2018 Hugo Nominees and Where to Find Them
I am heading to San Jose in August to sell our licensed coins with Shire Post Mint at Worldcon 76, August 16-20. Of course, one of the most exciting parts of Worldcon are the Hugo Awards, the most prestigious awards in the world of science fiction.
I couldn't find a good list of nominees that included links to their books, stories, or websites. So for those who are not attending Worldcon but still want to explore all of the nominees for each category, I put one together!
I tried to remove spoilers, but be warned that some minor spoilers may exist in the blurbs, especially for works that are sequels.
What are your favorite works?
2018 Hugo Award Nominees
Best Novel
The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
The Broken Earth Trilogy #3
Further Reading: The Complete Broken Earth Trilogy
The remarkable conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed trilogy that began with the multi-award-nominated The Fifth Season.
Six Wakes, by Mur Lafferty (Orbit)
Standalone Novel
Further Reading: PRODUCE 1:1-10 - Short Story
A space adventure set on a lone ship where the clones of a murdered crew must find their murderer -- before they kill again.
Provenance, by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
Standalone Novel in The Imperial Radch universe
Further Reading: The Complete Imperial Radch Trilogy
A power-driven young woman has just one chance to secure the status she craves and regain priceless lost artifacts prized by her people. She must free their thief from a prison planet from which no one has ever returned.
Raven Stratagem, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
Machineries of Empire #2
Further Reading: Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire #1)
Captain Kel Cheris is possessed by a long-dead traitor general. Together they must face the rivalries of the hexarchate and a potentially devastating invasion.
New York 2140, by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
Standalone Novel
Further Reading: The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson
The waters rose, submerging New York City. The residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been, though changed forever.
The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi (Tor)
The Interdependency #1
Further Reading: The Consuming Fire (The Interdependency #2), releasing in October 2018
Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.
Best Novella
River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
River of Teeth #1
Further Reading: River of Teeth #1 and #2
An 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing)
Wayward Children #2
Further Reading: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1)
Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. This is the story of what happened first…
Binti: Home, by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com Publishing)
The Binti Series #2
Further Reading: Binti: The Complete Trilogy
The second book in the series about Binti. She is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
“And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny, March/April 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Do As I Do, Sing As I Sing
When physicist Sarah Pinsker is murdered at PinskerCon — an interdimensional convention where everyone is Sarah Pinsker from a different alternate timeline — only insurance investigator Sarah Pinsker can solve the case.
All Systems Red, by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
The Murderbot Diaries #1
Further Reading: Wolf Night
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
The Black Tides of Heaven, by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
The Tensorate Series #1
Further Reading: The Red Threads of Fortune (The Tensorate Series #2)
Mokoya and Akeha, the twin children of the Protector, were sold to the Grand Monastery as children. While Mokoya developed her strange prophetic gift, Akeha was always the one who could see the strings that moved adults to action. While his sister received visions of what would be, Akeha realized what could be. What's more, he saw the sickness at the heart of his mother's Protectorate.
Best Novelette
“Children of Thorns, Children of Water,” by Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny, July-August 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The House of Shattered Wings (A Dominion of the Fallen Novel)
A prequel story set between The House of Shattered Wings and The House of Binding Thorns. Dragons, creepy magic, cooking.
“Extracurricular Activities,” by Yoon Ha Lee (Tor.com, February 15, 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The Battle of Candle Arc
A space opera adventure set in a distant future where an undercover agent has to go behind enemy lines to recover a lost ship and a possible traitor.
“The Secret Life of Bots,” by Suzanne Palmer (Clarkesworld, September 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume Two, features “Ten Poems for the Mossums, One for the Man” by Suzanne Palmer
Bot 9 has been in storage for a while. It’s a dated model with a reputation for instability, but when the ship runs into a crisis, even temperamental old multibots are called to assist. 9 is to deal with a pest problem –something is chewing through the walls– and while it would prefer a more important job, it dutifully sets about hunting down vermin.
“Wind Will Rove,” by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s, September/October 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: I Frequently Hear Music in the Very Heart of Noise
It's a generation ship story full of fiddles and history and questions about what we carry with us.
“A Series of Steaks,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld, January 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The Spy Who Loved Wanton Mee
A blackmailer forces Helena to make entire fake steaks for him or else he’ll tell the authorities about her business printing fake beef for shady restaurants. She’s never tried to make a whole steak though.
“Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time,” by K.M. Szpara (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Nothing is Pixels Here
When Finley gets bitten by a vampire, he’s pissed because he didn’t consent. When he learns he’s going to become a vampire, he’s really upset, because it’s not legal for a trans person to be a vampire at all.
Best Short Story
“The Martian Obelisk,” by Linda Nagata (Tor.com, July 19, 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The Last Good Man
A story about an architect on Earth commissioned to create (via long distance) a masterwork with materials from the last abandoned Martian colony, a monument that will last thousands of years longer than Earth, which is dying.
“Fandom for Robots,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny, September/October 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Portrait of Skull with Man
Computron feels no emotion towards the animated television show titled Hyperdimension Warp Record (超次元 ワープ レコード). After all, Computron does not have any emotion circuits installed, and is thus constitutionally incapable of experiencing “excitement,” “hatred,” or “frustration.”
“Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™,” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex, August 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Trail of Lightning
You maintain a menu of a half dozen Experiences on your digital blackboard, but Vision Quest is the one the Tourists choose the most. That certainly makes your workday easy. All a Vision Quest requires is a dash of mystical shaman, a spirit animal (wolf usually, but birds of prey are on the upswing this year), and the approximation of a peyote experience. Tourists always come out of the Experience feeling spiritually transformed.
“Sun, Moon, Dust” by Ursula Vernon, (Uncanny, May/June 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Wooden Feathers
Allpa receives a magic sword on his grandmother’s deathbed. Three spirits in the sword are supposed to train him to be a mighty warrior, but he really just wants to be a better farmer.
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand,” by Fran Wilde (Uncanny, September 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: The Sea Never Says It Loves You
Your guide takes you through an exhibit of curiosities—what once would have been called a freak show.
“Carnival Nine,” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, May 2017)
Read Now
Further Reading: Seasons Set in Skin
Zee lives with her father in a windup world. Bored with her life, she decides to visit the carnival. She meets a boy, and things go from there.
Best Related Work
Sleeping with Monsters: Readings and Reactions in Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Liz Bourke (Aqueduct Press)
This volume presents a selection of the best of Liz Bourke's articles. Bourke's subjects range from the nature of epic fantasy -- is it a naturally conservative sort of literature? -- to the effect of Mass Effect's decision to allow players to play as a female hero, and from discussions of little-known writers to some of the most popular works in the field.
Iain M. Banks (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), by Paul Kincaid (University of Illinois Press)
The 1987 publication of Iain M. Banks's Consider Phlebas helped trigger the British renaissance of radical hard science fiction and influenced a generation of New Space Opera masters. The thirteen SF novels that followed inspired an avid fandom and intense intellectual engagement while Banks's mainstream books vaulted him to the top of the Scottish literary scene. Paul Kincaid has written the first study of Iain M. Banks to explore the confluence of his SF and literary techniques and sensibilities.
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters, by Ursula K. Le Guin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
From acclaimed author Ursula K. Le Guin, and with an introduction by Karen Joy Fowler, a collection of thoughts—always adroit, often acerbic—on aging, belief, the state of literature, and the state of the nation.
A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison, by Nat Segaloff (NESFA Press)
An unguarded, uncensored, unquiet tour of the life of Harlan Ellison.
Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia E. Butler, edited by Alexandra Pierce and Mimi Mondal (Twelfth Planet Press)
Luminescent Threads celebrates Octavia E. Butler, a pioneer of the science fiction genre who paved the way for future African American writers and other writers of colour.
Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate, by Zoe Quinn (PublicAffairs)
You've heard the stories about the dark side of the internet-hackers, anonymous hoards attacking an unlucky target, and revenge porn-but they remain just that: stories. Surely these things would never happen to you.
Best Graphic Story
Black Bolt, Volume 1: Hard Time, written by Saladin Ahmed, illustrated by Christian Ward, lettered by Clayton Cowles (Marvel)
Further Reading: Artist Christian Ward
“Black Bolt” is centered around the leader of the Inhumans. The titular character was body swapped with his evil brother Maximus and the hero is exiled to a space prison never meant for him in the first place.
Bitch Planet, Volume 2: President Bitch, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, illustrated by Valentine De Landro and Taki Soma, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick, lettered by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
Further Reading: Artist Valentine De Landro
A few years down the road in the wrong direction, a woman's failure to comply with her patriarchal overlords results in exile to the meanest penal planet in the galaxy. But what happened on Earth that this new world order came to pass in the first place? Return to the grim corridors of Auxiliary Compliance Outpost #2, to uncover the first clues to the history of the world as we know it... and meet PRESIDENT BITCH.
My Favorite Thing is Monsters, written and illustrated by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)
Further Reading: Artis Emil Ferris
Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of late ’60s Chicago, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters is the fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, filled with B-movie horror and pulp monster magazines iconography. Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her enigmatic upstairs neighbor, Anka Silverberg, a holocaust survivor, while the interconnected stories of those around her unfold.
Monstress, Volume 2: The Blood, written by Marjorie M. Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda (Image Comics)
Further Reading: Artist Sana Takeda
Maika Halfwolf is on the run from a coalition of forces determined to control or destroy the powerful Monstrum that lives beneath her skin. But Maika still has a mission of her own: to discover the secrets of her late mother, Moriko.
Paper Girls, Volume 3, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Cliff Chiang, colored by Matthew Wilson, lettered by Jared Fletcher (Image Comics)
Further Reading: Artist Cliff Chiang
Newspaper deliverers Erin, Mac and Tiffany finally reunite with their long-lost friend KJ in an unexpected new era, where the girls must uncover the secret origins of time travel... or risk never returning home to 1988.
Saga, Volume 7, written by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)
Further Reading: Artist Fiona Staples
Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat and the refugee experience.
Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form
Blade Runner 2049, written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Alcon Entertainment / Bud Yorkin Productions / Torridon Films / Columbia Pictures)
Available on Google Play, YouTube, HBO Now, HBO Go
Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele (Blumhouse Productions / Monkeypaw Productions / QC Entertainment)
Available on Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Prime Video, iTunes, HBO Now, HBO Go
The Shape of Water, written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, directed by Guillermo del Toro (TSG Entertainment / Double Dare You / Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Available on Google Play, YouTube
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson (Lucasfilm, Ltd.)
Available on Netflix, Google Play, YouTube
Thor: Ragnarok, written by Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, and Christopher Yost; directed by Taika Waititi (Marvel Studios)
Available on Netflix, Google Play, YouTube
Wonder Woman, screenplay by Allan Heinberg, story by Zack Snyder & Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs, directed by Patty Jenkins (DC Films / Warner Brothers)
Available on Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Prime Video, iTunes, HBO Now, HBO Go
Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form
“The Deep” [song], by Clipping (Daveed Diggs, William Hutson, Jonathan Snipes)
Listen Now
Black Mirror: “USS Callister,” written by William Bridges and Charlie Brooker, directed by Toby Haynes (House of Tomorrow)
Available on Netflix
Doctor Who: “Twice Upon a Time,” written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay (BBC Cymru Wales)
Available on Vudu, Prime Video, iTunes
The Good Place: “Michael’s Gambit,” written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television)
Available on Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Prime Video, iTunes
The Good Place: “The Trolley Problem,” written by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, directed by Dean Holland (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television)
Available on Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, Prime Video, iTunes
Best Editor – Short Form
Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
Best Editor – Long Form
Best Professional Artist
Best Semiprozine
Beneath Ceaseless Skies, editor-in-chief and publisher Scott H. Andrews
The Book Smugglers, edited by Ana Grilo and Thea James
Best Fanzine
File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
Galactic Journey, edited by Gideon Marcus
Journey Planet, edited by Team Journey Planet
nerds of a feather, flock together, edited by The G, Vance Kotrla, and Joe Sherry
Rocket Stack Rank, edited by Greg Hullender and Eric Wong
SF Bluestocking, edited by Bridget McKinney
Best Fancast
The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
Ditch Diggers, presented by Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace
Fangirl Happy Hour, presented by Ana Grilo and Renay Williams
Sword and Laser, presented by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt
Best Fan Writer
Best Fan Artist
Best Series
The Books of the Raksura, by Martha Wells (Night Shade)
The Divine Cities, by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway)
InCryptid, by Seanan McGuire (DAW)
The Memoirs of Lady Trent, by Marie Brennan (Tor US / Titan UK)
The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson (Tor US / Gollancz UK)
World of the Five Gods, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Harper Voyager / Spectrum Literary Agency)
2018 Associated Awards (not Hugos)
John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
Katherine Arden
Further Reading: The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy)
Sarah Kuhn
Further Reading: Heroine Complex
Jeannette Ng
Further Reading: Under the Pendulum Sun
Vina Jie-Min Prasad
Further Reading: A Series of Steaks
Rebecca Roanhorse
Further Reading: Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World)
Rivers Solomon
Further Reading: An Unkindness of Ghosts
The World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) Award for Best Young Adult Book
Akata Warrior, by Nnedi Okorafor (Viking)
The Art of Starving, by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage, by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
In Other Lands, by Sarah Rees Brennan (Big Mouth House)
A Skinful of Shadows, by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK / Harry N. Abrams US)
Disclosure: some Amazon links are Affiliate links through the Amazon Affiliate Program
