2021 Hugo Awards Finalists

Black Sun

“Black Sun is a fresh take on fantasy that includes rich world building and complex, nuanced character-driven storytelling.”

Jenny, Page 158 Books

The City We Became

“I love N.K. Jemisin’s books, I love New York City, and I love this book about the soul and personification of New York. The City We Became might just be my favorite book to be published in 2020. This story is filled with tension, humor, and great characters, with a guest appearance near and dear to me. While this book is the beginning of a trilogy, it is completely satisfying as a stand-alone novel. Read it and be happy.”

Doug Chase, Powell's Books

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

“A quite enjoyable audiobook! Great alternative history/dystopian future(??)”

Julia, The Bookloft

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 »

Beowulf: A New Translation

“Bro! This is not your English teacher's Beowulf. Maria Dahvana Headley's "radical new translation" takes the familiar story of man versus monster and turns it into something both completely new and also as timeless as the original. What happens when Beowulf is less hero and more party boy? Or when Grendel's mother isn't a monster but just a woman trying to avenge her son? Get it from libro.fm to experience this epic oral tale as it was meant to be (smoky mead hall sold separately).”

Anthony, Brilliant Books Audio

Raybearer

“Joniece Abbott-Pratt did a stunning job with narrating this duology! She brought Ifueko's beautiful world to life. With sweeping prose and magical storytelling, this is a tale you won't soon forget, I promise. Truly one of the best audiobooks I've listened to! ”

Emily, Vroman's Bookstore

Legendborn

“Everything has two histories. Especially the South. In "Legendborn," we discover at least one more history to learn about - that of the Arthurian Legend. A fantasy/mystery mashup set on a southern college campus would have easily drew me in on its own. Add in the premise that Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has secretly existed for the last 15 generations as a secret society to fight demons made it even more enticing. What made this truly magical is how Deonn gives us even greater depth with her #ownvoices authorship by also deftly highlighting how the modern day Black experience is still haunted by the lingering legacy of slavery in the South. She gives this experience voice through Breonna’s experiences of microagressions and blatant racism and more poignant observations such as the contrast of how easily the Southern whites can proudly trace their roots and family tree instead of the disruption and loss of lineage created by slavery for Black families. Grief tied more immediately to the recent death of her mother as well as these encounters of inter-generational trauma are addressed well throughout the story lines. A stellar sense of place exists with rich descriptions of southern culture, North Carolina and UNC Chapel Hill that could have only been created through deep personal experience. I loved that she created the implication that UNC was created and exists to be the stronghold and legacy of the Roundtable with us Onceborns not having the slightest clue. I immensely enjoyed the audiobook narration as it pulled the emotion and tension directly off the page in a wonderfully immersive way.”

Cori, Bright Side Bookshop

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

“Magic school like you have never seen or imagine it before. A seemingly unlikeable yet much appreciated heroine and oh, that last line of the book....I LOVED it! The audiobook was engaging, the narrator a pleasure, and I am still thinking about it. ”

Rebecca, Rediscovered Books

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 »