The Raven Scholar
Antonia Hodgson
Murder mystery and palace intrigue
Here are the finalists for the 2026 Best Novel Hugo Award:
★★★★★ A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
☆☆☆☆☆ Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
☆☆☆☆☆ Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky
★★★★★ The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
☆☆☆☆☆ The Incandescent by Emily Tesh
★★★★★ The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson
I had already read two of them, A Drop of Corruption and The Everlasting, and given them both 5-star ratings. Of the four remaining, one was by an author I had not before read, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson. So, neophile that I am, I grabbed that one to read next.
It was a good choice. The Raven Scholar is now my top vote for the Best Novel Hugo.
It's a murder mystery, or it contains one. It takes place mostly on Imperial Island, where there are eight palaces devoted to the eight gods of Orrun -- Fox, Raven, Tiger, Ox, Bear, Monkey, Hound, and Dragon. The current emperor, Bersun, is finishing his 24-year term, and the trials are about to start for the next emperor. The trials are a series of competitions administered by the seven palaces (of the Eight gods, not including Dragon). Each palace selects a contender, who, if he/she wins, will become emperor.
Our protagonist, Neema Kraa, is a Raven scholar. She is the High Scholar in the Raven Palace, but she is not chosen as the Raven contender. Neema is a common woman; snobbery is not unknown to Imperial Island; and they choose instead Neema's more aristocratic frenemy Gaida.
Then, the night before the Festival trials are to begin, Gaida is murdered. Bersun chooses Neema to (1) investigate the murder, and (2) serve as Raven contender. Neema of course thinks what you're thinking right now, "What? Both at the same time?" If you're getting the impression that Bersun is not super invested in Neema's success at either task, well yeah, the same idea occurs to her.
But she persists! She is aided by the Raven, her god she doesn't believe in. Neema and you will get to know the Raven well. Indeed, the story is told in the first-person by the Raven, although that will not at first be evident.
The mystery is very well done. Hodgson, it turns out, is the successful author of the Thomas Hawkins mystery series. She is not new to mystery writing, and it shows. As always in the best Fantasy and Science Fiction mysteries, the murder mystery is wrapped up in the, to the reader, mysterious nature of the world in which it takes place, and the investigation is used for world discovery. Unsurprisingly, the murder is connected to the Imperial succession competition.
So that was all very interesting and exciting.
Also, I enjoyed Hodgson's sense of humor. She's never really laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely chuckle-under-your breath funny. Hodgson has made the Raven a little absurd. Neema is also aware of her own faults and able to laugh at them.
The Raven Scholar is disappointing in one way. It is the first novel in the planned Eternal Path trilogy. As of 31-May-2026, the next two novels are not yet available. The second, The Fox in Winter, is scheduled for release 5-Oct-2027. It'll be a long wait.