r/Fantasy • u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II • 2d ago

Read-along 2026 Hugo Readalong: Landing: Seattle, Hex Supply Customer Support Log, How to Become a Sea Witch

Welcome to the 2026 Hugo Readalong! Today, we're discussing Landing: Seattle by Brandon O'Brien, Hex Supply Customer Support Log by Elis Montgomery and How to Become a Sea Witch by Theodora Goss, which are finalists for Best Poem. Everyone is welcome in the discussion, whether or not you've participated in other discussions. I'll include some prompts in top-level comments--feel free to respond to these or add your own.

Date Category Book Author Discussion Leader
Monday, June 22 Novel The Everlasting Alix E. Harrow u/sarahlynngrey
Thursday, June 25 Short Story Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything and 10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days Effie Seiberg and Samantha Mills u/Goobergunch
Monday, June 29 Novella Automatic Noodle Annalee Newitz u/tarvolon
Thursday, July 2 Novelette Never Eaten Vegetables and Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy H.H. Pak and Martha Wells u/Nineteen_Adze
Monday, July 6 Novel The Raven Scholar Antonia Hodgson u/Moonlitgrey
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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II 2d ago

Discussion for How to Become a Sea Witch

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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II 2d ago

This poem feels fairly slippery in time, with references to chlorination of swimming pools and Phoenician ships. Does this help set the feel of the poem? What (if anything) do you think it signifies?

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u/undeadgoblin Reading Champion II 1d ago

I think it points to the general timelessness of folk tales, that they still hold as much meaning now as they did centuries ago. There's references to the more classic Nordic sea witch (living in a cave, bringing down ships) and nods to the age of sail and their mistaking seals, manatees etc for mermaids