Hugonauts: The Best Sci-Fi Books of All Time

Brent Gaisford, Cody Troyer
  • 4.8 (72)
  • Books
  • Updated Biweekly

Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody. Each episode dives into a single book or series in the sci-fi cannon. Author interviews, reviews and analysis, and related book recommendations. Happy reading y'all!

  1. The Best of Sci-Fi and Fantasy - YA Books so Good we Loved them as Adults

    May 26

    The Best of Sci-Fi and Fantasy - YA Books so Good we Loved them as Adults

    In this episode of the Hugonauts we’re breaking down what truly defines great Young Adult fiction and answering the ultimate question: do these books actually hold up when you read them for the first time as an adult? We look at the core guidelines of YA literature—from exploring the human condition through a young protagonist's eyes to (ideally) teaching profound stuff that resonates beyond teenhood.  We count down the absolute best YA sci-fi books and YA fantasy recommendations. We dive into legendary dystopian hits like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, masterclass sci-fi like Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Red Rising by Pierce Brown, and classic fantasy staples like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, and C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. But we don't just look at the masterpieces.  We also separate the true YA novels from books that are actually meant for middle-grade kids (like The Giver, Redwall, and The Phantom Tollbooth). Finally, we tackle the controversial "duds" of the genre. Why are massive bestsellers like The Maze Runner, Divergent, and Scythe so incredibly popular, and why did they fall totally flat for us? Grab your reading list and let's find out which books are actually worth your time!  No spoilers anywhere in this episode. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video This episode is sponsored by Memoirs of the End by Vincent Rylan All the books we recommend, plus timestamps: 00:00 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  04:16 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card  07:02 The Chrysalids by John Wyndham  08:55 SPONSOR - Memoirs of the End by Vincent Rylan  09:30 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline  12:54 Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff  15:20 Red Rising by Pierce Brown  18:47 Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden  20:15 A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket  22:39 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien  23:56 The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman  26:40 The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis  29:10 The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett  31:38 Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin  34:14 The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King  35:14 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman  36:55 Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling  39:10 Redwall by Brian Jacques 41:17  Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien  41:55 The Giver by Lois Lowry  42:41 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster  43:34 Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer  44:40 Cinder by Marissa Meyer  45:56 Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix  46:54 How are these duds so popular?

    51 min
  2. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie - Monsters, the Pope, and a hell of a lot of good jokes!

    May 5

    The Devils by Joe Abercrombie - Monsters, the Pope, and a hell of a lot of good jokes!

    In this episode we dive into The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. It’s a departure from the grim world of The First Law, leaning into a "monsters vs. monsters" heist set in a supernatural, alternate-history Europe. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if the Vatican recruited a werewolf, a vampire, and a deathless soldier to save the world - well, you're in luck. We discuss the shift in tone, the hilarious "refrains" Joe uses for his characters, and whether this new direction lives up to his legendary fantasy status.  We break down the entire motley crew—from Jakob’s "righteous" path to the mystery of Baptiste—and comparing the action to Abercrombie’s previous work. Is Viga the new Bloody Nine? Does the humor land as well as the sword-swings? We also feature some of the best takes from our Discord book club, including debating character rethreads, the themes of the book, and who is likely to love the book. Stick around to hear our final scores and why this might be the most "fun" Abercrombie has ever been. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our next episode, where we’ll be pivoting to discuss the best of Young Adult (YA) scifi and fantasy!  As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion.  Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video Similar books we recommend:  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie Night Watch by Terry Pratchett  This episode is sponsored by Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard. If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode: 00:00 Intro  01:17 Our review (4/5)  04:15 Sponsor - Pilgrims by M.R. Leonard  04:48 Incredibly entertaining fight scenes  07:53 Genuinely funny writing  12:34 Religion, power, and worldbuilding  14:32 The League of Extraordinary Gentleman  15:10 The First Law Trilogy  16:03 Night Watch  17:10 POST SPOILERS book summary  18:49 POST SPOILERS the characters  24:21 POST SPOILERS redemption?

    31 min
  3. There Is No Antimemetics Division - This Book Erases Itself From Your Mind

    Apr 21

    There Is No Antimemetics Division - This Book Erases Itself From Your Mind

    This is exactly the kind of philosophical sci-fi we love - something new, something fresh, and something that will make you think. We wish the second half had been as good as the premise, but there's still no doubt this is one we'll be thinking about for years to come (and weirdly it already feels like we've been thinking about it for years).  If you’ve ever fallen down an SCP Foundation wiki rabbit hole, you know the vibe, but qntm takes it to a whole new level of existential dread. This isn't your typical alien invasion story; it’s a masterclass in cosmic horror where the monster isn't just invisible—it’s un-rememberable. We break down the terrifying logic of antimemes and how qntm manages to build a high-stakes thriller around a conflict that nobody even knows is happening.  For fans of weird fiction and high-concept science fiction, this book is essential reading. It sits in that sweet spot between the psychological puzzles of Blindsight, the bureaucratic nightmare of Control, and the drug-fueled confusion of A Scanner Darkly. Whether you’re a long-time follower of SCP Foundation lore or a newcomer looking for the next mind-bending book recommendation, we explore why There Is No Antimemetics Division is a landmark in modern internet-born literature and why its themes of memory loss and the power of ideas resonate so deeply today.  If you want to learn more about the real world organization trying to stop memes from destroying the world, check out Cause Amp, Brent's new project to combat disinformation online:  https://causeamp.org/ to learn more and get the browser extension Send Brent an email to learn more or volunteer: info@causeamp.org As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video Similar books we recommend: Control (the video game) A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode: 00:00 Intro 00:30 Our review (4.25/5) 01:30 No spoilers plot setup 02:20 A genuinely exciting new big idea 03:41 SCP Foundation 5:46 Memes vs Antimemes 8:02 Cause Amp - the real world Antimemetics Division 11:38 Control (the game) 12:44 A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick 13:33 The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers 15:26 POST SPOILERS discussion

    26 min
  4. Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations)

    Apr 7

    Project Hail Mary - Book vs Movie (plus other sci-fi book to movie recommendations)

    If you thought The Martian was intense, let's just go ahead and raise the stakes.  We break down the movie version of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, comparing the film with the fun technical problem solving of the original novel. We take a close look at how the movie brings the "astrophage" threat and and action to life, more importantly, whether it is possible to have your hair tousled 100% of the time.  We dig into which complex scientific explanations were streamlined for Hollywood pacing and which "science-ing the heck out of it" moments remained intact. We also evaluate Ryan Gosling’s performance as the amnesiac-turned-savior, Ryland Grace, comparing his onscreen energy to the internal monologue that made the book a bestseller. Whether you’re a die-hard Rocky fan or a casual viewer who just loves a good space movie, this episode highlights the hits and misses of the transition from page to screen.  We wrap up by answering the ultimate questions: is the movie worth watching? Is the book worth reading? Settle on in, enjoy, and fist our bump.  Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion. Similar books and movies we recommend:  The Martian (book and movie)  Story of Your Life (novela) and Arrival (movie)  2001 (book and movie)  Solaris (book and movie)  Roadside Picnic (book) and Stalker (the movie)  Children of Men (book and movie)  Edge of Tomorrow (movie) and All you Need is Kill (book)  War of the Worlds (book and movie)  Dune (we love eyebrows)  This episode is sponsored by STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar: https://www.starløk.com/  If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode: 00:00 Intro and review  02:26 Sponsor – STARLØK by J.T. Michaelstar  03:04 Differences in the movie  8:13 Jokes vs cheesiness  10:15 How long can you look at Ryan Gosling?  12:16 Ever-tousled hair  16:27 Read or watch first?  17:53 The Martian  18:33 Story of Your Life & Arrival  19:46 2001 20:56 Solaris  22:03 Roadside Picnic & Stalker  23:54 Children of Men 25:30 All You Need is Kill & Edge of Tomorrow  26:38 War of the Worlds  28:16 Annihilation  28:56 Dune (we love eyebrows)  30:11 POST SPOILERS discussion

    39 min
  5. The Dark Tower: Unraveling Stephen King's Mid-World

    Mar 17

    The Dark Tower: Unraveling Stephen King's Mid-World

    We had so much fun revisiting Mid-World for this episode – it’s the first series that brought us together as book nerds twenty years ago, and it’s absolutely just as good as the first day we read it. So thankful it helped tie our friendship together, and laid the foundation for meeting all the rest of you Hugonauts all these years later!  The Dark Tower defies (or bridges) genres, with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, western, horror, and more, all rolled into one legendary package. And Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, is an incredible main character, and we’ll never forget the rest of the Ka-Tet either. And the ending – we won’t spoil it here, but man do we like thinking about this ending (it’s one of the most polarizing in all of literature). You may be picking up on the fact that we kinda like these books. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video As always, no spoilers until the end when we give a heads up before getting into the full plot discussion. Similar books we recommend:  Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey Book of the New Sun series - Gene Wolfe This episode is sponsored by The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode: 00:00 Intro 01:58 Our review (5/5) 03:35 Sponsor – The Rising and the Fall of Hell by Sean Miller 04:09 About Stephen King 07:26 Incredible character writing 08:56 A 20 year series 10:30 Should we be reading on drugs? 12:38 Cody hates Star Wars 15:52 Every genre combined 18:02 Our favorite books in the series 19:39 The King Multiverse 21:10 The Dark Tower movie 22:03 Inspirations from other fiction 27:44 Similar books we recommend 31:27 POST SPOILERS discussion

    48 min
  6. PAGE TURNERS: 15 binge-worthy Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books!

    Feb 24

    PAGE TURNERS: 15 binge-worthy Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books!

    We’ve got 15 books and series here, so there should be something to love for almost every reader (although we need some traditional fantasy page turners – send us some recommendations in the comments please)! Plus, at the end of the episode we each rank our personal top 3. We intentionally excluded YA and military sci-fi books, although those are often also page-turners - look out for episodes about each of those soon! Brent’s brother, Alex, joined us for this episode, and brought us a whole new batch of books (and frankly a couple new subgenres) to enjoy. LitRPG / progression fantasy just keep getting more popular, and we can see why – the books we’ve picked up have all been so, so fun to read (although it probably helps we’ve been reading Alex’s recommendations so far, the best of the best from the hundreds of LitRPG books he’s read). No spoilers anywhere in this episode. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video This episode is sponsored by Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney All the books we recommend, plus timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:48 Sponsor – Quinto’s Challenge by Peter McChesney 03:26 Silo by Hugh Howey 5:06 Mother of Learning by Domagoj Kurmaic 7:19 Murderbot by Martha Wells 9:10 Beware of Chicken by Casualfarmer 12:26 Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton 14:49 Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke 18:18 Project Hail Mary and The Martian by Andy Weir 19:40 Iron Prince by Bryce O'Connor 22:33 Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 24:04 He Who Fights With Monsters by Shirtaloon 28:47 Daemon by Daniel Suarez 31:07 The Perfect Run by Maxime J. Durand 33:39 The Bobiverse by Dennis E. Taylor 36:24 Eight by Samer Rabadi 38:37 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman 46:18 Rankings: Top 3 page turners

    53 min
  7. The Best Space Operas Ever Written - the biggest stories and the best characters!

    Feb 3

    The Best Space Operas Ever Written - the biggest stories and the best characters!

    We've got 18 books and series we highly recommend, so there's something here for all kinds of readers - and at the end of the episode we rank our top 3 to bring you the best of the best.  What is space opera? Books with big characters and a bigger world - they usually even come with big 'ol wordcounts. Space opera is often multi-pov, with interstellar travel and the fate of the galaxy at stake.  No spoilers anywhere in this episode. Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer videoThis episode is sponsored by indie sci-fi publisher Lil' Factory All the books we recommend, plus timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:36 Sponsor - Lil' Factory 1:24 What is a space opera? 2:58 The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 4:45 The Expanse - James S.A. Corey 6:38 Hyperion - Dan Simmons 9:51 House of Suns - Alistair Reynolds 11:32 Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky 13:11 Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge 15:04 The Culture - Iain M. Banks 17:17 Peter F. Hamilton's whole discography 20:19 Embassytown - China Mieville 21:45 A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine 23:34 Dune - Are you happy now? 24:47 Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie 26:34 Downbelow Station - C.J. Cherryh 26:05 The Mote in God's Eye - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle 29:24 Startide Rising - David Brin 31:16 The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers 33:01 Foundation - Isaac Asimov 35:22 Rankings: 3rd best Space Opera 37:27 Rankings: 2nd best Space Opera 38:50 Rankings: 1st best Space Opera

    42 min
  8. Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age - Nanotech, Atom-scale 3D Printers, and a subversive Primer!

    Jan 13

    Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age - Nanotech, Atom-scale 3D Printers, and a subversive Primer!

    This might be the best sci-fi book out there about nanotechnology. But Stephenson has so many good ones that this one isn't his best book - some of the characters lose their way, and it drags in the middle.  Oh, and one more good recommendation we forgot while we were recording - check out Blood Music by Greg Bear if you want a biological twist on nanotech! Join the Hugonauts book club on discordOr you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer videoAs always, no spoilers until the end when we get into the full plot explanation and discussion. Similar books we recommend:  Snow Crash by Neal StephensonNeuromancer by William GibsonCory DoctorowPrey by Michael CrichtonThis episode is sponsored by Har Megiddon by Ron Bennett. If you want to jump around, here are the timestamps for the episode:    00:00 Intro00:47 Book setup1:49 Sponsor - Har Megiddon2:22 Our review 3.25/53:53 Great sections - and stinkers4:47 Incredible technology7:33 Hard to visualize?9:38 Dances with Wolves10:17 Labor saving devices13:59 Neal's infodumps19:25 Book structure25:47 Sponsor - Har Megiddon26:08 Similar books we recommend28:40 Spoilers section - book summary31:30 Spoilers section - discussion

    41 min
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Explore the best of sci-fi with Brent and Cody. Each episode dives into a single book or series in the sci-fi cannon. Author interviews, reviews and analysis, and related book recommendations. Happy reading y'all!

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