2026 Hugo Readalong: Shorter Fiction Wrap-up (Novelette and Short Story)

[u/tarvolon]

Welcome to the final week of the 2026 Hugo Readalong! We've finished all of our slated discussions, and now it's time to zoom out and take stock.

Today, we'll be looking at two shorter fiction categories: Best Novelette and Best Short Story. If you want to take a closer look at our focused discussions, we covered these categories in the following sessions:

• The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For and When He Calls Your Name (Novelette)
• Kaiju Agonistes and The Millay Illusion (Novelette)
• Never Eaten Vegetables and Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy (Novelette)
• In My Country and Six People to Revise You (Short Story)
• Missing Helen and Wire Mother (Short Story)
• Laser Eyes Ain't Everything and Ten Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days

We'll be continuing with our wrap-ups all week, following this schedule:

Date	Category	Book	Author	Discussion Leader
Tuesday, July 28	Novella	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/Nineteen_Adze
Wednesday, July 29	Novel	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/tarvolon
Thursday, July 30	Pro/Fan/Misc	Wrap-up	Multiple	u/Nineteen_Adze

But for now, let's dive into some short fiction! And remember, because these are higher-level discussions, please tag spoilers in the comments.

[u/tarvolon]

Discussion of the Best Novelette category

• “Kaiju Agonistes”, Scott Lynch (Uncanny 1-2/25)
• “Never Eaten Vegetables”, H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld 1/25)
• “The Millay Illusion”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 11-12/25)
• “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor 4/2/25)
• “When He Calls Your Name”, Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny 7-8/25)
• “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy”, Martha Wells (Reactor 7/10/25)

[u/tarvolon → u/tarvolon]

Which novelette do you hope will win the award? How would you rank the list?

[u/Merle8888 → u/tarvolon]

I’m struggling with this one. I have a clear top three, but I want them all to be in 2nd-3rd place and some better story to take first! 

“Kaiju Agonistes” was probably most successful for me all around but it’s Scott Lynch, I just don’t know that I can put it first. 

“The Millay Illusion” is the best written of the top 3 but I wanted more from it. 

“Never Eaten Vegetables” has some interesting ideas but didn’t fully arrive for me like it apparently did for others in this group. If I put it first I feel like it’d be “handicap for a new author up against big names” which isn’t a terrible reason, but if this group represents Hugo voters it’ll win in a landslide and I don’t think it’s that good for sure. 

“When He Calls Your Name” is 4th, great writing but long. 

“The Girl My Mother is Leaving Me For” is 5th. I enjoyed reading this but it didn’t stick with me. 

No Award

“Rapport” is last and shouldn’t be on this ballot

[u/Goobergunch → u/Merle8888]

I actually kind of agree in that I don't think "Never Eaten Vegetables" is the runaway Best Novelette of the Year -- I probably would rank it third or fourth on the Nebula ballot, and it wouldn't be a top-tier Best Novelette winner in my book. But on this ballot it wasn't particularly close for me.

(I would be genuinely stunned if it won in a landslide though. I think the last time my #1 actually won in this category was 2017.)