World Fantasy Awards 1978: Complete list of winners

Fritz Leiber’s Our Lady of Darkness claimed the 1978 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, cementing the legendary author’s dominance in speculative fiction. The novel stands as a masterclass in urban fantasy, weaving San Francisco’s architecture and history into a chilling supernatural narrative that feels both intimate and apocalyptic. Leiber’s win that year reflected the World Fantasy Awards’ commitment to recognizing literary excellence within the genre—a balance the award has maintained since its inception in 1975.

Ramsey Campbell secured the Best Short Fiction award for his unsettling tale “The Chimney,” demonstrating the horror renaissance that was gaining momentum in the late 1970s. Campbell’s meticulous prose style and psychological depth made him one of the period’s most respected voices, and this recognition highlighted how the World Fantasy Awards celebrated not just imaginative scope, but the craft of storytelling itself. Together, Leiber and Campbell’s 1978 victories captured a moment when fantasy and horror were increasingly recognized as vehicles for serious literary exploration.

The winners from this year’s World Fantasy Awards showcase the range of excellence the organization celebrates:

Best Novel

• Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber

Best Short Fiction

• “The Chimney” by Ramsey Campbell