1987 in science fiction

Years in science fiction
1880s 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
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1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
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2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
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History of science fiction Timeline of science fiction
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The year 1987 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

Births and Deaths

Births

Deaths

Literary Releases

Novels

2061: Odyssey Three, by Arthur C. Clarke
Consider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams
Sphere (novel), by Michael Crichton

Short Stories

Children's books

Comics

Xenozoic Tales, aka Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, begins publication with Kitchen Sink Press

Movies

Predator, dir. by John McTiernan
RoboCop, dir. by Paul Verhoeven
The Running Man, dir. by Paul Michael Glaser
Spaceballs, dir. by Mel Brooks

Television

Video games

R-Type

Awards

Hugos

Best novel: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card^[1]
Best novella: Gilgamesh in the Outback by Robert Silverberg^[1]
Best novelette: "Permafrost" by Roger Zelazny^[1]
Best short story: "Tangents" by Greg Bear^[1]
Best related work: Trillion Year Spree by Brian W. Aldiss and David Wingrove^[1]
Best dramatic presentation: Aliens, dir. by James Cameron; screenplay by James Cameron; Story by James Cameron and David Giler & Walter Hill; Based on characters created by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett^[1]
Best professional editor: Terry Carr^[1]
Best professional artist: Jim Burns^[1]
Best semiprozine: Locus, ed. by Charles N. Brown^[1]
Best fanzine: Ansible, ed. by David Langford^[1]
Best fan writer: David Langford^[1]
Best fan artist: Brad W. Foster^[1]

Nebulas

Best novel: The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy^[2]
Best novella: The Blind Geometer by Kim Stanley Robinson^[2]
Best novelette: "Rachel in Love" by Pat Murphy^[2]
Best short story: "Forever Yours, Anna" by Kate Wilhelm^[2]

Other awards

Arthur C. Clarke Award: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
BSFA Award for Best Novel: Grainne by Keith Roberts^[3]
Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film: Robocop

Other events

45th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Brighton, United Kkingdom

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "1987 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Award. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "1987 - The Nebula Awards". The Nebula Awards. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
^ "BSFA - Past Winners". British Science Fiction Association. Retrieved 28 September 2025.