What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best Science Fiction of the Year 7
Contents
Introduction (The Best Science Fiction of the Year #7) • essay by Terry Carr
Lollipop and the Tar Baby • (1977) • novelette by John Varley
Stardance • (1977) • novella by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson
The House of Compassionate Sharers • (1977) • novelette by Michael Bishop
The Screwfly Solution • (1977) • novelette by Raccoona Sheldon
Aztecs • (1977) • novella by Vonda N. McIntyre
Tropic of Eden • (1977) • shortstory by Lee Killough
Victor • (1977) • shortstory by Bruce McAllister
The Family Monkey • (1977) • novella by Lisa Tuttle
A Rite of Spring • (1977) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
Recommended Reading - 1977 • essay by Terry Carr
The Science-Fiction Year (1977) • essay by Charles N. Brown
Introduction (The Best Science Fiction of the Year #7) • essay by Terry Carr
Lollipop and the Tar Baby • (1977) • novelette by John Varley
Stardance • (1977) • novella by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson
The House of Compassionate Sharers • (1977) • novelette by Michael Bishop
The Screwfly Solution • (1977) • novelette by Raccoona Sheldon
Aztecs • (1977) • novella by Vonda N. McIntyre
Tropic of Eden • (1977) • shortstory by Lee Killough
Victor • (1977) • shortstory by Bruce McAllister
The Family Monkey • (1977) • novella by Lisa Tuttle
A Rite of Spring • (1977) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
Recommended Reading - 1977 • essay by Terry Carr
The Science-Fiction Year (1977) • essay by Charles N. Brown
365 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
59 people want to read
About the author
Terry Carr
219 books31 followersCarr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley from 1954 to 1959.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
Carr discovered science fiction fandom in 1949, where he became an enthusiastic publisher of fanzines, which later helped open his way into the commercial publishing world. (He was one of the two fans responsible for the hoax fan 'Carl Brandon' after whom the Carl Brandon Society takes its name.) Despite a long career as a science fiction professional, he continued to participate as a fan until his death. He was nominated five times for Hugos for Best Fanzine (1959–1961, 1967–1968), winning in 1959, was nominated three times for Best Fan Writer (1971–1973), winning in 1973, and was Fan Guest of Honor at ConFederation in 1986.
Though he published some fiction in the early 1960s, Carr concentrated on editing. He first worked at Ace Books, establishing the Ace Science Fiction Specials series which published, among other novels, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin and Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.
After conflicts with Ace head Donald A. Wollheim, he worked as a freelancer. He edited an original story anthology series called Universe, and a popular series of The Best Science Fiction of the Year anthologies that ran from 1972 until his death in 1987. He also edited numerous one-off anthologies over the same time span. He was nominated for the Hugo for Best Editor thirteen times (1973–1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1987), winning twice (1985 and 1987). His win in 1985 was the first time a freelance editor had won.
Carr taught at the Clarion Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978, where his students included Richard Kadrey and Pat Murphy.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 22, 2016
Pfft. I'm so tired of novelettes and novellas. Wanderings and musings and sometimes even adventures, neither as fleshed out as a novel nor as pointed as a story. I'm also tired of SF from the 70s. The most memorable piece in here had all males going mad and killing all females, thinking that would please God... well, it certainly doesn't please me to think they were so ready to believe the teachings... and the climax, well, let's just say a competent writer could have gotten to that point in a short-short piece.
June 23, 2021
This is the 1978 edition of Carr's long-running anthology series in which he picked what he believed to be the best short science fiction that had appeared in the previous calendar year. It's not one of the stronger volumes. He presents pretty good stories from John Varley, Spider & Jeanne Robinson, Michael Bishop, Lisa Tuttle, and Fritz Leiber, but I thought there were several much better stories that he neglected that year. My favorites were Aztecs by Vonda N. McIntyre and The Screwfly Solution by Raccoona Sheldon (aka James Tiptree, Jr., aka Alice Sheldon).
November 7, 2020
Very much a mixed bag, as most of these collections tend to be. The best and most moving of the bunch were "The Screwfly Solution: and "Aztecs," but even those weren't what they could be. Some of the others were just truly awful. Probably give this collection a miss unless you're really a rabid 70s scifi fan.
May 3, 2020
Het gebeurt niet gauw: een heel boek vol min of meer korte sci-fi verhalen van grotendeels toch wel beroemde schrijvers en geen enkel, maar dan ook geen enkel dat ik de moeite waard vond. Vandaag dat het me ook 2 maanden gekost heeft om tot op het einde te geraken.
Het is de worsteling niet waard.
Het is de worsteling niet waard.
January 19, 2018
A favorite collection from my childhood, especially the Racoona Shelton and Lisa Tuttle entries.
May 5, 2025
9 stories from 1977:
*** Lollipop and the Tar Baby • John Varley
*** Stardance • Spider and Jeanne Robinson
* The House of Compassionate Sharers • Michael Bishop
***** The Screwfly Solution • Raccoona Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.)
**** Aztecs • Vonda N. McIntyre
**** Tropic of Eden • Lee Killough
** Victor • Bruce McAllister
**** The Family Monkey • Lisa Tuttle
*** A Rite of Spring • Fritz Leiber
*** Lollipop and the Tar Baby • John Varley
*** Stardance • Spider and Jeanne Robinson
* The House of Compassionate Sharers • Michael Bishop
***** The Screwfly Solution • Raccoona Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.)
**** Aztecs • Vonda N. McIntyre
**** Tropic of Eden • Lee Killough
** Victor • Bruce McAllister
**** The Family Monkey • Lisa Tuttle
*** A Rite of Spring • Fritz Leiber
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews