The Hugo and Nebula awards are the leading prizes for fantasy and sci-fi writing. The former dates back to 1953 and the latter to 1966, meaning that many of the genres’ classics have taken home one of these prizes and, occasionally, both. While quite a few sci-fi novels have claimed both awards, only a handful of fantasy books have.
The titles below are all great in different ways, from the emotional coming-of-age storytelling of Among Others to the immersive world-building of The Stone Sky. Fantasy fans are bound to find something to enjoy among them.
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‘Among Others’ (2012)
“I read, and therefore I was not alone.” This book presents itself as the diary of teenager Mori Phelps. Following the death of her twin sister, Mori is sent to live with relatives she barely knows while trying to escape her manipulative, possibly magical mother. Isolated at boarding school, she searches for belonging by reading sci-fi and fantasy books. All the while, she navigates a world where fairies and magic may be just as real as her grief.
Author Jo Walton masterfully blurs the line between fantasy and psychological realism. Among Others is thoughtful and intelligent, with a lot to say about growing up and dealing with loss. It gets pretty dark at times, delving into themes of illness, abuse, and even evil. At the same time, the book is very much a tribute to sci-fi and fantasy literature itself, referencing countless classics and emphasizing the power of imagination.
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‘Paladin of Souls’ (2004)
“Sometimes the gods answer in ways no one expects.” Paladin of Souls centers on Ista dy Chalion, a middle-aged widow (and mother of the current ruler) whose family believes she has spent years suffering from madness. Determined to reclaim control over her own life, she leaves behind the expectations placed upon her and embarks upon a journey that unexpectedly draws her back into the affairs of gods, demons, and kingdoms.
While many classic fantasy elements are at play here, the book treats them with more depth than usual. The character development is especially rich. For instance, rather than being a stereotypical heroine, Ista is a three-dimensional woman burdened by regret and responsibility. She changes a lot over the course of the story. Her rediscovery of her confidence and sense of purpose is relatable and resonates.
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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
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Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
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🚀Star Wars
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You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
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In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
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What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
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How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
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Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
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Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
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Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
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What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
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Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
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The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
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The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
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Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
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Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
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A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
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‘The Stone Sky’ (2018)
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“The world is already ending. The question is who survives.” The Stone Sky is the final entry in N.K. Jemisin‘s acclaimed Broken Earth trilogy, which takes place on a supercontinent wracked by destructive geological activity. In this volatile world, protagonist Essun, her daughter Nassun, and the mysterious Stone Eaters move toward a cataclysmic final confrontation. Its outcome will determine not only the fate of their world but also the future relationship between humanity and the immense powers that have shaped civilization for millennia.
The world-building in this series is fantastic, with the constant environmental catastrophes woven directly into the setting’s mythology, politics, and magic system. That said, Jemisin makes sure to keep the characters front and center as well, even as grand plotlines reach their crescendos. Not for nothing, every book in this trilogy took home the Hugo Award.
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‘American Gods’ (2002)
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“People believe, and so things are.” One of the most influential fantasy books of the 2000s, American Gods introduces us to Shadow Moon, an ex-con who accepts a mysterious job working for the enigmatic Mr. Wednesday. Soon, Shadow discovers that America has become the battleground for a looming conflict between the fading deities of old mythology and the powerful new gods born from modern obsessions like media and technology.
Along the way, the book confidently blends Norse mythology, African folklore, Slavic legends, Native American traditions, and countless other belief systems into a uniquely American road novel. It includes leprechauns, ifrits, spidery tricksters, World Trees, sacrifice, godly battles, and very weird sex scenes. All in all, American Gods is endlessly entertaining, but also full of real food for thought, with a lot to say about the power of belief.
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