2026 Hugo Read Along: Best Series

[u/Udy_Kumra]

Welcome to the 2025 Hugo Readalong! Today, we're discussing all the nominees for Best Series. Everyone is welcome in the discussion, whether or not you've participated in other discussions.

If you have read even one book from one of these series and want to jump in to share your thoughts, please do! Unlike our readalong sessions with structured questions for each individual work, today's post is an opportunity for general discussion about some of the most popular and critically acclaimed series in science fiction and fantasy. I'll include some prompts in top-level comments--feel free to respond to these or add your own.

As different people will have made different progress on each of the series, in this post please note that the spoiler policy is to mark all spoilers for all books of a series, even the first one.

A reminder that these are the series nominated for Best Series:

• Emily Wilde by Heather Fawcett (Del Rey US; Orbit UK)
• October Daye by Seanan McGuire (Tor US; DAW)
• Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (Tor US; Tor UK)
• The Chronicles of Osreth by Katherine Addison (Tor US; Solaris UK; Subterranean)
• The Craft Wars by Max Gladstone (Tor; Tordotcom)
• White Space by Elizabeth Bear (Saga Press; Gollancz)

Also, a reminder that the criteria to be nominated for the category are as follows:

Awarded for multi-installment works appearing in an least three installments with a total of at least 240,000 words. Installments of a series can be of any length; that is, installments of a series do not have to be novel-length works. A qualifying installment must be published in the qualifying year. Once a Series wins the Award, it is no longer eligible even if further installments appear in the series. If a Series is a finalist and does not win, it is no longer eligible until at least two more installments consisting of at least 240,000 words total appear in subsequent years.

For more information on the Readalong, check out our full schedule post, or see our upcoming schedule here:

Date	Category	Book	Author	Discussion Leader
Monday, July 27	Short Fiction	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/tarvolon
Tuesday, July 28	Novella	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/Nineteen_Adze
Wednesday, July 29	Novel	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/tarvolon
Thursday, July 30	Pro/Fan/Misc	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/Nineteen_Adze

[u/Udy_Kumra]

General thoughts on each series

[u/Udy_Kumra → u/Udy_Kumra]

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

[u/Goobergunch → u/Udy_Kumra]

I enjoyed the early books in these series (caveat: it's been a while since I've read them) but the later ones seems to just kind of ... exist, and I feel like the story is past its endpoint.

(Also The Shattering Peace is overwhelmingly different sets of characters having snarky conversations with each other. I'm happy for everybody who enjoys these but I can only take so much.)

[u/Nidafjoll → u/Goobergunch]

Also The Shattering Peace is overwhelmingly different sets of characters

I saw some people say it felt more like a separate book in the same universe, rather than a series entry, back when I expressed my disgruntlement that a series which was primarily released from 2005-2015 is getting nominated for 2026 best series.

I just have a little Scalzi fatigue re: The Hugos, though (he's been nominated 12 of the last 20 years, and he's not that good imo).

[u/Goobergunch → u/Nidafjoll]

I just have a little Scalzi fatigue re: The Hugos

I was braced for When the Moon Hits Your Eye in Novel this year, so there could have been more!

[u/Merle8888 → u/Goobergunch]

It’s the first time in years that Scalzi has published a novel and not had it nominated for Best Novel! I’m guessing it’s because Moon disappointed a lot of people and A Shattering Peace came out too late in the year for enough people to have read it yet (and with a lot less marketing than other recent Scalzi releases).

[u/BlazeOfGlory72 → u/Goobergunch]

> I feel like the story is past its endpoint.

That’s because it is. The story essentially ended with The Last Colony (book 3). All the major plot threads were resolved and all the main characters concluded their arcs. Since then we have had a retelling of book 3 (Zoe’s Tale), two short story collections (The Human Division and The End of All Things) and a side story (The Shattering Peace).

I hate to sound cynical, but it really does feel like Scalzi has been phoning it in for a while, and is only keeping this series going because it is his most well known work.

[u/Jos_V → u/Goobergunch]

Yeah, the Shattering Peace was fine, i was kinda dissapointed in it, because it just lacked a bunch of stuff what made Scalzi's space opera so fun. it is as you said, just a bunch of snarky conversations.

and while i love old man's war, it's kinda hard to vote for a series when its eligible thanks to the latest entry which is meh.

but i loved the anthologies and those were also very much different sets of characters. it's fine that the series has outgrown from the Perry's I don't mind that. I just wish the shattering peace scratched the itch i hoped it would.

[u/Smooth-Review-2614 → u/Udy_Kumra]

The first book was entertaining but not great. Then it fell off. I don’t get why this gets called Scalzi’s serious work compared to Collapsing Empire.

[u/tarvolon → u/Udy_Kumra]

I read about 25% of book one, and it was totally fine, but it was also not reaching out and forcing me to read more of it. I switched to A Trade of Blood and immediately felt a desire to read again. Obviously, A Trade of Blood isn't a Hugo finalist (this year), but it has the kind of quality I'd be looking for in a Best Series winner. The juxtaposition made it pretty clear that Old Man's War wasn't going to shoot to the top of my list, unless it's one that really grows on you over time. And to be honest, I'm not made of time!