Every year, the Hugo Awards celebrate some of the most exciting voices in science fiction and fantasy. This year, the ceremony will be right here in Seattle during Worldcon on August 16. From time travel and resurrected mammoths to graphic novels and YA adventures, the 2025 finalists offer something for every reader. This month, we’ve gathered past Hugo Award winner titles in a special display at the Lake City Branch, and we’ve also created a Hugo Awards 2025 Finalists booklist so that you can explore them all. Here are just a few highlights to inspire your next read.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
In near-future London, a civil servant is recruited to the Ministry of Time: a project testing whether history’s dead can live among us. Tasked with monitoring a time-displaced Arctic explorer from 1847, she soon finds their awkward roommate dynamic deepening into something much more complicated and dangerous. This clever, genre-blending debut asks: what does it mean to defy history when it’s sharing your kitchen?
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
The cleric Chih escorts a young bride to a decaying estate haunted by rumors and ghosts alike. Between lavish banquets and cryptic warnings, they begin to uncover the dark fate of Lord Guo’s former wives and the truth hiding in plain sight. Fans of gothic suspense will savor this tense, elegant novella.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler
When resurrected mammoths roam Siberia, someone must teach them how to survive. Enter Dr. Damira Khismatullina, whose digitized consciousness now inhabits a mammoth body after her own murder. As she guides the herd, she hunts for the truth behind their return, and her own death. This high-concept novella is both thrilling and strangely tender.
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Book Two by Emil Ferris
In this long-awaited sequel, young Karen Reyes faces Chicago’s turbulent summer of 1968, grappling with her mother’s death, her sexuality, and buried family secrets. Her investigation into her neighbor’s past uncovers heroism and horror in Nazi Germany. Beautifully illustrated as a faux spiral notebook, this graphic novel is a masterpiece of visual storytelling.
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger
Shane and her ghost dogs help families find the missing until her own mother vanishes into a fairy ring. With her brother, friends, and a dangerously unreliable grandparent, Shane journeys beyond the ordinary world to bring her loved ones home. Rich with Lipan Apache tradition and wonder, this YA prequel to Elatsoe is a haunting adventure.
These five titles are only a glimpse of the imaginative worlds honored by the Hugos this year. Whether you’re a longtime fan of speculative fiction or just curious to see what all the buzz is about, you’ll find plenty to discover in the full list of finalists. Visit the display at the Lake City Branch to view past Hugo Award winners or browse our Hugo Award 2025 Finalists booklist to start your own Hugo adventure. Happy reading!
~Posted by Orion P.