The new year is upon us, and so, the wheel of the eternal cycle of awards turns once again to the spoke marked "recommendations".
As in every year, we have once again pulled together a selection of suggestions from across all of our contributors into a four part list of everything they have found inspiring, intriguing, thoughtful, or just loved outright over the course of 2024. We start today with Part 1, covering the prose fiction categories - these have been organised by the Hugo Award names, but the content is still very much applicable to a wide number of nominated awards across the SFF world.
We say this every year, but we'll say it again now - this list is, of course, highly subjective and makes no claim to being comprehensive. As a small collection of individuals with different tastes and interests, we can only talk about the things we've consumed ourselves, and could not hope to make a real dent in the (wonderfully) enormous ocean of works that are available in the genre sphere right now. There will be absolutely stellar works, truly award-worthy pieces of art, that we've missed. Such is the way of things. We also are, predominantly, a book focussed fanzine, and so our recommendations will always skew more towards the written fiction sections than anywhere else, and especially towards novels. Do not take any shorter lists of recommendations in some categories as a mark of lower quality - only as a reflection of our limited scope. So consider these as a starting point for considerations, or inspiration, to take into your wider thinking along with other recommendation sources when you come to nominate.
We have also excluded works created or contributed to by any of our NoaF collective, but look out later for a posts highlighting all of their efforts and eligibility.
Also, while we've done what we can to ensure the recommendations are eligible in their respective categories, it is possible we've made a couple of errors. If you spot something on the list that isn't eligible in a particular category, please let us know and we'll correct it.
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Nerds of a Feather 2025 Recommendation List Series:
Part 1: Prose Fiction Categories (Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Series, Lodestar Award)
Part 2: Visual Work Categories (Graphic Story, Dramatic Presentation)
Part 3: Individual Categories (Editor, Fan Writer, Professional Artist, Fan Artist, Astounding Award for Best New Writer)
Part 4: Institutional Categories (Related Work, Semiprozine, Fanzine, Fancast) and New Hugo Award for Best Poem
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Novel
Anyuru, Johannes; Ixelles, [Two Lines Press]Armfield, Julia; Private Rites, [Fourth Estate]
Berry, Jedediah; The Naming Song, [Tor Books]
Bradley, Kaliane; The Ministry of Time, [Simon & Schuster]
Broaddus, Maurice; Breath of Oblivion, [Tor Books]
Brooks, Sarah; The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands, [Flatiron Books]
Burnham, Sophie; Sargassa, [DAW]
Caruso, Melissa; The Last Hour Between Worlds, [Orbit]
Chandrasekera, Vajra; Rakesfall, [Tordotcom]
clarke, august; Metal from Heaven, [Erewhon]
Corey, James SA; The Mercy of the Gods, [Orbit]
Curtis, Grace; Floating Hotel, [DAW]
Dickinson, Seth; Exordia, [Tor Books]
Egan, Greg; Morphotrophic, [Greg Egan]
Hanna, Rania; The Jinn Daughter, [Hoopoe]
Howard, Scott Alexander; The Other Valley, [Atria Books]
Kang, Minsoo; The Melancholy of Untold History, [William Morrow]
Kim, Sung-Il; Blood of the Old Kings, [Tor Books] (translated by Anton Hur)
Klune, T. J.; Somewhere Beyond the Sea, [Tor Books]
Lakshminarayan, Lavanya; Interstellar Megachef, [Solaris]
Mills, Samantha; The Wings Upon Her Back, [Tachyon Publications]
Mohamed, Premee; The Siege of Burning Grass, [Solaris]
Morton, Mark; The Headmasters, [Shadowpaw Press]
North, Emet; In Universes, [Harper]
Park, Seolyeon; A Magical Girl Retires, [HarperVia] (translated by Anton Hur)
Pechaček, Jared; The West Passage, [Tordotcom]
Rees Brenna, Sarah; Long Live Evil, [Orbit]
Robins, Eden; Remember You Will Die, [Sourcebooks Landmark]
Robleda, Sofia; Daughter of Fire, [Amazon Crossing]
Sanderson, Brandon; Wind and Truth, [Tor Books]
Tchaikovsky, Adrian; Alien Clay, [Tor Books]
Tsamaase, Tlotlo; Womb City, [Erewhon]
Valente, Catherynne M.; Space Oddity, [Saga Press]
Vaughn, Carrie; The Naturalist Society, [47North]
Wexler, Django; How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, [Orbit]
Whiteley, Aliya; Three Eight One, [Solaris]
Wiswell, John; Someone You Can Build a Nest In, [DAW]
Akotowaa Ofori, Ivana; The Year of Return, [Android Press]
Davies Okungbowa, Suyi; Lost Ark Dreaming, [Tordotcom]
Drager, Lindsey; The Avian Hourglass, [Dzanc Books]
EnJoe, Toh; Harlequin Butterfly, [Pushkin Press] (translated by David Boyd)
Jeffers, Alex; A Mourning Coat, [Neon Hemlock]
Kingfisher, T.; What Feasts at Night, [Tor Nightfire]
Lowachee, Karin; The Mountain Crown, [Solaris]
McGregor, Tim; Eynhallow, [Raw Dog Screaming Press]
Meadows, Foz; Finding Echoes, [Neon Hemlock]
Mohamed, Premee; The Butcher of the Forest, [Tordotcom]
Mohamed, Premee; The Rider, the Ride, the Rich Man's Wife, [PS Publishing]
Moraine, Sunny; Your Shadow Half Remains, [Tor Trade]
Nayler, Ray; The Tusks of Extinction, [Tordotcom]
Nguyễn, Ngọc Tư ; Water: A Chronicle, [Major Books] (translated by Nguyễn An Lý)
OldBear, Weyodi; As Many Ships as Stars, [Android Press]
Older, Malka; The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles, [Tordotcom]
Palumbo, Suzan; Countess, [ECW Press]
Samatar, Sofia; The Practice, the Horizon and the Chain, [Tordotcom]
Shibusawa, Tatsuhiko; Takaoka's Travels, [MONKEY] (translated by David Boyd)
Sui, A.D.; The Dragonfly Gambit, [Neon Hemlock]
Tchaikovsky, Adrian; Saturation Point, [Solaris]
Teffeau, Lauren C.; A Hunger With No Name, [University of Tampa Press]
Vo, Nghi; The Brides of High Hill, [Tordotcom]
Wexler, Django; Last Stop, [Podium Publishing]
Whitcher, Ursula; North Continent Ribbon, [Neon Hemlock]
Wilson, Lorraine; The Last to Drown, [Luna Press]
Novelette
Chandrasekera, Vajra; "The Limner Wrings His Hands", (Deep Dream, edited by Indrapramit Das)
Drnovšek Zorko, Filip Hajdar; "The Heist for the Soul of Humanity", (Lightspeed Issue 170)
Due, Tananarive; "A Stranger Knocks", (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 60)
Ha, Thomas; "The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video", (Clarkesworld Issue 212)
Harding, Lawrence; Old Habits Die Hard, [Lawrence Harding]
Kagunda, Shingai; "We Who Will Not Die", (Psychopomp, September 2024)
Kritzer, Naomi; "The Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea", (Asimov's September/October 2024)
Leckie, Ann; "Lake of Souls", (Lake of Souls)
Pinsker, Sarah; "Signs of Life", (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 59)
Tryantafyllou, Eugenia; "Joanna's Bodies", (Psychopomp July 2024)
Tryantafyllou, Eugenia; "Loneliness Universe", (Uncanny Magazine, Issue 58)
Vaughn, Carrie; "Himalia", (Clarkesworld Issue 213)
Yu, E. Lily; "The Bonfire of Words", (Boston Review)
Short Story
Barton, Phoebe; "Climbing the Mountains of Me", (Kaleidotrope, Winter 2024)
Chan, L; "Stranger Seas Than These", (Clarkesworld, Issue 219)
Condé, E. G.; "Sibilance", (Interzone 299)
Cupp, Rachael; "Fables", (Interzone 300)
DeNiro, Anya Johanna; "Labelscar", (Embodied Exegesis, ed. Ann LeBlanc)
Dima, Diana; "Seven Recipes for the Crossing", (khōréō Volume 3, Issue 4)
Harry, Gabrielle Emem; "Faith is a Butterfly Resting on a Rotting Eye (or the Art of Faith)", (Strange Horizons, Issue 21 October 2024)
Hellisen, CL; "Godskin", (Strange Horizons, Issue 4 March 2024)
Jones, Rachael K.; "Five Views of the Planet Tartarus", (Lightspeed, Issue 164)
Khaw, Cassandra; "Immortal is the Heart", (Deep Dream, ed. Indrapramit Das)
King, Natasha; "Take Up Thy Mother's Song", (khōréō Volume 4, Issue 1)
Kurella, Jordan; "Evan: A Remainder", (Reactor, January 31 2024)
Lakshminarayan, Lavanya; "Halfway to Hope", (Deep Dream, ed. Indrapramit Das)
Low, P.H.; "Stone / Heart / Flesh / Wound", (Heartlines Issue 5)
Margariti, Avra; "Cicadas, And Their Skins", (Strange Horizons, Issue 29 July 2024)
Martino, Anna; "Because Flora Had Existed. And I Had Loved Her", (Samovar, 28 October 2024) (translated by Anna Martino)
Mohamed, Premee; "Not Lost (Never Lost)", (Psychopomp)
Sen, Nibedita; "Agni", (The Sunday Morning Transport, Jan 07 2024)
Wasserstein, Izzy; "Syndical Organization in Revolutionary Transition", (Embodied Exegesis, ed. Ann LeBlanc)
Whitcher, Ursula; "A Fisher of Stars, (Neon Hemlock - included in North Continent Ribbon)
Winter, Celia; "Two by Two by Two", (Heartlines Issue 6)
Young, T.H.; "Do You Know How the Lotus Flower Blooms?", [Heartlines Issue 6 (Fall 2024)]
Series (Qualifying Work)
Brust, Steven; Vlad Taltos (Lyorn)
Clarke, H.A.; Scapegracers (The Feast Makers)
Jones, Stephen Graham; Indian Lake Trilogy (Angel of Indian Lake)
Maresca, Marshall Ryan; The Maradaine Sequence (The Royal First Irregulars)
McGuire, Seanan; Incryptid (Aftermarket Afterlife)
Modesitt Jr., L. E.; The Saga of Recluce (Overcaptain)
Palmer, Suzanne; The Finder Series (Ghostdrift)
Roanhorse, Rebecca; Between Earth and Sky (Mirrored Heavens)
Suri, Tasha; The Burning Kingdoms (The Lotus Empire)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian; The Tyrant Philosophers (Days of Shattered Faith)
Vandermeer, Jeff; Southern Reach (Absolution)
Wurts, Janny; Wars of Light and Shadow (Song of the Mysteries)