1954 in science fiction

The year 1954 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

Births

 * Iain M. Banks (d. 2013)
 * Marek Baraniecki
 * Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
 * Paul Di Filippo
 * Colin Greenland
 * Marek Huberath
 * Kazuo Ishiguro
 * Michael P. Kube-McDowell
 * Shariann Lewitt
 * James D. Macdonald
 * Ken MacLeod
 * Victor Milán (d. 2018)
 * John J. Miller (d. 2022)
 * Melanie Rawn
 * Joel Rosenberg (d. 2011)
 * Richard Paul Russo
 * Bruce Sterling
 * Marc Stiegler
 * J. Michael Straczynski
 * Mark W. Tiedemann
 * James Van Pelt
 * Lawrence Watt-Evans
 * David Wingrove

Deaths

 * Alexander Abasheli (b. 1884)
 * Alpheus Hyatt Verrill (b. 1871)

Literary releases

 * Donald Tuck publishes Handbook of Science Fiction and Fantasy, which is still used as a reference resource for scholars of science fiction.

Serialized novels

 * Martians, Go Home by Fredric Brown, Astounding Science Fiction (September), published in book form is 1955.
 * Question and Answer, Astounding Science Fiction (June–July), later reprinted in 1956 as part of Ace Double D-199 under the title Planet of No Return, and again as a stand-alone Ace novel in February 1978 under the original title.
 * They'd Rather Be Right by Mark Clifton and Frank Riley, Astounding Science Fiction (August–November), published in book form in 1957.

First editions

 * Brain Wave by Poul Anderson, Earth's inhabitants become super-intelligent when the planet leaves a restrictive energy field.
 * The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov, a detective and a robot partner solve a murder in a futuristic city.
 * The Forgotten Planet by Murray Leinster, survivors adapt to a planet overrun by giant insects and plants.
 * G.O.G. 666 by John Taine, Russian genetics experiments result in a being that is half ape, half brain.
 * I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, the last human battles vampires in a post-apocalyptic world.
 * A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn, follows a child prodigy protected by a Martian guardian from rival factions influencing human civilization.
 * Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement, a human and an alien collaborate on a high-gravity planet to recover a lost probe.
 * Operation: Outer Space by Murray Leinster, the first interstellar flight is financed by making it into a television show.
 * Search the Sky by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, a secret ship explores and reconnects declining interstellar colonies to prevent societal decay.
 * The Stars Are Ours! by Andre Norton, survivors of an oppressive regime escape Earth to settle on a new planet.
 * Starship Through Space by Lee Correy, tells the story of the building of the first starship and of its flight to Alpha Centauri.
 * Three Thousand Years by Thomas Calvert McClary, scientists attempt to build a utopia after the earth has been placed in suspended animation for 3,000 years.

Short stories

 * "The Cold Equations" by Tom Godwin, Astounding Science Fiction (August).
 * "The Father-thing" by Philip K. Dick, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (December).
 * "Fondly Fahrenheit" by Alfred Bester, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (August).
 * "No More Stars" by Charles Satterfield, Beyond Fantasy Fiction (July).

Juveniles

 * Return to the Lost Planet by Angus MacVicar, second novel of six in the Lost Planet series.
 * The Secret of Saturn's Rings by Donald A. Wollheim, a high school graduate joins his father on a mission to Saturn to prove a corporate cover-up.
 * The Star Beast by Robert A. Heinlein (juvenile), a boy discovers his pet is an alien royalty, leading to interstellar diplomacy.

Children's books

 * Mel Oliver and Space Rover on Mars by William Morrison, the adventures of a boy and his sapient dog as they join an interplanetary circus on a voyage to Mars.
 * The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron, children travel to a hidden planet and help its inhabitants solve a crisis.

Awards
The Hugo Awards were not held this year.