2026 Best Hugo Novella and Novel finalists
Helllooo!
So let’s talk this years Hugo novellas and nominees with a few hours to spare. As mentioned previously a shortlist is helpful to explore where SF can be and also where the membership can be to
Novellas
When the list came out there was a noticeable lot of eyebrows raised that Tor had some many. This I think reflects market conditions that many small presses are hard to find in mainstream stores but I also suggest it shows a readership that perhaps isn’t really aware of how much other stuff is out there than a set of shelves they walk by.
Overall I felt his was a hugely disappointing shortlist.
In last place I felt T Kingfisher’s What Stalks The Deel is ultimately a story that began well but I soon lost interest. I’ve struggled with a few of these Soldier Son tales as the balance in horror and humour feels off. I’m not a fan of Lovecraft either so this was a miss.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/11/26/what-stalks-the-deep-by-t-kingfisher
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite is for me a very flimsy story and I really disliked the mock tone of Golden Age crime that gets used for no reason.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/7/19/murder-by-memory-by-olivia-waite
Interesting both of these are series so I assume these are readers either happy with certain authors or entranced by a series.
Cinder House by Freya Marske has Cinderella as a ghost and then does everything it can to permit the ghost to do things anyone else can. For me that was quite weak storytelling and so fell very flat for me
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/7/20/cinder-house-by-freya-marske
The Summer War by Naomi Novik is a story that I feel falls over between short story and novel and doesn’t really fit a novella structure. It’s all fairly run of the mill fae magic.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/7/21/the-summer-war-by-naomi-novik
These definitely show retellings are still popular but perhaps just perhaps we may need to move on?
I think Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz gets quite marmite reactions but I liked this story’s ambition for having far more ideas than the other four novellas. It is refreshing to see science fiction in the list and it actually feels a story looking at the issues of today.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/8/14/automatic-noodle-by-annalee-newitz
In first place and I suspect many others have this too is The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar and yes it’s a retelling but a brilliantly written one. A novella that uses the format to play with theme and the language is a delight. Using language itself as magic works as a beautiful concept and echoes the storytelling, this was a very easy choice to put first. For me it is very much ahead of nearly all its other nominees.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/5/27/the-river-has-roots-by-amal-el-mohtar
Novels
In last place and I know this is a favorite but for me The Everlasting is like an elaborate pastry filled with an unbeatable filling. I dislike its lack of interrogation of fascism, it’s hand waves of main character’s actions and ultimately it feels a novel thinking it’s had much to say and yet for me is a big empty vessel.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/8/27/the-everlasting-by-alix-e-harrow
It’s a close call but A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennet gets fifth for not annoying me as much as The Everlasting did. These are very simple mysteries and I really can’t get behind that as a sign of a best anything. Like Harrow Bennett thinks his novel is making big statements in the now that we do not need Kings but perhaps the novel then should have actually got into much meatier questions of how democracy can get stuck with tyrants.
Bennett and Harrow are long standing popular authors. I assume their fans like their work. Not sure I see what either is doing that make their work really stand out this year.
The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson is a fun story that ultimately runs out of steam but unlike its predecessors i s not trying to have deeper meaning. It’s breezy but I struggle to see what’s Best about it.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2026/8/28/the-raven-scholar-by-antonia-hodgson
Ok we finally have the three books trying to do interesting things and could I think justify a prize
Death of An Author by Nnedi Okorafor is an ingesting novel with a tale of a a very flawed writer becoming a huge success and also a linked tale that may or may not be her famous work. It has things to say about fame, publishing, fandom, family and more. It’s an engrossing read but I tend to think it’s a novel more about writing science fiction more than actual science fiction itself. I’d be ok with it winning though
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/2/21/death-of-the-author-by-nnedi-okorafor
This blog regularly enjoys Adrian Tchaikovsky’s work so no surprise I’m glad to see Shroud up here. It’s a very tense and inventive science fiction novel that explores what alien life could be but also has some things to say about battling cruel systems. My one reservation is I think last year Days of Shattered Faith was better but I’d be happy to see an author at the top of their game winning.
And with much umming and aahing I think I may come down on the side of The Incandescant by Emily Tesh. If I put my dislike of stories about private schools to one side this is actually a delightful surprise of a read. It looks at school through a teacher’s eyes for a change not a chosen one’s. The way education is seen and explained from admin to helping pupils is really well done and underneath it’s a story of a woman hiding from her trauma that almost destroys her. Dark Academia leaves me cold but Tesh creates normal magical academia and this is a great book.
https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/8/19/the-incandescent-by-emily-tesh
we shall see who wins later
