We are breaking down the entire short-list and ranking, review, and digging into the 2026 Nebula Novel nominees from worst to best. We dive deep into the writing styles, the structure, the highs, the frustratingly bad endings, and reveal exactly who took home the final trophy. Are these books actually masterclasses in modern sci-fi and fantasy, or did the hype train leave the tracks?

Here is our definitive 2026 Nebula breakdown:

7. Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

• You should read it if: You love deep-dives into African culture, Ibo and Yoruba roots, and tech concepts like futuristic exoskeleton legs.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You require a persistent central conflict, cohesive subplots, or a "story-within-a-story" that actually goes somewhere.

6. Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell

• You should read it if: You want a cozy Hercules retelling where Hera calls Zeus a "dipshit" and Heracles tries to befriend mythological monsters instead of fighting them.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You get annoyed by overly preachy or cloying endings, repetitive quest structures, or confusing second-person POV shifts.

5. Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

• You should read it if: You are obsessed with dark academia themes, the dangers of academic flow states, and complex, highly allusional world-building.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You need to deeply connect with your protagonists or get easily annoyed by writing that feels a little too self involved.

4. When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory

• You should read it if: You love quick, humorous POV switches, AGI, simulation theory, and brain emulation concepts.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You are looking for a groundbreaking, deeply unique masterpiece—this one is cute, but a bit unspecial.

3. Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou

• You should read it if: You like heavy foreshadowing, experimental voice-switching (shifting to 2nd person), and intense meta-narratives.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You hate a massive buildup that doesn't actually come together or stick the landing at the end.

1. (TIED) The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

• You should read it if: You want adult-oriented cozy fantasy in a magic boarding school featuring a workaholic, middle-aged bisexual teacher and casual, biscuit-eating printer demons.
• You shouldn’t read it if: A rushed, abrupt ending with a thin villain motivation is going to completely sour your overall enjoyment of a great setup.

1. (TIED & WINNER) The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

• You should read it if: You want a beautifully written, highly literary Native American Blackfoot vampire revenge story set in the brutal landscape of the American West.
• You shouldn’t read it if: You get bored by a monotonous middle section where the central premise loses steam and repeats itself.

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

• Join the Hugonauts book club on discord
• Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video

All the books, plus timestamps:

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:46 Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
• 02:26 Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell
• 05:29 Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
• 09:30 When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory
• 12:57 Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou
• 16:30 The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
• 20:08 The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

In this episode of the Hugonauts we’re breaking down what truly defines great Young Adult fiction and answering the ultimate question: do these books actually hold up when you read them for the first time as an adult? We look at the core guidelines of YA literature—from exploring the human condition through a young protagonist's eyes to (ideally) teaching profound stuff that resonates beyond teenhood.

We count down the absolute best YA sci-fi books and YA fantasy recommendations. We dive into legendary dystopian hits like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, masterclass sci-fi like Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and classic fantasy staples like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, and C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. But we don't just look at the masterpieces.

We also separate the true YA novels from books that are actually meant for middle-grade kids (like The Giver, Redwall, and The Phantom Tollbooth). Finally, we tackle the controversial "duds" of the genre. Why are massive bestsellers like The Maze Runner, Divergent, and Scythe so incredibly popular, and why did they fall totally flat for us? Grab your reading list and let's find out which books are actually worth your time!

No spoilers anywhere in this episode.

• Join the Hugonauts book club on discord
• Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video

This episode is sponsored by Memoirs of the End by Vincent Rylan

All the books we recommend, plus timestamps:

• 00:00 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• 04:16 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
• 07:02 The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
• 08:55 SPONSOR - Memoirs of the End by Vincent Rylan
• 09:30 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• 12:54 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• 15:20 Red Rising by Pierce Brown
• 18:47 Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
• 20:15 A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
• 22:39 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• 23:56 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
• 26:40 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• 29:10 The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
• 31:38 Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin
• 34:14 The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
• 35:14 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• 36:55 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
• 39:10 Redwall by Brian Jacques 41:17
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien
• 41:55 The Giver by Lois Lowry
• 42:41 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
• 43:34 Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
• 44:40 Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• 45:56 Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• 46:54 How are these duds so popular?

In this episode we dive into The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a departure from the grim world of The First Law, leaning into a "monsters vs. monsters" heist set in a supernatural, alternate-history Europe. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if the Vatican recruited a werewolf, a vampire, and a deathless soldier to save the world - well, you're in luck. We discuss the shift in tone, the hilarious "refrains" Joe uses for his characters, and whether this new direction lives up to his legendary fantasy status.

We break down the entire motley crew—from Jakob’s "righteous" path to the mystery of Baptiste—and comparing the action to Abercrombie’s previous work. Is Viga the new Bloody Nine? Does the humor land as well as the sword-swings? We also feature some of the best takes from our Discord book club, including debating character rethreads, the themes of the book, and who is likely to love the book. Stick around to hear our final scores and why this might be the most "fun" Abercrombie has ever been. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our next episode, where we’ll be pivoting to discuss the best of Young Adult (YA) scifi and fantasy!

As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.

• Join the Hugonauts book club on discord
• Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video

Similar books we recommend:

• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
• The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
• Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

This episode is sponsored by Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard.

If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:17 Our review (4/5)
• 04:15 Sponsor - Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard
• 04:48 Incredibly entertaining fight scenes
• 07:53 Genuinely funny writing
• 12:34 Religion, power, and worldbuilding
• 14:32 The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
• 15:10 The First Law Trilogy
• 16:03 Night Watch
• 17:10 POST SPOILERS book summary
• 18:49 POST SPOILERS the characters
• 24:21 POST SPOILERS redemption?