The Starry Rift (Tiptree book)

The Starry Rift
	First edition cover
Author	James Tiptree, Jr
Cover artist	Dave Archer
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Published	1986 by Tor Books
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages	250 pp
Awards	1986 Locus Magazine Poll Award for Best Novella; 1986 SF Chronicle Award for Best Novella
ISBN	978-0-3129-3744-7
OCLC	13715581
Dewey Decimal	813.54
LC Class	PS3570.I66

Last updated January 19, 2026

The Starry Rift is a linked science fiction short story collection by James Tiptree, Jr first published in 1986 by Tor Books.^[1] It takes place in the same universe as several other works by Tiptree, most notably her 1985 novel Brightness Falls from the Air .^[2]

"In the Great Central Library of Deneb University"
"The Only Neat Thing to Do" (Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, October 1985)
- This novella has been widely referenced in Japanese pop culture, such as song titles and the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion , The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya , & Zoku Owarimonogatari .
"Good Night, Sweethearts" (Originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March 1986)
"Collision" (Originally published in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, May 1986)

Awards

Though the collection itself did not garner any awards, the short story "The Only Neat Thing to Do" received several honors and nominations.^[4]

1986 Nebula Award for Best Novella — Nominated
1986 SF Chronicle Award for Best Novella — Won
1986 Hugo Award for Best Novella — Nominated
1986 Locus Magazine Poll Award for Best Novella — First Place

References

↑ James Tiptree, Jr (1956). The Starry Rift . TOR. ISBN 978-0312937447 . Retrieved June 11, 2013.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
↑ James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon) (1985). Brightness Falls From the Air. TOR. ISBN 978-0312854072.
↑ The Starry Rift , Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) listing, Retrieved June 11, 2013
↑ "The Only Neat Thing to Do" ISFDB. Retrieved June 11, 2013

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[Starry_Rift-1] James Tiptree, Jr (1956). The Starry Rift . TOR. ISBN 978-0312937447 . Retrieved June 11, 2013.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[Brightness_Falls-2] James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon) (1985). Brightness Falls From the Air. TOR. ISBN 978-0312854072.

[3] The Starry Rift , Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) listing, Retrieved June 11, 2013

[4] "The Only Neat Thing to Do" ISFDB. Retrieved June 11, 2013

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v t e Locus Award for Best Novella
1970	The Gold at the Starbow's End by Frederik Pohl (1973) The Death of Doctor Island by Gene Wolfe (1974) Born with the Dead by Robert Silverberg (1975) The Storms of Windhaven by Lisa Tuttle and George R.R. Martin (1976) The Samurai and the Willows by Michael Bishop (1977) Stardance by Spider Robinson and Jeanne Robinson (1978) The Persistence of Vision by John Varley (1979)
1980s	Enemy Mine by Barry B. Longyear (1980) Nightflyers by George R. R. Martin (1981) Blue Champagne by John Varley (1982) Souls by Joanna Russ (1983) Her Habilene Husband by Michael Bishop (1984) Press Enter by John Varley (1985) The Only Neat Thing To Do by James Tiptree Jr. (1986) R&R by Lucius Shepard (1987) The Secret Sharer by Robert Silverberg (1988) The Scalehunter's Beautiful Daughter by Lucius Shepard (1989)
1990s	The Father of Stones by Lucius Shepard (1990) A Short, Sharp Shock by Kim Stanley Robinson (1991) The Gallery of His Dreams by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (1992) Barnacle Bill the Spacer by Lucius Shepard (1993) Mefisto in Onyx by Harlan Ellison (1994) Forgiveness Day by Ursula K. Le Guin (1995) Remake by Connie Willis (1996) Bellwether by Connie Willis (1997) Where Angels Fear to Tread by Allen Steele (1998) Oceanic by Greg Egan (1999)
2000s	Orphans of the Helix by Dan Simmons (2000) Radiant Green Star by Lucius Shepard (2001) The Finder by Ursula K. Le Guin (2002) The Tain by China Miéville (2003) The Cookie Monster by Vernor Vinge (2004) Golden City Far by Gene Wolfe (2005) Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link (2006) Missile Gap by Charles Stross (2007) After the Siege by Cory Doctorow (2008) Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2009)
2010s	The Women of Neill Gwynne's by Kage Baker (2010) The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang (2011) Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente (2012) After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall by Nancy Kress (2013) Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente (2014) Yesterday's Kin by Nancy Kress (2015) Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds (2016) Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (2017) All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2018) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (2019)
2020s	This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar (2020) Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark (2021) Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (2022) A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers (2023) Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (2024)
Best Novel (1971–1981) Best SF Novel (1980–present) Best Fantasy Novel (1978–present) Best First Novel (1981–present) Best Horror Novel (1989–1997, 1999, 2017–present) Best Young Adult Book (2003–present) Best Novella (1973–present) Best Novelette (1975–present) Best Short Story (1971–present)

The Starry Rift (Tiptree book)

Contents

Contents

Awards

References