way ticket to cosmic disaster. RC 10913, BR 1860.

1974 winner:   Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
Rama is the name given to the massive object that passes through the solar system in the twenty-second century. Explorers discover that Rama is not an asteroid or a dead relic, but is instead a 31 mile long alien spaceship that is undergoing amazing changes as it approaches the sun.  Rama series, book 1. RC 34890.

1975 winner:   The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. LeGuin.
A brilliant, but naive physicist attempts to open interplanetary relations between two disparate societies, but neither shares his idealism. RC 8140.

1976 winner:   Forever War by Joe Haldeman.
William Mandella is drafted after college to fight a war in outer space. In space, William only ages months, while Earthlings age by decades. He finds civilization completely changed each time he returns from bloody combat. After 1,143 years, the war's end brings him home. Some strong language. Forever series, book 1. RC 48659.

1977 winner:   Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm.
A novel about the venerable Sumner family of the Shenandoah Valley, who manage to withstand the war and pestilence that destroy the rest of the Earth. Doomed by sterility, they turn to cloning to preserve their species. RC 35968.

1978 winner:   Gateway by Frederik Pohl.
Wealthy prospector Robinette Broadhead wins a one-way trip to Gateway, an abandoned interstellar depot of the vanished Heechee race. Unsettled by the experience and with the help of his computerized psychoanalyst, Broadhead begins a personal journey that could lead to his destruction. Strong language.  Heechee saga, book 1. RC 59083, BR 15605.

1979 winner:   Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre.
Snake, sent on her first mission from the colony of healers where she had been raised, loses her "dreamsnake," a telepathic creature of alien origin which soothes patients and makes healing possible. She is pursued in her travels by Arevin, a young man who has loved her since he witnessed her heal a dying child. RC 12246.

1980 winner:   Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke.
A novel that brings together the past and future, revealing the aspirations of two dreamers. One man is a tyrannical second century prince, and the other is an engineer of the twenty-second century. The story is told from the point of view of the engineer Vannevar Morgan, who seeks to build a "space elevator" from the earth's equator out into space. RC 12962.

1981 winner:   The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge.
Arienrhod, the ancient but beautiful Winter Queen of the planet Tiamant, creates a secret clone of herself. She seeks to ensure her survival through the harsh 150 year summer when the technologically advanced offworlders will abandon the planet, letting her artificially maintained life come to an end. RC 45269.

1982 winner:   Down below Station by C.J. Cherryh.
When probes from Sol Station are sent out by Earth Company, they find many stars on their journey. But Pell's Star is the first to prove livable. Over the years, as more star colonies are established, Pell becomes a liability for Earth Company, and it is now the focus of conflict among Earth's colonies. Pell wants to remain a neutral star, but must resist or succumb to Earth Company's struggle to regain its lost empire. RC 33814, BR 8797.

1983 winner:   Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov.
The first foundation, located on the planet Terminus, continues to implement the Seldon Plan for restoration of the galactic empire. However, Councilman Golan Trevize notices that the plan is working too smoothly, and he suspects an unknown group of mind controllers to be at work for mysterious purposes. Foundation series, Book 6. RC 18682.

1984 winner:   Startide Rising by David Brin.
Armadas of alien races clash in space to claim a terrain exploration vessel manned by a crew of humans and dolphins and bearing one of the most important secrets in galactic history. New Uplift series, book 1. RC 23715.

1985 winner:   Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Chase, a twenty-first century computer interfacer, is caught stealing and receives nerve damage as punishment. Japan's medical minds cannot repair the injury. Drug addicted and penniless, Chase loses hope until he is kidnapped by strangers who promise to cure him if he uses his expertise for their dangerous project. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. Cyberspace Universe series, book 1.  RC 34589, BR 9062.

1986 winner:   Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
While Earth is engaged in an interstellar war against insectoid aliens, six-year-old Ender Wiggin is chosen to be trained as the military genius who will carry his people to victory. Along with his brother Peter and sister Valentine, he not only brings the conflict to an end, but also affects the evolution of human society. Ender Wiggin series, book 1. Strong language. RC 22934.

1987 winner:   Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.
Portuguese colonists on the planet Lusitania discover a species of intelligent life whose puzzling, brutal customs threaten to trigger a second war. Ender Wiggin, hero and scapegoat in the last war, seeks a chance to redeem his own and humanity's greatest crime, the failure to understand.  Ender Wiggin series, book 2. RC 24421.

1988 winner:   Uplift War by David Brin.
The threat of intergalactic warfare arises when a brutal alien race invades the planet Garth, where human beings and sapient chimps are working to restore the dying planet. RC 27254.

1989 winner:   Cyteen by C.J. Cherryh.
A science fiction novel of political intrigue that tackles a variety of social and ethical issues. The brilliant and ruthless scientist Ariane Emory, whose laboratories have developed a process of rejuvenating and replicating people, is the real power on the planet Cyteen. When she is murdered, her relatives have her replicated in what, they hope, is a less volatile form. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. RC 29083.

1990 winner:   Hyperion by Dan Simmons.
On Hyperion, home of the Hegemony, also dwells the Shrike, a creature who lives in the Valley of the Time Tombs. Seven people who have suffered at the hands of the Shrike go to Hyperion to confront the beast and to uncover the Time Tombs' secrets. But a battle brews on Hyperion, between the Hegemony and their enemy, the Ousters. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Hyperion series, Book 1. RC 33583, BR 8683.

1991 winner:   Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Miles Vorkosigan, son of Lord Vorkosigan of the planet Barrayar, has not lost his knack for getting into trouble and embarrassing his family. Nevertheless, despite his physical disabilities, he graduates from the Imperial Academy, hoping for space duty. He is assigned to an arctic weather station instead. Even here he finds trouble, and he is reassigned across the galaxy for more unexpected adventures. Miles Vorkosigan series, book 5. BR 10544.

1992 winner:   Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Cordelia Naismith, former commander with the Beta Expeditionary Force, is now the wife of Lord Aral Vorkosigan of the planet Barrayar. When her husband becomes a regent, her quiet life as a devoted wife and expectant mother is threatened by a bloody civil war, which turns out to be a conflict with far reaching effects on her adopted world and on the life of her unborn son. Miles Vorkosigan series, book 3. BR 9534.

1993 winner:   A Fire upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
Space is divided into zones of intelligence from the Unthinking Depths to the Slow Zone, where Earth resides, to the Beyond, and finally, to the Transcend, where the inhabitants are intelligent but survive for only a brief time. When a colony within the Beyond releases a predator, known as the Blight, all zones are endangered. One ship escapes to the Unthinking Depths, but when it lands, the only survivors are two children. Violence and strong language. RC 35758.

1993 winner:   Doomsday Book by Connie Willis.
Kivrin, a young, twenty-first century history student, travels back in time on assignment to fourteenth century Oxford. But something goes wrong, and she is stranded in the Middle Ages at the outbreak of the bubonic plague. As her modern mentor struggles to rescue her, Kivrin must come to terms with life and death in an age of superstition, fear, and suffering. RC 36888.

1994 winner:    Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
At the beginning of the twenty-second century, the face of Mars is changing as efforts to terraform make the planet more livable for human colonizers. But the people of Mars are a diverse and passionate lot ranging from the radical, environmental Reds to recent emigrants from Earth, all of whom must manage to put aside their differences to attain planetary independence. Mars series, book 2. Some strong language. RC 42050.

1995:   Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Miles Vorkosigan discovers that his clone brother and rival, Mark, has impersonated Admiral Naismith and led a raid on planet Jackson's Whole. When the mission goes awry, Miles is killed and put in cryogenic suspension. Mark revives his brother's body, then falls victim to an old foe.  Miles Vorkosigan series, book 10. BR 10665.

1996 winner:   Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.
Mid-twenty-first century Shanghai is home to myriad social tribes, including a neo-Victorian upper class that maintains its power through information technology. When young Nell gets a stolen educational computer, she is introduced to a magical realm and goes on a quest that will have far-reaching effects on her own life and the future of her world. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. RC 41956.

1997 winner:   Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
The red planet has become green with seas and settlements, while the Earth is in peril. Settlers on Mars are drawn into a fierce struggle between the Reds, who want to preserve Mars as desert, and the Green terraformers, who want to cultivate it. The battle plunges Mars into an ice age and threatens the Earth's future. Mars series, book 3. RC 43603.

1998 winner:   Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman.
It is 2043 and the Ngumi War has been going on for over eight years when burned-out "soldierboy" Julian Class and his older lover, Dr. Amelia Harding, make a scientific discovery that could set the universe back to square one. Forever series, book 2. Violence, some descriptions of sex, and some strong language. RC 50404.

1999 winner:   To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.
In 2057, Lady Schrapnell endows a time travel project in return for help in rebuilding Coventry Cathedral. The only object she needs for the newly restored building is the bishop's bird stump. Ned Henry is sent back to 1940 to retrieve it before the church burns, but he arrives a few hours too late. This is just the beginning of his problems. RC 47301.

2000 winner:   A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.
Thirty thousand years before the events in A Fire upon the Deep (RC 35758), the human starfleets Qeng Ho and Emergents head toward the planet Arachna to await the dormant Spider's awakening. While Qeng Ho's intentions are good, those of Emergents are sinister. Some violence and some strong language. RC 50698.

2001 winner:   Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
Now fourteen, the student wizard is eager to leave the Dursleys and join his friends Hermione and Ron for the Quidditch World Cup before beginning his fourth year at Hogwarts. When he gets to Hogwarts, Harry is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships, and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.  Harry Potter series, book 4. RC 50228, BR 12764.

2002 winner:   American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
On his way to his wife's funeral, ex-convict Shadow meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who has an uncanny knowledge of Shadow's life. Accepting Wednesday's job offer throws Shadow into a supernatural world where ancient gods abound. Explicit descriptions of sex, violence, and strong language.  RC 52917.

2004 winner:   Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Free of the madness imprisoning her, widowed dowager Royina Ista of Chalion undertakes a pilgrimage of atonement. Accompanied by loyal followers, Ista contends with gods, demons, and soldier bandits until she is rescued by the hero of her visions. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. Curse of Chalion series, book 2. RC 57356.

2005 winner:   Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
In the early 1800s, with England embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars, Norrell reveals his skills as a practicing magician. Novice Jonathan Strange becomes Norrell's pupil and takes up England's cause on the battlefield. As Strange's powers grow, so does his obsession with the ancient, magical Raven King. RC 58885.