2025 Hugo Awards Best Novel Nominees
Every year, the Hugo Awards shine a spotlight on some of the most imaginative, thought-provoking, and beautifully written works in science fiction and fantasy. As a reader, I am always curious to see what the fantasy world thinks are the best
For 2025, the nominees for best novel bring together a fascinating mix of new voices and established favorites. Whether you’re looking for sweeping space opera, character-driven fantasy, or speculative fiction that challenges the way we see our own world, this year’s shortlist has something to offer.
In this post, I’m diving into each of the nominated novels. I will be talking about what they’re about, what makes them stand out, and why they deserve a spot on your TBR. My goal is to read all of them before the end of the year, so think of this as a running companion guide. I’ll be updating with my thoughts, reviews, and favorite passages as I go along.
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Why are the Hugo Awards unique?
The Hugos are special because they’re chosen by fans. That means the books on this list aren’t just critically acclaimed; they’re stories that connected with readers around the world. Picking up the nominees is a way to join the conversation, discover new authors, and maybe even find your next favorite book.
My Reading Plan
For this challenge, I will be checking out the e-versions of each book on my Kindle using my local library. I am not going in a particular order, just reading the books as I get them from the library. I will update my reviews for each book in this post as I read them.
Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Review: This novel takes a refreshing approach to a typical story about technology taking over the world. The main character, a butler robot named Uncharles, faces unemployment after an incident with his past master. He traverses a startlingly desolate and dysfunctional world outside his old home. In his adventures, he encounters broken bureaucracy, rundown robots, and The Wonk.
While the first few pages of this book might read slowly, you are quickly swept up in the drama that is Uncharles’ life. Shortly after we learn he mysteriously killed his Master, he begins his journey to getting fixed. Why? So he can find a new job, of course. I really enjoyed the different characters and landscapes we see throughout this book, each in a different flavor of deterioration. The conclusion of this book is very interesting and a new take on this trope that I feel is much more realistic.
This sci-fi read is a great introduction to the genre, and a great introduction to Adrian Tchicovsky, a prolific writer.
Book cover image courtesy of Tordotcom, ©2024
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Description: A dazzling debut that blends romance, history, and time travel. When a civil servant in London is assigned to help “expats” pulled from different eras adjust to modern life, she finds herself entangled with a dashing Victorian polar explorer. Funny, heartfelt, and sharp in its exploration of colonialism and bureaucracy, this novel asks big questions about love across time and who gets to shape history.
Book cover image courtesy of Avid Reader Press, ©2024
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Description: Tchaikovsky takes us to a penal colony on an alien planet where human convicts must survive in a landscape shaped by incomprehensible biology and hostile ecosystems. This is classic Tchaikovsky: mind-bending science, alien ecologies that feel terrifyingly real, and a cast of characters forced to reckon with survival, morality, and what it means to be human in a place that rejects us.
Book cover image courtesy of Tor, ©2024
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
Description: This debut is equal parts grotesque monster story and tender romance. The narrator is a shapeshifting, insectoid creature who has lived on the fringes of humanity, until she falls in love with a human woman. What follows is a darkly funny, beautifully strange meditation on love, otherness, and building a life with someone who sees you as you truly are.
Book cover image courtesy of DAW Books, ©2024
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Description: Known for her witty, gothic-tinged fantasies, Kingfisher delivers a feminist spin on the “evil stepmother” tale. A young woman discovers her widowed father’s new wife is not what she seems, and that she may need to confront forces of dark sorcery to protect herself. Blending humor, creeping dread, and heartfelt character work, this novel is both delightfully spooky and empowering.
Book cover image courtesy of Tor Nightfire, ©2024
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Description: A lush, locked-room mystery set in a baroque fantasy world. When a high-ranking officer dies in an impossible manner, murdered by a tree sprouting from inside his body, an eccentric investigator and his sharp-eyed assistant must unravel a conspiracy that reaches into the highest echelons of power. Bennett mixes the intrigue of Sherlock Holmes with the grandeur of epic fantasy, creating a page-turner that’s as clever as it is immersive.
Book cover image courtesy of Del Rey, ©2024
Want to explore even more literary favorites? Many of these titles and more are included with Kindle Unlimited or available on Audible.