{"title":"2026 Hugo Award for Best Novel Finalists","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery year at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), members vote on the best Science Fiction or Fantasy works of the previous year for the definitive accolade in the genre: the Hugo. In 2026, we have a really solid lineup of finalists for best novel. Any of these would be worth picking up but why not read them all so you can make an informed prediction on who will win?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"death-of-the-author-by-nnedi-okorafor-9781399622967","title":"Death of the Author","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe future of storytelling is here.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLife has thrown Zelu some curveballs over the years, but when she's suddenly dropped from her university job and her latest novel is rejected, all in the middle of her sister's wedding, her life is upended. Disabled, unemployed and from a nosy, high-achieving, judgmental family, she's not sure what comes next.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn her hotel room that night, she takes the risk that will define her life - she decides to write a book VERY unlike her others. A science fiction drama about androids and AI after the extinction of humanity. And everything changes.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat follows is a tale of love and loss, fame and infamy, of extraordinary events in one world, and another. And as Zelu's life evolves, the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBecause sometimes a story really \u003ci\u003edoes\u003c\/i\u003e have the power to reshape the world.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNnedi Okorafor, a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling and award-winning author, presents a sweeping tale about family, culture and identity, and a breathtaking examination of the relationship between writer and reader . . . and robots. \u003ci\u003eDeath of the Author\u003c\/i\u003e is heartfelt, tender, and an ambitious meta-drama about what makes us human.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46095813312748,"sku":"9781399622967","price":34.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399622967.jpg?v=1736815190"},{"product_id":"the-incandescent-by-emily-tesh-9780356525655","title":"The Incandescent","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A searingly brilliant fantasy. This is magical school with teeth. Warm-hearted, terrifying and clever . . . an unmissable read'\u003c\/b\u003e - Tasha Suri, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Jasmine Throne\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Deadly Education\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eRivers of London\u003c\/i\u003e in this captivating contemporary fantasy from \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Emily Tesh, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDr. Walden is the Director of Magic at Chetwood Academy and one of the most powerful magicians in England. Her days consist of meetings, teaching A-Level Invocation to four talented, chaotic sixth formers, more meetings, and securing the school's boundaries from demonic incursions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWalden is good at her job - no, Walden is \u003ci\u003egreat\u003c\/i\u003e at her job. But demons are masters of manipulation. It's her responsibility to keep her school with its six hundred students and centuries-old legacy safe. But it's possible the entity Walden most needs to keep her school safe from is herself . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The grown-up answer to the magical boarding school tale . . . Fantastic in every sense of the word'\u003c\/b\u003e - Freya Marske, author of \u003ci\u003eA Marvellous Light\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An absolute flex of a book, empathetic and passionate and deeply thoughtful. Above all, Tesh will make you care: about place, self, and the brave, impulsive, vulnerable, curious, incandescent young lives that are our future. 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Her story takes him to war, to the archives, and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. But that story always ends the same way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf they want to rewrite Una’s legend, and finally tell a different story, they’ll have to rewrite history itself - and change their lives in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Everlasting\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘An exquisite, epic romance... Simply superb’ – Freya Marske\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A book so wildly original as to be unlike any other... Simply a masterpiece' - Laura Steven\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘As dark and oppressive as it is utterly sublime... I loved every word of it’ – Olivia Atwater\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e‘Incandescent. \u003ci\u003eThe Everlasting\u003c\/i\u003e should enshrine Alix E. 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