Best Series Hugo:
Eligible Series from 2020

SJW Credential Reading SFF Book (c) Can Stock Photo / vitalytitov

By JJ: To assist Hugo nominators, listed below are the series believed to be eligible as of this writing for the 2021 Best Series Hugo next year *†.

Each series name is followed by the main author name(s) and the 2020-published work(s).

Feel free to add missing series and the name of the 2020-eligible work in the comments, and I will get them included in the main post.

I just ask that suggesters (1) first do a Find on author surname on this page, to check whether the series is already on the list, and (2) then make an effort to verify that a series does indeed have 3 volumes, that it has a 2020-published work, and that it has likely met the 240,000 word threshold. Self-published works may or may not be added to the list at my discretion.

Note that previous Hugo Administrators ruled that nominations for a series and one of its subseries will not be combined. Therefore, when nominating a subseries work, think carefully under which series name it should be nominated. If the subseries does not yet meet the 3-volume, 240,000 word count threshold, then the main series name should be nominated. If the subseries does meet that threshold, then the subseries name should probably be nominated. This will ensure that another subseries in the same universe, or the main series itself, would still be eligible next year if this subseries is a finalist this year.

* ineligible series are preceded by an asterisk

  • Alchemy Wars by Ian Tregillis, Come the Revolution (novella)
  • Alex Verus by Benedict Jacka, Forged
  • Anita Blake by Laurell K. Hamilton, Sucker Punch
  • Argenau by Lynsay Sands, Immortal Angel
  • Ars Numina by Ann Aguirre, The War Priest
  • Australia by J.P. Smythe, Dark Made Dawn
  • Avalon by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steve Barnes, Starborn & Godsons
  • Ben Walker by Christopher Golden, Red Hands
  • Beyond the Mirror by A.J. Hartley, The Mirrors Shattered
  • Black Chamber by S.M. Stirling, Shadows of Annihilation
  • Black Jewels by Anne Bishop, The Queen’s Bargain
  • Bobiverse by Denis E. Taylor, Heaven’s River
  • Carpathian / Dark by Christine Feehan, Dark Song
  • Cas Russell / Russell’s Attic by SL Huang, Critical Point
  • Cass Neary by Elizabeth Hand, The Book of Lamps and Banners
  • Cassie Palmer by Karen Chance, Shatter the Earth
  • Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons, The Memory of Souls
  • Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry, Looking Glass
  • Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara, Cast in Wisdom
  • Chronicles of Elantra: Wolves of Elantra by Michelle Sagara, The Emperor’s Wolves (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Chronicles of Ghadid by K. A. Doore, The Unconquered City
  • Chronicles of St. Mary’s by Jodi Taylor, Plan for the Worst
  • Chronicles of St. Mary’s: Time Police by Jodi Taylor, Hard Time (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • City of Devils by Justin Robinson, A Stitch in Crime
  • Commonweal by Graydon Saunders, A Mist of Grit and Splinters
  • Consortium Rebellion by Jessie Mihalik, Chaos Reigning
  • Crown of Shards by Jennifer Estep, Crush the King
  • Cry Pilot by Joel Dane, Burn Cycle and Kill Orbit
  • Cultivation Chat Group by Legend of The Paladin (webnovel)
  • Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakraborty, The Empire of Gold
  • Dark Arts by David Mack, The Shadow Commission
  • Deathless by Peter Newman, The Boundless
  • Demon Wars: The Coven by R.A. Salvatore, Song of the Risen God
  • DFZ (Detroit Free Zone) by Rachel Aaron, Night Shift Dragons
  • Destroyermen by Taylor Anderson, Winds of Wrath
  • Diabolist’s Library by Molly Tanzer, Creatures of Charm and Hunger
  • Diviners by Libba Bray, The King of Crows
  • Diving Universe by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Squishy’s Teams and Maelstrom (novella)
  • Doctor Who by Sophie Aldred, At Childhood’s End
  • Dominion of the Fallen by Aliette de Bodard, Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders (novella)
  • Dorina Basarab by Karen Chance, Queen’s Gambit
  • Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill, The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot
  • Dragaera by Steven Brust, The Baron of Magister Valley
  • Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Peace Talks and Battle Ground
  • Eirlandia by Stephen R. Lawhead, In the Kingdom of All Tomorrows
  • Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey, Jolene
  • Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell, Light of Impossible Stars
  • Endarian Prophecy by Richard Phillips, The Time Seer
  • Eric Carter by Stephen Blackmoore, Ghost Money
  • Firefly by James Lovegrove, The Ghost Machine
  • Firekeeper by Jane Lindskold, Wolf’s Soul
  • First Law by Joe Abercrombie, The Trouble with Peace
  • Folk of the Air by Holly Black, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
  • Fool by Christopher Moore, Shakespeare for Squirrels
  • Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh, Resurgence and Divergence
  • Gaunt and Bone by Chris Willrich, Eyetooth
  • Ghostwalkers by Christine Feehan, Lethal Game
  • Grand Tour by Ben Bova, Uranus
  • Green Man by Juliet McKenna, The Green Man’s Silence
  • Guild Hunters by Nalini Singh, Archangel’s Son
  • Harp and Ring Sequence by Ilana C. Myer, The Poet King
  • Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, Warriors
  • Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn, Haunted Heroine
  • Hidden Legacy by Ilona Andrews, Emerald Blaze
  • Hollow Gods by Rebecca Levene, The Sun’s Devices
  • Hollows by Kim Harrison, American Demon
  • Honor by Ann Aguirre and Rachel Caine, Honor Lost
  • Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
  • In Death by J.D. Robb, Golden in Death and Shadows in Death
  • In Love and War by Cora Buhlert, Ballroom Blitz (novella) and “Neutral Ground” (novelette)
  • *InCryptid by Seanan McGuire, Imaginary Numbers and Follow the Lady (novella) (ineligible due to being a finalist in 2020 and having insufficient new word count and/or volumes to requalify)
  • Initiation Trilogy by Chris Babu, The Insurrection
  • Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews, Sweep With Me (novella)
  • Interdependency by John Scalzi, The Last Emperox
  • Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman, The Dark Archive
  • Khaavren Romances by Steven Brust, The Baron of Magister Valley
  • Khorasan Archives by Ausma Zehanat Khan, The Bladebone
  • Kingdom of Grit by Tyler Whitesides, The Last Lies of Ardor Benn
  • Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughn, The Immortal Conquistador and Kitty’s Mix Tape (collection)
  • Lady Astronaut by Mary Robinette Kowal, The Relentless Moon
  • Last Oracle by Melissa McShane, The Book of Destiny
  • *Laundry Files by Charles Stross, Dead Lies Dreaming (ineligible due to being a finalist in 2019 and having insufficient new word count and/or volumes to requalify)
  • Legends of the Lost Causes by Brad McLelland and Louis Sylvester, The Key of Skeleton Peak
  • Leopard by Christine Feehan, Leopard’s Rage
  • Liaden Universe by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Trader’s Leap
  • LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff, TRUEL1F3
  • Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Attack Surface
  • Los Nefilim by T. Frohock, Carved From Stone and Dream
  • Machine Dynasties by Madeline Ashby, ReV
  • Malazan Empire by Ian Cameron Esslemont, The Jhistal
  • Map of Unknown Things by Rod Duncan, The Fugitive and the Vanishing Man
  • Maradaine: Maradaine Elite by Marshall Ryan Maresca, The People of the City
  • Maradaine: Streets of Maradaine by Marshall Ryan Maresca, The Fenmere Job
  • Masquerade by Seth Dickinson, The Tyrant Baru Coromant
  • Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs, Smoke Bitten
  • Millennium’s Rule by Trudi Canavan, Maker’s Curse
  • Murderbot by Martha Wells, Network Effect
  • Noumenon by Marina Lostetter, Noumenon Ultra
  • Nyquist Mysteries by Jeff Noon, Creeping Jenny
  • October Daye by Seanan McGuire, A Killing Frost and Shine in Pearl (novella)
  • Of Blood and Bone by John Gwynne, A Time of Courage
  • Otherworld: Kate & Logan by Kelley Armstrong, Wolf’s Curse (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Palace of Dreams by J. Kathleen Cheney, Dreams from the Grave
  • Parasol Protectorate: Delightfully Deadly by Gail Carriger, Defy or Defend (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Peter Grant / Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, False Value and Tales from the Folly (collection)
  • Planetside by Michael Mammay, Colonyside
  • Polity: Rise of the Jain by Neal Asher, The Human
  • Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, The Burning God
  • Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, Magic Lessons
  • Praxis / Dread Empire’s Fall by Walter Jon Williams, Fleet Elements
  • Psy-Changeling: Trinity by Nalini Singh, Alpha Night
  • PsyCop by Jordan Castillo Price, Bitter Pill
  • Quantum Magician by Derek Künsken, House of Styx
  • Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Return of the Thief
  • Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, Bone Silence
  • Risen Kingdoms by Curtis Craddock, The Last Uncharted Sky
  • Rogue Queen by Jessie Mihalik, Queen’s Triumph
  • Salvagers by Alex White, The Worst of All Possible Worlds
  • Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton, The Saints of Salvation
  • Sea Haven: Torpedo Ink by Christine Feehan, Vendetta Road and Desolation Road
  • Second Species by Jane O’Reilly, Blue Planet
  • SERRAted Edge by Mercedes Lackey and Cody Martin, Breaking Silence
  • Shadow by Christine Feehan, Shadow Flight
  • Shadowshaper Cypher by Daniel José Older, Shadowshaper Legacy
  • Shannara: The Fall of Shannara by Terry Brooks, The Last Druid
  • Shieldrunner Pirates by R.E. Stearns, Gravity of a Distant Sun
  • Sibyl’s War by Timothy Zahn, Queen
  • Simon Kovalic: Galactic Cold War by Dan Moren, The Aleph Extraction and “Showdown” (short story) (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Skolian War Saga: Major Bhaajan by Catherine Asaro, The Vanished Seas
  • Smoke Thieves by Sally Green, The Burning Kingdoms
  • Song of Shattered Sands by Bradley P. Beaulieu, When Jackals Storm the Walls and The Flight of the Whisper King (novella)
  • Soulwood by Faith Hunter, Spells for the Dead
  • Star Carrier by Ian Douglas, Stargods
  • Star Trek by Christopher L. Bennett, The Higher Frontier, by Dayton Ward, Agents of Influence, by Greg Cox, A Contest of Principles
  • Star Trek: Abramsverse by Alan Dean Foster, The Unsettling Stars, by David Mack, More Beautiful Than Death
  • Star Trek: Discovery by John Jackson Miller, Die Standing
  • Star Trek: Picard by Una McCormack, The Last Best Hope, by James Swallow, The Dark Veil, (must be nominated under the main series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Star Trek: Voyager by Kirsten Beyer, To Lose the Earth
  • Star Wars by E.K. Johnston, Queen’s Peril, by Rae Carson, The Rise of Skywalker
  • Star Wars: Alphabet Squadron by Alexander Freed, Shadow Fall
  • Star Wars: Clone Wars by Lou Anders, Stories of Light and Dark (anthology)
  • Star Wars: Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker by Alex Segura, Poe Dameron: Free Fall
  • Star Wars: Shakespeare by Ian Doescher, The Merry Rise of Skywalker
  • Star Wars: Thrawn: Ascendancy by Timothy Zahn, Chaos Rising (must be nominated under the Thrawn series due to insufficient volumes)
  • Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, Rhythm of War and Dawnshard (novella)
  • Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio, Devil in White
  • Taine McKenna Adventures by Lee Murray, Into the Ashes
  • Tales of Pell by Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson, The Princess Beard
  • This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, This Vicious Cure
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Midnight Sun
  • United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas, Cyber Shogun Revolution
  • Universe After by Drew Williams, The Firmament of Flame
  • Unravelled Kingdom by Rowenna Miller, Rule
  • Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey, Passages (anthology)
  • Valdemar: Family Spies by Mercedes Lackey, Spy, Spy, Again
  • Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow
  • *Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire, Come Tumbling Down (ineligible due to insufficient word count)
  • Wild Cards by George R.R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass, Three Kings (mosaic novel), “The Visitor: Kill or Cure” by Mark Lawrence (novelette), “Berlin Is Never Berlin” by Mark Kloos (novelette), “Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail” by Ian Tregillis (novelette)
  • Worldshapers by Edward Willett, The Moonlit World
  • *World of the Five Gods: Penric by Lois McMaster Bujold, The Physicians of Vilnoc, Masquerade in Lodi (previous winner, not eligible)
  • Worldbreaker Saga by Kameron Hurley, The Broken Heavens
  • *Xuya by Aliette de Bodard, Seven of Infinities (novella) (ineligible due to being a finalist in 2019 and having insufficient new word count and/or volumes to requalify)
  • Young Wizards by Diane Duane, Owl Be Home For Christmas (novella)

* no warranties are made about series eligibility (or lack thereof) based on word count
† no warranties are made about the presumed quality (or lack thereof) of listed series

61 thoughts on “Best Series Hugo:
Eligible Series from 2020

  1. Cassy B.: I’ve just started the Diving Universe books (I bought the first trilogy years ago and it’s been languishing on my Kobo unread; so many books, so little time) and am finding it a compelling space opera.

    Yay! I would agree that it’s absolutely compelling. Rusch is a workhorse in terms of turning out lots of novels, across numerous genres (SF, fantasy, mystery, romance) — but I think that the Diving Universe and the Retrieval Artist are personally special to her, and they’re where she really lavishes the bulk of her effort on depth, plotting, characters, and worldbuilding. There are earlier File 770 pieces by Carl Slaughter on the series here and here.

  2. My In Love and War space opera series is theoretically eligible for the Best Series Hugo again. The new installments are “Neutral Ground” (novelette) and “Ballroom Blitz” (novella), both published in November 2020.

  3. Series: The Last Oracle
    Author: Melissa McShane
    Qualifying Title: The Book of Destiny (published 8 Sep 2020)

  4. Folk of the Air, Holly Black, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories

    Wild Cards, George R.R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass, Three Kings (mosaic novel), The Visitor: Kill or Cure by Mark Lawrence (novelette), Berlin Is Never Berlin by Mark Kloos (novelette), Hammer and Tongs and a Rusty Nail by Ian Tregillis (novelette)

  5. Hi JJ, just checking to see if you were thinking of adding The Last Oracle series. It’s self-published so I know it’s your call. I just wanted to know if you saw my post.

    It’s a fun Urban Fantasy series. A woman gets a job as a clerical assistant at a bookstore. On her first day, her boss is murdered and she discovers the bookstore is a source of divinations for a secret magical community devoted to defending our world against incursions by Lovecraftian-style monsters from other dimensions.

  6. Lorien Gray: I just wanted to know if you saw my post.

    Yes, I did, and I’m still debating this one. The author self-published 9 novels in this series in a span of 15 months, which doesn’t exactly inspire my confidence in the quality of the books. And I don’t want this post to be on the receiving end of promotional efforts by a bunch of self-published authors.

    So here’s what I’ve decided to do: because you’re a long-term Filer and you enjoyed this series, I’m putting it on the list. But any other requests I get to list self-published series are not likely to be granted.

  7. Series : Parasolverse
    Author : Gail Carriger
    Eligible Work : Defy or Defend
    Sub-Series :The Finishing School

    Defy or Defend is novel length at 62,000 words or so (I contacted the author and asked)

    JJ – thank-you for doing all this work, this year and in previous years. It has been very helpful. Much appreciated.

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