Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time

Seen through the eyes of a main character who can't remember anything from life before the prison, you get to explore this strange, grim world from first principles. Its an alien way to explore an alien place, and the mystery just keeps getting deeper all the way through. The ending makes this a stylistically divisive book - you're gonna love it or you're gonna hate it. Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAs always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion.Similar books we recommend: The Buried Giant by Kazuo IshiguroThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodThe Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg ElisonThis episode is sponsored by Mindstock by Richard Yonk, available here. If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  00:00 Intro01:00 Book setup01:45 Sponsor - Mindstock by Richard Yonck2:17 Our review 4/53:50 Must be dystopia, journal time5:00 Environmental storytelling8:21 Hyper rational main character?11:29 Harpman's family in the holocaust17:15 Shadow of the Colossus18:15 The Buried Giant19:02 The Handmaid's Tale19:46 Book of the Unnamed Midwife20:54 Spoilers section - book summary22:44 Spoilers section - discussion

We got to interview Robert fresh from his Hugo win for The Tainted Cup - by far the best SFF book of last year! We couldn't be more excited to talk about it with him and get our burning questions answered - will there be more about the leviathans in the rest of the series?! Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoNext episode we'll be discussing the classic dystopia I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman - subscribe so you don't miss it. We talked with Robert about: 00:00 Intro 1:07 Winning the Hugo for best novel 3:04 Brent the hat-eater 4:22 Why plant life as technology? 7:58 Bringing modernity into fantasy 10:49 A fantasy empire that's the good guys 16:05 Ana Dolabra's origins 19:26 Will we learn more about the titans? 21:07 Teasers about the 3rd book 22:08 RJB's other fantasy series 23:53 Mild spoilers - Din and Ana's quirks

The Culture is Iain M. Banks' sci fi masterpiece - a futuristic society where benevolent AI minds provide humans whatever life they choose. Across the nine books you explore the Culture through their interactions, conflicts, and meddling with other space-faring civilizations. When the series is at its best it's full of action and adventure, and once the dust settles you're left with some extremely interesting ideas about what it means to be happy and have agency in a utopian society.Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAs always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. Similar books we recommend: House of Suns by Alastair ReynoldsThe Salvation Sequence by Peter F. HamiltonFire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge This episode is sponsored by Moonrising by Claire Barner, published by Simon and Schuster and available here. If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:  00:00 Intro 1:04 What is The Culture? 4:13 Which book should you read first? 12:21 Why do billionaires love this series so much? 14:44 Iain M. Banks tragic early death 17:23 References to the romantic poets 20:31 Similar books we recommend 22:56 SPOILERS SECTION - PLAYER OF GAMES 32:35 SPOILERS SECTION - USE OF WEAPONS 42:04 The Culture as nation builders

In addition to ranking the six nominees, we also talk about four more amazing books that deserve to be in contention for the best speculative fiction novels of the year.Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoThis episode is sponsored by Doppelgänger: An Orphan, A Prodigy, and a Murder by Chip Walter. A computer scientist awakens in a robotic body—next to his own murdered corpse, with only 72 hours to stop a conspiracy that threatens the human race. William Shatner calls it “quite a ride.” Learn more at chipwalter.com/If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 00:00 Intro1:26 Episode Sponsor - Doppelgänger by Chip Walter2:03 6 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher4:58 5 - The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley7:51 4 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell9:12 3 - Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky12:49 - Four more great books that deserved a nomination22:36 2 - Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky27:15 1 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

In addition to ranking all the nominees, we talk about why the entire shortlist this year was all fantasy, no sci-fi. This episode is sponsored by The Boy, the Cube, and the Elf by Brent Golembiewski, which is available in print or kindle edition hereJoin the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoIf you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books we talked about: 00:00 Intro1:50 Episode Sponsor - The Boy, The Cube, and the Elf2:21 #6 - Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera6:33 #5 - Sleeping Worlds Have no Memory by Yaroslav Barsukov10:42 #4 - The Book of Love by Kelly Link15:28 Why are all the nominees fantasy?18:46 #3 - Asunder by Kerstin Hall23:22 #2 - A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher27:53 #1 - Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

As sci-fi lovers who are looking to read more fantasy we could not be more excited to know what's good. Thanks to all y'all Hugonauts who filled out the survey, this list rocks. And a special thank you to Gordon Burroughs for joining us as our resident expert on the books we haven't read, plus for putting the whole survey together in the first place!Join the Hugonauts book club on discord to see the full survey results, including the undiscovered gemsOr you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoIf you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for all the books / series we talked about: 00:00 Intro2:58 Novel #10 - The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson6:11 Series #10 - The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin7:57 Novel #9 - Babel by R.F. Kuang10:30 Series #9 - The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie13:33 Novel #8 - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle15:40 Series #8 - His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman19:18 Novel #7 - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin21:20 Series #7 - Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson23:50 Novel #6 - A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin25:37 Series #6 - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling28:16 Novel #5 - Piranesi by Susanna Clarke30:36 Series #5 - The Stormlight Archives by Brandon Sanderson34:18 Novel #4 - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien37:18 Series #4 - The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin38:38 - Our 3 favorites that didn't make the list43:46 Novel #3 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss46:19 Series #3 - Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin47:37 Novel #2 - Perdido Street Station by China Miéville50:04 Series #2 - The Dark Tower by Stephen King53:55 Novel #1 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien55:32 Series #1 - The Lord of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

As always, no spoilers until the end when we do our plot explainer and discussion.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsThe Murderbot Diaries by Martha WellsMonk and Robot series by Becky Chambers

That said, there are some problems with this book too, which made this a fun one to talk about - Brent liked it a lot more than Cody did. Plus, love em or hate em, Asimov thought up some very alien aliens.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. NEW THRU 2025-05-15: Fill out our listener survey to tell us your favorite fantasy novels and series, and see them covered in an episode soon!Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: The Foundation trilogy by Isaac AsimovThe Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry PournelleThe Expanse by James S.A. Corey

If you like gritty cyberpunk settings, a page-turning, action-driven plot, and a lot of visceral explorations of violence and sexuality, this one's for you. If you're looking for deep characters, a carefully crafted plot, or philosophical ideas, this might not be your next read.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Neuromancer by William GibsonTitanium Noir by Nick HarkawayPermutation City by Greg Egan

Solid characters, amazing worldbuilding, and an epic plot that will keep you interested all the way through (and that's no mean feat in such a long book). If you've been thinking about trying out Peter F. Hamilton this is the right place to start.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: The Salvation Series, Void Trilogy, and Pandora's Star by Peter F. HamiltonThe Culture Series by Iain M. BanksHouse of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

Ann is also the author of Ancillary Sword, Ancillary Mercy, Translation State, Provenance (all set in her Imperial Radch universe), and the excellent stand-alone fantasy novel The Raven Tower.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoWe talked with Ann about: 1:12 Becoming a writer later in life5:06 The inspiration for the Radch and Ancillary Justice7:48 Creating a gender-less empire12:43 Writing from the POV of an AI16:56 Invisible exposition20:26 Space opera inspired by the real world26:16 Audiobooks and pronunciation34:14 Will we get to see inside the Radch Dyson sphere?35:49 Recent books Ann likes and her influences42:22 Blurbing Murderbot44:16 Ann's next book is set on a rogue planet!

We also each rank our top three first contact books at the end of the episode.This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAll the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): Contact by Carl SaganEnder's Game by Orson Scott CardThe Sparrow by Mary Doria RussellThe Forever War by Joe HaldemanEmbassytown by China MiévilleRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky BrothersThe War of the Worlds by H.G. WellsBlindsight by Peter WattsThe Expanse by James S.A. CoreyThe Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuinRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. ClarkeThe Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry NivenSolaris by Stanislaw LemThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

The book somehow manages to be optimistic at the same time that it realistically portrays horrific climate catastrophes - the opening chapter will stick with you forever. That said, it also suffers from some of KSR's usual writing quirks: weak characters and a pretty loosely defined plot. We talk about it all, the good, the bad, and the terrifyingly hot!As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by The Pythagorean by Alexander Morpheigh, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: The Value of Everything by Mariana MazzucatoRed Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins

The book is shocking, disturbing, entertaining, and unbelievably thought provoking all at once - no wonder Stanley Kubrick decided to turn the book into a movie (which is a must-watch classic in its own right). It's also an unforgettable masterwork of language, as the narrator, Alex, and his droogs speak in slang that is somehow entirely novel and comprehensible at the same time.As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by I Am Machine by Lex Van Der Ploeg, which is available in print or kindle edition here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Lord of the Flies by William GoldingThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde1984 by George Orwell

Neuromancer is an incredible science fiction classic, a page turner full of gripping action sequences, wild futuristic ideas, and a unique, techno-criminal world populated by wildly imaginative characters. As always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. This episode is sponsored by Mythos: The Origin of Gods by A.A., which is available on print, audiobook, or kindle hereJoin the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend: Altered Carbon by Richard MorganSnow Crash by Neal StephensonThe sequels to Neuromancer: Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive

 As always, no spoilers until the end when we clearly call it out before getting into the full plot explanation and discussion.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoThis episode is sponsored by The Song of Immaru: Earth's Door by PJ Dudek, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.Similar media we recommend:Fallout: New Vegas (game)Horizon Zero Dawn (game)The Thirteenth Floor (movie)Severance (TV show)

This episode is sponsored by The Dawn series by Ray N. Kuili, which you can get on print, audiobook, or kindle here.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoAll the books in the episode (with YT links to those we've got full episodes on, or search for them in your podcast app): The Hunger GamesRed RisingReady Player OneThe GiverNever Let Me GoThe Children of MenThe Machine StopsClockwork OrangeA Scanner DarklyKallocainFahrenheit 451The Handmaid's TaleBrave New World1984We

The Mercy of Gods follows a team of research scientists trying to survive an alien invasion. The Carryx are ruthless - killing 1/8 of the population immediately as they arrive to encourage the survivors to cooperate. Our team, along with many others, are then abducted and brought to a Carryx planet, where they are set loose in an open-air prison populated by hundreds of other alien races. They’re told that if they want to survive they must be useful to the Carryx. Will they resist, or decide to serve the alien overlords? And what does service even mean to aliens who think totally differently?Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend:Shards of Earth - Adrian TchaikovskyStartide Rising - David BrinA Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge

A radio astronomer discovers a signal coming from Alpha Centauri - strange, beautiful alien voices, singing. While the rest of the world is transfixed by the broadcast, a catholic order, the Jesuits, take action and launch a mission to the planet of Rakhat. But from the outset we know the mission is doomed to tragedy, because a second storyline follows Emilio Sandoz after his return to Earth. The only survivor of the mission, he struggles to heal his wounds and to reconcile his faith with the deaths of his friends, and prepare to tell the world the truth of what happened on Rakhat.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend:Children of God - Maria Doria Russel (Sequel)Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García MárquezAnathem - Neal StephensonContact - Carl SaganA Canticle for Liebowitz - Walter M. Miller Jr.

In the 23rd century Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry, the heart of the human military. As he nears completion of an intensely rigorous training program to learn how to fight and use his power armor, war breaks out between humanity and the bugs. The bugs are aliens with a hive mind, who attack and destroy Buenos Aires, and Johnny and his friends must strive to survive and defend humanity through the brutal war. It's also full of deeply interesting (and controversial) ideas about duty, service, crime and punishment, and so much more. If you like military sci-fi this is a must-read, and if you are into philosophical SF you are going to be pleasantly surprised how much it will stick with you and make you think.Join the Hugonauts book club on discord!Or you can watch the episode on YouTube if you prefer videoSimilar books we recommend:The Forever War by Joe Haldeman (listen to our interview with Joe)Columbus Day by Craig AlansonThe Parafaith War by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.