Living Canon

Locus Awards 1999: Complete list of winners

The 1999 Locus Awards showcased a particularly vibrant moment in science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with winners that would prove enduringly influential in their respective genres. George R. R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings took home the fantasy trophy, continuing the momentum of his epic series that was already captivating devoted readers, while Stephen King’s Bag of Bones dominated the horror category with its characteristic blend of supernatural dread and character-driven storytelling. What made this year especially notable was the recognition of emerging voices alongside established masters—Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring, which won Best First Novel, marked an important moment for greater diversity in speculative fiction publishing, blending Caribbean folklore with dystopian science fiction in genuinely fresh ways.

The science fiction category proved that humor and intellectual rigor need not be strangers, with Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog claiming the top spot. This time-travel romp, which playfully referenced Jerome K. Jerome’s classic Victorian novel, represented a particular strength of 1990s sci-fi: the genre’s ability to balance genuine innovation with pure entertainment. The Locus Awards themselves have long served as a reader-voted barometer of the genre, often catching earlier what will become the consensus favorites, and the 1999 winners certainly bore that out. Below is the complete list of this year’s notable winners.

Best Fantasy Novel

Best First Novel

Best Horror Novel

Best Science Fiction Novel