NEBULA WINNERS 20

1984's winners and a selection of runners-up, as voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America. The year's outstanding short fiction is undoubtedly John Varley's marvelous ""Press Enter"" (best novella), in which a brainwashed veteran and his Vietnamese computer-whiz lover fall foul of a murderously implacable computer intelligence. The other winners: Octavia Butler's fine ""Bloodchild"" (best novelette) explores the relationship between intelligent alien parasites and their human hosts; and Gardner Dozois' best short story, ""Morning Child,"" looks at some unexpected and harrowing effects of WW III. The worthy runners-up include an out-take from Frederik Pohl's strong novel, The Years of the City, and stories about: dragons (Lucius Shepard); futuristic corporate dirty tricks (William Gibson, author of the year's winning novel, Neuromancer); an alternate history where Japan wasn't A-bombed (Kim Stanley Robinson); an amusing yarn about some boring aliens (George Alec Effinger); a modern fairy tale (Gene Wolfe); dogs (Michael Bishop); and some Eichmann clones (George Zebrowski). Also on the agenda: poems from Joe Haldeman and Helen Ehrlich; Bill Warren's splendid dissection of 1984's sf films; a useful piece from Jack Dann outlining what the SFWA is and does; and, lastly, Algis Budrys' unfortunately wretched overview of 1984's novels, a grinding rehash of definitions and history that manages to avoid criticism of any sort. With one exception, then, a well-rounded and satisfying entry.