Why we love the 2015 Hugo Awards

The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, Translated by Ken Liu, is one of the first Chinese science fiction novels to reach the greater american science fiction reading public. The winner of multiple awards within his own country, Cixin Liu weaves the story of an Earth at imminent threat of alien invasion, and the choices that the human inhabitants of the planet must confront.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison is the story of an outcast at court. The youngest, exiled, half-goblin son of the Emperor must step into his place as heir when his father and brothers are killed in an “accident’. Isolated in his new power, he must learn who to trust, how to act, how to love, and how to stay alive.

Skin Game by Jim Butcher didn’t disappoint fans who already enjoy Harry Dresden’s romps through magic, Faerie, life, death and, in the case of Skin Game, Hell. As Chicago’s only professional wizard, and the Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry Dresden must bend to the whim of the often twisted and cruel Queen Mab of the Faeries. This time, she is sending him into a high security bank vault with his arch nemesis, in an attempt to steal something from hades himself.

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie, despite our love for the other nominees, has our vote this year. Ancillary Justice, the first book in the series, is a previous Hugo award winner and its sequel is equally deserving of a place among the best science fiction books. Breq is a soldier who used to be a warship. Now, placed in charge of another ship as it’s captain, she must traverse vast swaths of the universe, navigate the inconsistency of human emotion, and continue her own inner struggle with identity.

The Dark Between the Stars by Kevin J. Anderson is a read for fans of classic science fiction. A tale of galactic empires, other worldly powers, and intergalactic strife, fans of Dune will enjoy this tale of action and adventure.