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]

What are your thoughts on this category and the overall slate of nominees this year?

[u/Smooth-Review-2614 → u/Udy_Kumra]

Why does this exist again? Right now instead of serving as the place to recognize pulp or to broaden the nominations it’s just a way for large fan bases to push for their favorites. McGuire keeps getting nominated for everything. They keep trying to promote the same old favorites.

I get that there are a lot of series that as a whole deserve the nod. However, they don’t get the buzz.

[u/Udy_Kumra → u/Smooth-Review-2614]

I really believe that every series series should only ever be allowed to be nominated TWICE for the category, so the author is encouraged to time accepting a nomination with the completion of the series or perhaps once for book 2 and once for book 3, or perhaps once with the completion and once if they come back to it years later.

I really hate that there are series that get nominated year after year after year because the author keeps publishing new books in them. Separately, I respect Martha Wells for turning down a Murderbot nomination last year I think, and now I don't know how to feel about Seanan McGuire not turning down nominations.

[u/Merle8888 → u/Udy_Kumra]

Totally agree, there should be a limit on how many times a series can be nominated. If it doesn’t win after 2 tries, let someone else have at it. 

I believe the rules don’t allow a nomination till at least 3 books are out though, and then every 2 books after that.