Hugo History

About Hugo History

Join us in discussing all of the Hugo Award winners beginning in 1953. Updated monthly. SciFi/Fantasy.

Publisher

Christine D. Baker

Category

fiction

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jul 2025

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   A History of SFF Fandom: The Way the Future Was by Frederick Pohl

   Another episode that's a bit different this month, but we'll be back to Hugo winners in November with Heinlein's final Hugo-winning novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I asked Olav Rockney, who is one of the humans behind the Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, to choose a book to chat about with me and he picked The Way the Future Was, Frederick Pohl's memoir and love letter to the SFF fan community. Pohl is best known for Gateway, which won the Hugo in 1978, but this memoir came out before his Hugo-award winning novel! Intro sound by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts If you're interested in more History content from Christine, you can also find her at History Klaxon, which is both a podcast and a youtube channel.

2. 

   13 Aug 2026

   Wickhills/Little, Big

   This is a slightly different style of episode for Hugo History! In it, Christine chats with award-winning author Premee Mohamed about her forthcoming book, Wickhills, and then they discuss the 1982 Hugo-nominee, Little, Big, by John Crowley. Intro sound by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts If you're interested in more History content from Christine, you can also find her at History Klaxon, which is both a podcast and a youtube channel. Some of Premee's earlier works that we mentioned: Siege of Burning Grass (2024) And Sneer of Cold Command (https://sockdolager.net/and-sneer-of-cold-command/) The Butcher of the Forest (2024) And What Can We Offer You Tonight (2021) And some other things we mentioned in our discussion: John LeCarre Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake Premee's interview on A Meal of Thorns discussing The Fifth Head of Cerberus Dune's appendices The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock Moby Dick The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez (2022) Flint and Mirror, John Crowley Kate Heartfield Charles De Lint's Newford series Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh Sunfall by CJ Cherryh Other Crowley: Ægypt; The Solitudes series; Ka series Watership Down Adrian Tchkaikovsky The Magnus Archives (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magnus_Archives); Johnny Sims From the Library of Jurgen Leitner, another one of Premee's forthcoming books

3. 

   9 Jul 2026

   ...And Call Me Conrad/This Immortal

   Join us as we discuss one of the Hugo Award winners for 1966 (there was a tie!): Roger Zelazny's ...And Call Me Conrad, which was retitled This Immortal when it was published as a fix-up novel. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Evan May, a Canadian fantasy author and historian. He is the author of Easter Pinkerton and the Case of the Heretic Blood. You can find him on Bluesky at @gianttourtiere.bsky.social. From about 3:40 to about 18:50, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Intro sound by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and I try to send out extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!)

4. 

   11 Jun 2026

   Dune

   Join us as we discuss one of the Hugo Award winners for 1966 (there was a tie!): Frank Herbert's Dune. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Stephen Kotowych, who is probably best known for putting together yearly anthologies on the Year's Best Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy. The kickstarter for volume 4 closed in May, but the book should be available to non-backers in early Fall. Stephen is also a SFF writer and has published several award-winning and nominated short stories. (You can find all this info on his website (http://kotowych.com/).) You can find him on Bluesky at @ourmankoto.bsky.social. From about 11:54 to about 33:46, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Intro sound by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and I try to send out extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!)

5. 

   19 May 2026

   The Wanderer

   Join us as we discuss the eleventh Hugo Award winner: Fritz Lieber's The Wanderer. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Roseanna Pendlebury, who is an incredibly prolific fan writer and nominated for the Hugo for BEST Fan Writer this year. She writes for Nerds of a Feather (http://www.nerds-feather.com/), Ancillary Review of Books, and on her own blog. You can find her on Bluesky at @chloroformtea.bsky.social. From about 7:30 to about 37:58, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Intro sound by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and I try to send out extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!) Corrections: At some point in the beginning, I am talking Fritz Lieber's other Hugo-winning novel and I accidentally call it The Time War. It's actually called The Big Time. We refer to the pot smoking New Yorkers as Arab Pete and friends, but their names were Arab Jones, High Bundy, and Pepe Martinez. Other nominees this year: The Whole Man (alt: The Telepathist) by John Brunner [Ballantine, 1964] Davy by Edgar Pangborn [Ballantine, 1964] The Planet Buyer (alt: The Boy Who Bought Old Earth) by Cordwainer Smith [Pyramid, 1964]. Some things we mention: You can vote for Hugos! John Scalzi, When the Moon Hits Your Eye Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary Lieber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser series Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, E.E. "Doc" Smith Anne McCaffery, Dragonflight, Book 1 of Dragonriders of Pern series (I have now read this book!) spume Black Dahlia murder They'd Rather Be Right (the second Hugo award winner) Jo Walton's Hugo restrospective James Nicoll John Scalzi: Redshirts; The Interdependency series; Old Man's War series; Starter Villain

6. 

   14 Apr 2026

   Way Station

   Join us as we discuss the tenth Hugo Award winner: Clifford D. Simak's Way Station, also known as "Here Gather the Stars." Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Paul Weimer, who is an incredibly prolific fan writer. He writes for Nerds of a Feather and podcasts at Skiffy and Fanty. From about 5:30 to about 16:40, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Intro music by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and you'll still get extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!) Some things we mention, more info about some of these in the monthly free email from Patreon: SF Signal The Functional Nerds Reactor Barnes and Noble Science Fiction blog Glory Road by Robert A. Heinlein [F&SF Jul,Aug,Sep 1963; Putnam, 1963] Witch World by Andre Norton [Ace, 1963] Dune World by Frank Herbert [Analog Dec 1963,Jan,Feb 1964] Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. [Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1963] Emergency Medical Hologram from Star Trek Men in Black Simak, The Goblin Reservation Simak, City Simak short story: "The Big Front Yard" Star Control — sci-fi video games Walter M Miller, Jr., Canticle for Leibowitz The Waverlies, Fredric Brown Novels of the Change, also known as the Emberverse Series, by S.M. Stirling My Fair Lady, a 1956 musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 Pygmalion Passengers: movie about generation ship "Think Like a Dinosaur" by James Patrick Kelly, originally published in the June 1995 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. Philip K. Dick, Man in the High Castle

7. 

   12 Mar 2026

   Man in the High Castle

   Join us as we discuss the ninth Hugo Award winner: Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Vancouver-based horror writer, Joseph Andre Thomas, who has most recently published a short story in the Between Doorways: explorations into liminal space, a short story collection edited by TJ Price. From about 4:50 to about 21:39, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Hugo Award nominations here. Did you know that anyone can vote for the Hugos? Did you know that you could nominate Hugo History for Best Fancast? Intro music by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and you'll still get extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!) Some things we mention, more info about some of these in the monthly free email from Patreon:

8. 

   12 Feb 2026

   Stranger in a Strange Land

   Join us as we discuss the eighth Hugo Award winner: Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Elias Eells of Bar Cart Bookshelf, where he reviews books and makes cocktails to go with them! You can buy his book, Cocktails and Consoles, whereever books are found. He also has an amazing sounding short story, "The Peacock Wizard and the Cave of the Busty Snake Ladies," in the forthcoming collection Shatter the Sun: Queer Tales of Untold Adventure (edited by dave ring). You can follow him on Bluesky at @eliaseells.bsky.social. From about 13:11 to about 45:40, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Hugo Award nominations here (https://www.lacon.org/hugos/). Did you know that anyone can vote for the Hugos? Intro music by Breakz Studios (https://linktr.ee/ariiezbreakz)! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and you'll still get extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!) Some things we mention, more info about some of these in the monthly free email from Patreon: -A.K. Larkwood, The Unspoken Name (https://aklarkwood.com/unspoken) -Jen Lyons -Tamsyn Muir -Dune -Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House -Tor Essentials Line -The Hobbit -Psychopomp -Neon Hemlock -Ancillary Review of Books -Nerds of a Feather -John Scalzi -Ursula K LeGuin -Terry Brooks -Prairie Oyster -L Ron Hubbard, Dianetics -John Campbell, editor of Astounding Science Fiction -Robert Jackson Bennett, Shadow of the Leviathan series -Shatter the Sun: Queer Tales of Untold Adventure

9. 

   8 Jan 2026

   Canticle for Leibowitz

   Join us as we discuss the seventh Hugo Award winner: Robert A. Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Josh Nudell, historian and speculative fiction fan. You can find Josh on Bluesky @jpnudell.bsky.social and more of his writing on his website (https://joshuapnudell.com/). From about 6:19 to about 23:53, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. New intro music by Breakz Studios! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and you'll still get extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!) Some things we mention, more info about some of these in the monthly free email from Patreon: The Great Gatsby Isaac Asimov, Foundation Series Farenheit 451 Oral Traditions The Wandering Jew Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Antipopes. "bicephalous old tomato woman" Benedictines Battle of Monte Cassino Preservation of Knowledge, especially in England and Ireland Everyone who has lived has probably thought of themselves as the most modern: Ashurbanipal II and Cleopatra "Long history" Hav by Jan Morris — intro by Usula K. LeGuin Monastic movements How the Catholic Church canonizes saints Dune Sequel to Canticle: Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman Cyclical model of history https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1961/

10. 

    11 Dec 2025

    Starship Troopers

    Join us as we discuss the sixth Hugo Award winner: Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers! Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is journalist and long-time Doctor Who podcaster, Warren Frey, @freyburg.bsky.social, from Radio Free Skaro. From about 4:18 to about 27:30, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Some things mentioned in the episode: Leo Laporte (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Laporte) MacBreak 1960 Hugo nominees Proceedings for the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies (https://fanac.org/fanzines/PITFCS/) Theodore Cogswell Anthony Boucher, founder of SFF Poul Anderson Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll John Scalzi's Old Man's War Paul Verhoeven Joe Haldeman The Forever War Jo Walton on the 1960 Hugos: https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1960/ New intro music by Breakz Studios! Come find us on patreon for more info: https://www.patreon.com/cw/hugohistory/posts (Sign up for the free tier and you'll still get extra details, links to references, and images of primary sources!)

11. 

    13 Nov 2025

    A Case of Conscience

    Join us as we discuss the Hugo Award winner for 1959: James Blish's A Case of Conscience.  You can find the book on the Internet Archive here. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Alana Vincent, a scholar who studies the portrayals of religion in literature, especially in Science Fiction and Fantasy. They are a series editor for Bloomsbury Studies in Popular Fiction and Religious Dynamics. The most recent book in the series, Sang-Keun Yoo's Speculative Orientialsm: Asian Religions in New Wave Science Fiction, came out in September 2025. You can find Alana on Bluesky at @alana-m-vincent.net. From about 5:38-27:54, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. If you'd like to support the podcast on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/HugoHistory Or, you can buy me a coffee! (https://buymeacoffee.com/hugohistory) Some things mentioned in the episode: A biography of James Blish: Imprisoned in a tesseract: the life and work of James Blish by David Ketterer. Jo Walton's rundown of the 1959 Hugo Awards (https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1959/).

12. 

    9 Oct 2025

    The Big Time

    Join us as we discuss the Hugo Award winner for 1958: Fritz Lieber's The Big Time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Time_(novel) You can find the whole book at The Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/fritz-leiber_the-big-time). Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Nora Spurling of Leaf It To Us, where they take plants out of the background and talk about that fascinating group that’s so essential to us as humans. In addition, Nora is also fantastic at literary analysis and a big speculative fiction fan! From about 2:53-18:41, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Some things mentioned in the episode: Nora mentioned Lieber's short stories related to The Big Time: The Mind Spider and Other Stories Robert Graves (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Graves), poet and translator of ancient Greek Keftians (https://egypt-museum.com/keftiu/), which Christine calls a fairly niche historical reference Robert Heinlein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein) John W. Campbell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_W._Campbell) Jungian ideas of gender, mentioned by Nora Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II by Meghan K. Winchell (2015) I think that I (Christine) was wrong, they probably did distribute condoms during WWII: https://hekint.org/2017/01/22/put-a-helmet-on-your-privates-because-theyre-going-to-see-some-action-the-history-of-condoms-in-the-military/ Hugo Girl Podcast on The Big Time Judith Merril (https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/merril_judith) I did eventually go back and find Dave. Transcript coming.

13. 

    11 Sept 2025

    Episode 3 - Double Star

    Join us as we discuss the third Hugo Award winner: Robert A Heinlein's Double Star, which won in 1956. Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ Hugo History has a patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/HugoHistory)! This month's guest is David Blaeser, a Vancouver-based fiber artist who is reading his way through all the Hugo and Nebula winners. You can find him on instagram. From about 3:30 to 20:55, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Some things mentioned in the episode: Power Trip (https://www.psymposia.com/powertrip-2/) Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22675850-shrinks) by Jeffrey Lieberman and Ogi Ogas Jo Walton's review of the 1956 Hugos Transcripts are coming!

14. 

    14 Aug 2025

    Episode 2 - They'd Rather Be Right

    Join us as we discuss the second Hugo Award winner: Frank Riley and Mark Clifton's They'd Rather Be Right, which is often called 'the worst book to ever win the Hugo'!! Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Rob Tomshany, @robtomshany.bsky.social‬, who has near encyclopedic knowledge of 50s and 60s sci fi and fantasy. From about 2:05 to 9:37, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Some things mentioned in the episode: Jo Walton's review of 1955 Hugo winners (https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1955/): https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1955 1960s New Wave — Dangerous Vision anthologies edited by Harlan Ellison The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl Stories are Weapons by Annalee Newitz Psychological Warfare (https://archive.org/details/psychologicalwar0000paul) by Paul Linebarger/Cordwainer Smith Turing test Arthur C Clark, 2001: A Space Odyssey Slan by A.E. Van Vogt (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/643792.Slan) Judith Merril (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Merril) — intro to story collection of Mike Clifton John Campbell — editor of Astounding J.B. Rhine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Banks_Rhine) — research about telepathy Galaxy Magazine (https://galaxysf.com/) FNSF (https://www.fandsf.com/current.htm) (Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine) Robert Heinlein The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Stranger in a Strange Land Isaac Asimov L Ron Hubbard Dianetics To the Stars Scientology Mark Clifton's short stories What Have I Done? 8 Keys to Eden When They Came from Space What Now Little Man Hang Head Vandal Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged The Science Fiction of Mark Clifton, co edited by Martin H. Greenbergand Barry N. Malzberg What Have I Done: The Stories of Mark Clifton Born Sexy Yesterday (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Sexy_Yesterday) (Not Born Again Sexy)

15. 

    10 Jul 2025

    Episode 1 - The Demolished Man

    Join us as we discuss the first ever book to win a Hugo Award: Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demolished_Man Host: Christine D. Baker, a historian who lives in Vancouver, BC. You can find her at @klaxoncomms.com‬ on Bluesky or follow what she's reading at her website: https://klaxoncomms.com/reading/ This month's guest is Miles Reid-Lobatto of Casual Trek. You can find Miles on Bluesky at @milesreidlobatto.bsky.social and his podcast at @casualtrek. From about 5:45-19:00, Christine is recapping the book, which has A LOT of spoilers. The rest of the episode isn't spoiler free, but that section goes through the plot in detail. Some things mentioned in the episode: Jo Walton's review of 1953 Hugo winners: https://reactormag.com/hugo-nominees-1953/ The Star is My Destination by Alfred Bester City by Clifford Simak More than Human by Theodore Sturgeon Kinsey Scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinsey_scale) and the DSM

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.2 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

43

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Hugo History

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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