Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time
Ranking the Sci-Fi greats - Books that won both the Hugo & Nebula
Episode Summary
We read and ranked the 27 science fiction books that have won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards! From foundational sci-fi classics like Dune and Neuromancer to modern masterpieces like The Fifth Season and Ancillary Justice, find out which Hugo and Nebula winners are absolute must-reads and which ones you can safely skip.
Episode Notes
No spoilers at all in this episode.
BOOKS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
- Among Others by Jo Walton
- Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
- The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
- The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
- Ringworld by Larry Niven
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Network Effect by Martha Wells
- Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
- Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
- Gateway by Frederik Pohl
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
- The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin
- Startide Rising by David Brin
- The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
- Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Neuromancer by William Gibson
- The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
- The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Thanks to our sponsor, Sci-Fi Shorts! The stories that built science fiction's golden age were short, complete worlds in a single sitting. Sci-Fi Shorts brings that tradition back: brand-new science fiction and fantasy flash fiction, every story a thousand words or fewer, paired with original artwork in classic pulp-magazine style: painted covers, raygun rockets, swords and sorcery. It's made for readers with more curiosity than time: a complete story over your morning coffee. Head to https://scifishorts.co/hugonauts and use code HUGONAUTS50 for fifty percent off any subscription.
If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:
- 00:00 - Intro
- 00:40 - #27 Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- 02:20 - #26 The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
- 04:44 - Sponsor: scifishorts.co
- 05:30 - #20 The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
- 07:06 - #20 Among Others by Jo Walton
- 09:01 - #20 Ringworld by Larry Niven
- 10:55 - #20 Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
- 12:55 - #20 Dune by Frank Herbert
- 14:02 - #20 The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
- 16:42 - #16 Network Effect by Martha Wells
- 18:00 - #16 Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
- 19:51 - #16 Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
- 22:05 - #16 Gateway by Frederik Pohl
- 25:33 - #15 American Gods by Neil Gaiman
- 28:00 - #12 Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
- 29:45 - #12 Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
- 32:15 - #12 The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
- 34:00 - #10 The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin
- 36:18 - #10 Startide Rising by David Brin
- 37:32 - #9 The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
- 39:34 - Secondary Sponsor: Juris Ex Machina by John W. Maly
- 39:50 - #5 Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
- 40:58 - #5 Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
- 43:03 - #5 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- 44:24 - #5 Neuromancer by William Gibson
- 46:12 - #4 The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
- 47:26 - #1 The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
- 51:10 - #1 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
- 52:08 - #1 The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
- 53:45 - Outro / Summary