Yes, I know I’m late with this, but tracking down all the novels – and reading them – took time. And, yes, I know there were six nominees, but one of them I don’t feel qualified to judge (see below). So, now I have read all of them (including the sixth one), here are my thoughts on the 2025 Hugo Award Nominees for Best Novel.

Table of Contents

• Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
• Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell
• Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher
• The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
• Conclusion

I’m going to discuss each of the novels in the reverse order of their voting tallies (excluding no award). The voting statistics (including the votes for the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel) are available to download here. I’ll provide a brief summary and my thoughts about each of them.

So spoilers, duh!

WARNING
Spoilers ahead
Service Model

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Summary

When a valet robot discovers that he has murdered his master in a shaving incident, he suffers an existential crisis that subsequently sends him on a journey of self-discovery.

Thoughts

I’m not surprised this novel scored the lowest number of votes. It was my least favourite. I ended giving up after a hundred pages or so.

It read like a comedy, written by someone that thinks they’re as hilarious as Monty Python, but who keeps repeating the same gag over and over again ad nauseam. It’s not funny, just weird – but not in a good way – and I found it painful to read.

I’m actually surprised it was published (let alone nominated for a Hugo Award). I suspect had it come from an unknown writer, it would never have advanced beyond the slush heap.
The Ministry of Time

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Summary

A government employee applies for a new job and soon finds herself being the personal carer to an arctic explorer that has been kidnapped from the past.

Thoughts

I liked the concept (Connie Willis managed to concoct four Hugo Award-winning novels – including my favourite novel of all time – with something similar), and the first act is strong. From there though, it meanders around spending far too much time on dinner parties and trips to the pub until it gets to the midpoint, which is exciting, but the second half of the novel really goes off the rails.

It’s supposed to be a romantic comedy. However, the romance is tepid – it’s there, but there’s minimal spark between the participants – and the comedy is completely absent – apart from a couple of character moments.

I feel that if Bradley had crafted a truly engaging couple, something like the lovers in Notting Hill, and focused on the tiny moments between them – especially given their disparate backgrounds – she would have been far more successful. Instead, she tried to shoe horn in a time travel murder mystery, involving moles, agents from the future, and the tropiest of time travel tropes. It all ends up very meh, which I found disappointing.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

Summary

When a shapeshifting monster falls in love, little does she know that her love interest has been sent to kill her.

Thoughts

I really wanted to love this. The idea is great, and it opens well – the descriptions of the monster are delightful. However, it bogs down into a feeling of sameness. Very little had happened by the time I gave up reading it. The plot needed to be much tighter, but it wanders through nothingness for a good portion of the first, and second acts.
Alien Clay

Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Summary

When a biology researcher is exiled to an exoplanet for political crimes, he discovers the government has discovered the remnants of an alien civilisation. Amid rampant thuggery, a hostile environment, and a looming insurrection, he delves to uncover the secrets of the aliens.

Thoughts

This was the most traditional science-fiction concept of all the nominees. Big ideas, and an intriguing mystery. It has all the hallmarks of a classic. And it almost achieves that lofty status. Almost.

My problem with this novel lies with the political element. It’s so fundamental to the story, but the key differences in the schism between the government position and the politics of the protagonist (and his fellow exiles) was never fully explained to my liking. It left me feeling very meh, about the whole deal.

Also, the political manoeuvring rang as untrue – manufactured to drive the plot instead of representing a real possibility. Unfortunately, the climax relies on this so much it undermined what should have been brilliant. It still kind of works, but it misses the truly dramatic punch if the politics had been handled much better.
Sorceress Comes to Call

A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher

This is the one that I’m not going to comment on, beyond saying that I read some of it and I didn’t understand it. I’m not a horror fan – not even vaguely. I don’t feel I can judge it fairly.

My wife liked the novel, but she thought it wasn’t Kingfisher’s best work.
The Tainted Cup

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Summary

When a young investigator, and his boss, are called into investigate the death of an engineer, they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just their region, but the entire Empire.

Thoughts

This was such a treat to read. I consumed it passionately. My wife did the same. While it’s essentially a classic whodunit, the world Bennett has created is so rich and intriguing. It’s not just fantasy, but something truly unique. A worthy winner of the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

I thought the sequel, A Drop of Corruption, was even better.

Conclusion

Overall, I don’t feel this was a particular strong year. I’m still struggling to understand how Service Model made the list. Surely, the nominators can’t be so myopic as to include only named authors at the exclusion of the unknowns. The only thing that should matter is the quality of the writing, and the Hugo nominees should represent the very best (admittedly, I haven’t exactly been enthused by past winners either).

Yeah, I’m an idealist.