Locus Awards 1987: Complete list of winners

The 1987 Locus Awards showcased a remarkable year for science fiction and fantasy, celebrating some of the genre’s most imaginative voices. Gene Wolfe claimed the Best Fantasy Novel trophy with Soldier of the Mist, a deliberately enigmatic work that proved the Locus Award voters were willing to honor challenging, experimental storytelling. Meanwhile, Orson Scott Card dominated the science fiction category with Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to his phenomenon Ender’s Game, demonstrating how thoroughly Card had captured readers’ hearts and imaginations. The awards also recognized fresh talent through Jack McDevitt’s debut The Hercules Text, a first contact novel that announced an exciting new voice in the field.

What made this particular year of Locus Award winners especially noteworthy was the diversity of approach on display. These weren’t predictable choices—Wolfe’s intricate prose and unreliable narrator required active engagement from readers, while Card’s philosophical science fiction traded action spectacle for intellectual depth. McDevitt’s victory for Best First Novel proved that the Locus Awards, voted on by science fiction and fantasy readers themselves, remained responsive to genuine newcomers rather than recycling established names. The recognition these three authors received from the Locus Awards in 1987 helped shape the trajectory of speculative fiction throughout the following decade.

Below are the complete winners from the 1987 Locus Awards across all categories:

Best Fantasy Novel

• Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe

Best First Novel

• The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt

Best Science Fiction Novel

• Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card