2021 Hugo Awards Finalists

Black Sun

“Black Sun is so much more than simply a book, it is an experience. An audiobook I've returned to multiple times. Inspired by pre-Columbian Americas, Black Sun is lush, lived in, and full of political intrigue and magical mystery. When I think about Black Sun, I find myself sighing nostalgically for the time I've spent reading it. Xiala and Serapio are such rich characters, the kinds of book characters that you do anything for. All I want for them is happiness, and trust me, you'll want the same after reading this book! Black Sun is truly one of the most exciting books I've read in a long time, instantly becoming one of my favorite books of all time. A must-read for epic fantasy fans and those who love long journeys and all the kinds of people one meets on the way.”

Sarah, Anderson's Bookshop

The City We Became

“What did I just listen to and why did I like it so much? Part of falling in love with this book was the listening experience, to be certain. The narration was stellar. The production was on point. But the story... the story itself is sublime. N.K. Jemisin has written a love letter to New York City - but not the one in bright, bold letters on the silver screen - the real city, and the real people who inhabit it and call it home, even if only temporarily. And it was beyond my wildest dreams (and nightmares). "The City We Became" is so incredibly layered and nuanced - diving into discussions of racism and sexism and the fallacy of good vs evil. I wanted nothing more than to steep in its long chapters, and get to know its boroughs as intimately as Jemisin would allow - not mere stereotypes but fully fleshed and brilliant, blinding avatars. Witty, subversive, imaginative, unbelievable. Get on this wild ride.”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

Harrow the Ninth, the sequel to the sensational, USA Today bestselling novel Gideon the Ninth, turns a galaxy inside out as one necromancer struggles to survive the wreckage of herself aboard the Emperor’s haunted space station. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable... Read more »

Network Effect

“Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries has become one of my favorite series of all time, and Network Effect is a perfect addition. Murderbot is still trying to figure out what it wants after hacking its governor module. In the meantime, it spends its days protecting the humans it cares about. Of course, everything goes terribly wrong when a friend shows up to kidnap Murderbot and its humans are along for the ride. Network Effect isn’t just fun and action-packed, it’s also emotional and thought-provoking. I love Murderbot!”

Sophie Giroir, Cavalier House Books

Upright Women Wanted

“Dieselpunk dystopian queer-positive YA Western is a mouthful, but Sarah Gailey can say it with aplomb: this short novel about a youngster fleeing an oppressive, intolerant town and father captures something universal. Esther starts out a people pleaser, but during her wild ride, she shows that what she has learned about pathologically controlling behavior has made her a keen observer. When the Resistance turns out to include both the good and the dangerous, she's able to recognize both. She's no chosen child or supergirl, but when she uses her experience to inform her morals and her actions, she discovers that it's useful to resist even in slow and steady ways, though it may not (immediately) change the world.”

Nialle, The Haunted Bookshop

Ella has a Thing. She sees a classmate grow up to become a caring nurse. A neighbor’s son murdered in a drive-by shooting. Things that haven’t happened yet. Kev, born while Los Angeles burned around them, wants to protect his sister from a power that could destroy her. But when Kev is incarcerated, Ella must decide what it means to watch her... Read more »

If you enjoyed Lovecraft Country, then you’ll love Ring Shout.

“Great for fans of Lovecraft Country, Ring Shout takes very real terrors and mixes them with demonic horrors that feed off hatred and racism in a fast paced novella you won't want to put down. ”

Dany, Rediscovered Books

Sharp, lyrical poems celebrating the Black vernacular—its influence on pop culture, its necessity for familial survival, its rite in storytelling and in creating the safety found only within its intimacy

“Terrific . . . illuminates life in this country in a strikingly original way.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF... Read more »

With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.

A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her... Read more »

Come Tumbling Down

“Seanan McGuire strikes again with another breathtakingly beautiful fantasy! The Wayward Children series is an amazing collection of novellas for those who love the unique and bizarre, who long to see themselves in fiction, who want to lose themselves in words. This particular installment returns to some of her very best characters and can be enjoyed by new readers and devoted fans alike. Highly recommended!”

Allison Chesbro, Schuler Books (Okemos)

"No series since George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire has quite captured both palace intrigue and the way that tribal infighting and war hurt the vulnerable the most." —Paste Magazine
The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a... Read more »

A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler offers a blueprint for a creative life from the perspective of award-winning science-fiction writer and “MacArthur Genius” Octavia E. Butler. It is a collection of ideas about how to look, listen, breathe — how to be in the world. 

This audiobook is about the creative process.... Read more »

If you enjoyed The Iliad, then you’ll love Beowulf: A New Translation.

“Very rarely can you say a new edition of a story as old as BEOWULF has truly done something revolutionary, but I would argue that Headley achieves that in her new translation. In some senses, Headley modernizes the language, as all good translations do, but more than that, she imitates modern spoken word poetry. This brings Beowulf, a poem originally invented to be performed aloud, back into the oral tradition. It also allows the poem to lean further into the poetic form of the original epic, as alliteration and epithets flow more naturally in spoken poetry than they do in the written word. This is Beowulf as it hasn't been seen in thousands of years, and you won't want to miss out on it. I know it has me reassessing all the ways I think of epic poems.”

Katherine, Trident Booksellers and Cafe

Raybearer

“Such a cool fantasy novel with an incredible magic system! Perfect for fans of "Children of Blood and Bone." I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to further immerse yourself in this beautiful world that Ifueko has created.”

Coleen, An Unlikely Story

If you enjoyed Children of Blood and Bone, then you’ll love Legendborn.

“If you’ve been thinking about trying audiobooks, I recommend LEGENDBORN by Tracy Deonn as a great starting point! The reader, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, completely transported me to the Southern Gothic world of a secret society on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill (down to the hot sauce on hash browns). With a complex magic system intricately tied to ancestry and world history, Arthurian legend, demon battles, and just enough romance, this was one of those books that I thought about when I couldn’t have it playing in my headphones! Deonn is a master, bringing Brianna, the main character, to name and disrupt white male supremacy while working through the grief of her own story and that of her mothers before her. I also loved the queer representation in secondary characters, including a squire with they/them pronouns. I can't wait for the sequel and to follow Deonn's career!”

Kim, Lark & Owl

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream.There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly every day, like the ability to make an orb of... Read more »

A Deadly Education

“I loved this book so much. It's great both written and as an audio. Wry, irascible El is such a fantastic narrator who you can't help but to cheer for. Sets up nicely for book two without leaving the plot unfulfilled. ”

Gwendolyn, Buttonwood Books and Toys

Cemetery Boys

“"Listening to Cemetery Boys made me smile. A lot. Aiden Thomas presents a story of persistence, mystery, and finding one’s place in the world. Yadriel, a trans, teenage, latinx boy, lives in a family of brujos and brujas. After coming out as trans his family does not know where he fits within their traditions. With the help of his opinionated cousin Maritza, Yadriel completes the ceremony to become a brujo in secret and accidentally summons the wrong ghost: Julian, a high energy boy from his school. Yadriel, Julian and Maritza set out to solve the mystery of Julian’s death, and to release his spirit. Of course, to make things more awkward, Yadriel develops a crush on the spirit boy. What more could one ask for? Thomas creates a magical but real world highlighting family dynamics surrounding trans identity within a gendered society, the need to prove oneself, and the importance of connecting to family. This book may sound spooky, but instead the story is feel-good, heartwarming, and silly at times; it’s all about celebrating life and being who you are."”

Emma, Content

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the... Read more »