Book Reviews: By Award
View as MarkdownBelow you’ll find short reviews of the books I’ve read.
Major Awards
Hugo Award
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All Systems RedAll Systems Red, by , is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries. It introduces us to Murderbot as it saves a team of scientists.
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Artificial ConditionArtificial Condition, by , is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it digs into its past and, once again, saves some scientists.
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A Canticle for LeibowitzA Canticle for Leibowitz, by , is the first book in the Saint Leibowitz series. It is a fix-up novel consisting of three parts: Fiat Homo, Fiat Lux, and Fiat Voluntas Tua. The story follows the monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz as they preserve the remains of humanity’s knowledge after an atomic war.
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The DarfstellerThe Darfsteller, by , is a Hugo Award-winning novelette about the obsolescence of the human artist. It follows Ryan Thornier, a former stage idol reduced to working as a janitor in a theater now run entirely by robots and an AI director, as he schemes to take the stage one last time.
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A Desolation Called PeaceA Desolation Called Peace, by , is the second book in the Teixcalaan series. It tells the story of Mahit and Three Seagrass trying to stop the war between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a mysterious alien race.
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A Fire Upon The DeepA Fire Upon The Deep is a sci-fi novel by . It tells the story of the Blight—a galactic-scale, transcendent evil—and the humans racing to stop it.
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Flowers for AlgernonFlowers for Algernon is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities who undergoes surgery to enhance his cognitive abilities. While it is a beautifully crafted narrative, it failed to hold my attention.
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HyperionHyperion is ’s masterpiece. It is the first book in his Hyperion Cantos. It follows seven pilgrims as they travel to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Along the way, each tells their own story, weaving together history, myth, and prophecy to tell of the impending downfall of man.
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The Left Hand of DarknessThe Left Hand of Darkness, by , is her Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about the planet of Winter. It follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen, as he attempts to bring this androgynous world into galactic civilization.
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A Memory Called EmpireA Memory Called Empire, by , is the first book in the Teixcalaan series. It follows Mahit Dzmare, an ambassador from the space station Lsel, as she tries to save her home from being annexed by the Teixcalaanli empire.
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The Moon Is a Harsh MistressThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by , is a Hugo Award-winning classic of libertarian science fiction. It chronicles the revolt of a lunar penal colony against its terrestrial rulers, a revolution orchestrated by a small group of rebels and their self-aware computer.
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Network EffectNetwork Effect, by , is the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It’s the first full-length novel in the series and features Murderbot getting kidnapped by ART to rescue its crew.
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Stand on ZanzibarStand on Zanzibar, by , is a Hugo-winning, New Wave science fiction novel that explores overpopulation, corporate power, and societal collapse.
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The Tainted CupThe Tainted Cup is a fantasy detective novel set in a world where humanity is on the brink of destruction from giant Kaiju. It follows investigators Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra as they try to solve the murder of an engineer and uncover a conspiracy that runs far deeper.
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This Is How You Lose the Time WarThis Is How You Lose the Time War, by and , is a story about two agents—Red and Blue—working for opposite factions from the far future, changing the past in an attempt to wipe out the other side.
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The Three-Body ProblemThe Three-Body Problem was recommended as a exciting, hard-scifi book full of new ideas. I was eager to read it, having just gotten back into fiction. I bought it for my flight from Melbourne to San Francisco and I threw it in the airport trash as I got off the plane.
Locus Award
- All Systems Red
All Systems Red, by , is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries. It introduces us to Murderbot as it saves a team of scientists.
- Artificial Condition
Artificial Condition, by , is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it digs into its past and, once again, saves some scientists.
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The Claw of the ConciliatorThe Claw of the Conciliator is the second book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It picks up right where The Shadow of the Torturer leaves off, following Severian as he makes his way towards Thrax.
- A Desolation Called Peace
A Desolation Called Peace, by , is the second book in the Teixcalaan series. It tells the story of Mahit and Three Seagrass trying to stop the war between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a mysterious alien race.
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Dragon’s EggDragon’s Egg is a hard sci-fi novel by . It is the story of first contact between humans and the Cheela: beings who live on a neutron star.
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The Fall of HyperionThe Fall of Hyperion, by , is the second book in the Hyperion Cantos, but really it’s the second half of Hyperion. It brings the seven pilgrims’ story to an end and depicts the war between the TechnoCore, the Ousters, and the Hegemony.
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Gun, with Occasional MusicGun, with Occasional Music is a sci-fi, hardboiled detective novel set in near-future Oakland, California. It follows Conrad Metcalf, a private inquisitor, as he tries to solve the murder of Maynard Stanhunt.
- Hyperion
Hyperion is ’s masterpiece. It is the first book in his Hyperion Cantos. It follows seven pilgrims as they travel to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Along the way, each tells their own story, weaving together history, myth, and prophecy to tell of the impending downfall of man.
- Network Effect
Network Effect, by , is the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It’s the first full-length novel in the series and features Murderbot getting kidnapped by ART to rescue its crew.
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The Rise of EndymionThe Rise of Endymion, by , is the fourth and final book in the Hyperion Cantos. It concludes the journey of Aenea and Raul as they race to unlock the secret of the Void Which Binds before the Pax can silence them. It resolves the mysteries of the Shrike and the TechnoCore while arguing that the Church’s immortality is a trap: to truly live, humanity must be willing to die.
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The Sword of the LictorThe Sword of the Lictor is the third book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian after he reaches Thrax and is exiled for a second time.
- This Is How You Lose the Time War
This Is How You Lose the Time War, by and , is a story about two agents—Red and Blue—working for opposite factions from the far future, changing the past in an attempt to wipe out the other side.
Nebula Award
- All Systems Red
All Systems Red, by , is the first book in The Murderbot Diaries. It introduces us to Murderbot as it saves a team of scientists.
- The Claw of the Conciliator
The Claw of the Conciliator is the second book in ’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It picks up right where The Shadow of the Torturer leaves off, following Severian as he makes his way towards Thrax.
- Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about Charlie Gordon, a man with intellectual disabilities who undergoes surgery to enhance his cognitive abilities. While it is a beautifully crafted narrative, it failed to hold my attention.
- The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness, by , is her Hugo and Nebula award-winning novel about the planet of Winter. It follows Genly Ai, an envoy from the Ekumen, as he attempts to bring this androgynous world into galactic civilization.
- Network Effect
Network Effect, by , is the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It’s the first full-length novel in the series and features Murderbot getting kidnapped by ART to rescue its crew.
- This Is How You Lose the Time War
This Is How You Lose the Time War, by and , is a story about two agents—Red and Blue—working for opposite factions from the far future, changing the past in an attempt to wipe out the other side.
Prometheus Hall Of Fame Award
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, by , is a Hugo Award-winning classic of libertarian science fiction. It chronicles the revolt of a lunar penal colony against its terrestrial rulers, a revolution orchestrated by a small group of rebels and their self-aware computer.
My Favorite Books Lists
My Favorite Books of 2025
- Artificial Condition
Artificial Condition, by , is the second book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it digs into its past and, once again, saves some scientists.
- A Desolation Called Peace
A Desolation Called Peace, by , is the second book in the Teixcalaan series. It tells the story of Mahit and Three Seagrass trying to stop the war between the Teixcalaanli Empire and a mysterious alien race.
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Disco ElysiumDisco Elysium, written by et al., is a role-playing game produced by ZA/UM. It’s the story of Harrier “Harry” Du Bois, a man who wakes up with no memories and has to solve a murder while learning who he is.
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Exit StrategyExit Strategy, by , is the fourth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It wraps up the GrayCris storyline as Murderbot returns to save its friends.
- The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion, by , is the second book in the Hyperion Cantos, but really it’s the second half of Hyperion. It brings the seven pilgrims’ story to an end and depicts the war between the TechnoCore, the Ousters, and the Hegemony.
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The Hydrogen SonataThe Hydrogen Sonata, by , is the tenth and final book in the Culture series. It explores the last days of the Glitz people as they prepare to Sublime.
- Hyperion
Hyperion is ’s masterpiece. It is the first book in his Hyperion Cantos. It follows seven pilgrims as they travel to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to petition the Shrike. Along the way, each tells their own story, weaving together history, myth, and prophecy to tell of the impending downfall of man.
- A Memory Called Empire
A Memory Called Empire, by , is the first book in the Teixcalaan series. It follows Mahit Dzmare, an ambassador from the space station Lsel, as she tries to save her home from being annexed by the Teixcalaanli empire.
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A Mote in ShadowA Mote in Shadow is ’s debut novel. It follows two down-on-their-luck outsiders dragged into a war between shadowy mercenary groups: exobiologist Chaeyoung No, whose disagreement with the scientific establishment leaves her in no position to question a too-good-to-be-true offer to fund her research expedition; and space hauler Frederik Obialo, who is more than willing to take a dangerous job if it brings him closer to his dream of giving his daughter a permanent home.
- Network Effect
Network Effect, by , is the fifth book in The Murderbot Diaries. It’s the first full-length novel in the series and features Murderbot getting kidnapped by ART to rescue its crew.
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Roadside PicnicRoadside Picnic, by brothers and , is a Soviet sci-fi novel. It’s essentially four short stories—each presented as a chapter—about the life of Redrick “Red” Schuhart, a “stalker” who illegally enters an alien-contaminated Zone to retrieve items for the black market.
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Rogue ProtocolRogue Protocol, by , is the third book in The Murderbot Diaries. It follows Murderbot as it investigates a GrayCris terraforming station and, you guessed it, ends up saving a group of humans.
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There Is No Antimemetics DivisionThere Is No Antimemetics Division, by , is a book about researchers trying to control dangerous antimemes—ideas that can’t be thought—and how you might combat a foe you can’t even remember exists.
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The TriumphantThe Triumphant is the twelfth book in the Bolo series. It’s an anthology of Bolo stories written by three different authors. They explore the emotional bond between a Bolo and the people around them, and the dangers of caring too much about a machine built for war.
My Favorite Books of 2024
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Childhood’s EndChildhood’s End is a classic sci-fi novel by . It is about first contact between humans and the mysterious Overlords, and the end of the human race.
- Dragon’s Egg
Dragon’s Egg is a hard sci-fi novel by . It is the story of first contact between humans and the Cheela: beings who live on a neutron star.
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EchopraxiaEchopraxia, by , is the second book in the Firefall series, unfolding at roughly the same time as Blindsight. It follows parasitologist Daniel Brüks, who gets unwillingly dragged into a conflict between multiple transhuman factions, travels to the Icarus station orbiting the sun, and eventually back to Earth.
- A Fire Upon The Deep
A Fire Upon The Deep is a sci-fi novel by . It tells the story of the Blight—a galactic-scale, transcendent evil—and the humans racing to stop it.
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InversionsInversions, by , is the sixth book in the Culture series, but it is very different from typical Culture novels: there are no spaceships and almost no advanced technology. Instead, it follows Culture citizens DeWar and Vosill as they manipulate a medieval society.
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Look to WindwardLook to Windward, by , is the seventh book in the Culture series. It explores the aftermath of the Idiran–Culture War and Chelgrian civil war.
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The Player of GamesThe Player of Games, by ’s, is the second novel in the Culture series. It tells the story of Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a master game player who is recruited to play Azad, an incredibly complex game that serves as the basis for the Empire of Azad’s entire government.
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StarquakeStarquake is the second book in the Cheela series by . It follows the Cheela as they rescue the humans and rebuild after a devastating starquake.
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Surface DetailSurface Detail, by , is the ninth book in the Culture series. It follows Lededje Y’breq as she seeks revenge for her own murder, set against the backdrop of a galactic conflict over virtual hells.
My Favorite Books of 2023
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The Abyss Beyond DreamsThe Abyss Beyond Dreams starts off The Chronicle of the Fallers, another series in ’s Commonwealth universe. Though billed as space opera, it often reads more as urban fantasy since most of the story occurs on the planet Bienvenido inside the Void where steam engines are their most advanced technology.
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BlindsightBlindsight is a hard sci-fi novel about first contact with aliens in the near future. A crew of four transhumans and a vampire are sent on a spaceship to investigate an anomaly in the solar system after a swarm of alien probes scan Earth.
- The Fall of Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion is a sequel that outshines its predecessor. It is everything I was expecting from Hyperion and more! A true masterpiece.
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Judas UnchainedThe sequel to Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained continues right where the last one left off, but with the action ramped up to 11. The various storylines and loose threads come together one by one until it’s the good guys racing against the bad guys for the fate of the universe.
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Night Without StarsNight Without Stars is the second book in The Chronicle of the Fallers. It is action packed, with great pacing, and complex characters. It is my new favorite book.
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Pandora’s StarI couldn’t put Pandora’s Star down! It is a sci-fi book that reads more like a thriller. There were always new mysteries that just a few more pages promised the answers to.
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Serpent ValleySerpent Valley, the third book in the War Horses series, is another quick, action-packed read—but without the flaws holding back its predecessors. Easily my favorite of the series so far!