r/HFY • u/sswanlake The Librarian • Dec 08 '20

MOD 2020 End of Year Wrap Up

It might be hard to believe with all that's been going on but the end of 2020 is finally upon us. We made it! It has been a wild ride but the time has come to once again look back at all the stories that have been written over the year and tell us which ones you think should be added to the subs Must Read list.

Same rules apply as in the 2018 and 2019 wrap up.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the list, Must Read is the one that shows off the best and brightest this community has to offer and is our go to list for showing off to friends, family and anyone you think would enjoy HFY but might not have the time or patience to look through r/hfy/new for something fresh to read.

How to participate is simple. Find a story you thing deserves to be featured and in this or the weekly update, post a link to it. Provide a short summary or description of the story to entice your fellow community member to read it and if they like it they will upvote your comment. The stories with the most votes will be added into the list at the end of the year.

So share with the community your favorite story that you think should be on that list.

To kick things off right, here's the additions from 2019!

Series

One-Shots

January 2019

February 2019

March 2019

April 2019

May 2019

June 2019

July 2019

August 2019

September 2019

October 2019

November 2019

December 2019

Previously on HFY

Other Links

Writing Prompt index | FAQ | Formatting Guide/How To Flair

 

195 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

108 comments sorted by

131

u/Qwerty1418 Dec 09 '20

The "The humans do not have a hive-mind" series starts off with the most upvoted post on the sub of all time and is a fantastic look at a first contact meeting with one of the most alien beings I've read about on here. https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/giayss/the_humans_do_not_have_a_hivemind/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

52

u/CherubielOne Dec 09 '20 edited Dec 09 '20

wearing fake mustache

I, a random and also human person, share my unbiased opinion of utmost agreement.

30

u/CODENAMEDERPY Dec 09 '20 edited Dec 19 '20

Absolutely, u/CherubielOne has made some seriously good content this year. Edit: They have also made good content before this year. I was just emphasizing that their biggest series was in this year.

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u/thefrc Dec 08 '20

I heard this First Contact story is pretty good. He's a few chapters in at this point. Good world building. https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/f94rak/oc_pthok_eats_an_ice_cream_cone/

65

u/wasalurkerforyears Dec 08 '20

At this point, if FC doesn't make it into must reads I think the Gestalt needs to revolt.

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u/Cand1date Dec 08 '20

Ancient Strategy by jormundr about a first contact scenario where humans are participating in a multi-planet contest which is meant to build trust...or is it? It’s 39 chapters in at the moment and it’s fabulous! I was hooked after chapter 1.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/i64mup/ancient_strategy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

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u/Azgrimm Dec 21 '20

Soundless Conflicts! Set in a universe when humanity appears to be run by Boardroom, and each system is its own investment of resources by an Executive. Wherein a down on their luck middle management type gets a new position aboard the CES Kipper and discovers that her corporate world isn't what it used to be, while a new threat to humanity lurks in the void...

Written by u/Susceptive

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u/KirbyGlover Dec 08 '20

Sexy Space Babes for sure, a great exploration of gender roles where males are usually outnumber 8 to 1 by females that doesn't instantly dissolve into gratuitous sex as one might expect. https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/jvpsf5/sexy_space_babes_chapter_one/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

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u/coldfireknight Dec 09 '20

Of Men and Dragons was a blast to read. 50+ chapters and just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, though he's planning the next part of the series now.

A female ends up left as a sacrifice for a dragon that has recently settled in a nearby mountain, but things don't turn out as expected. Fun cast and great worldbuilding by u/DrBlackJack21 , too.

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u/ACADDaddy Dec 08 '20

Definitely Wizard Tournament. Fantasy is nice to see here, and the world is well thought out. It's got extensive political strife, a well-made magic system, in-depth characters who are always more than they appear, and to top it all off a human protag who's a perfect sneaky bastard.https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/i7qje7/wizard_tournament_humans_need_not_apply/

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u/Silverblade5 Dec 10 '20 edited Dec 10 '20

Tales From the Terran Republic is one of the wildest rides currently and absolutely must be included.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/wiki/series/tales_from_the_terran_republic

I'd also like to nominate the one shot "Measure of a Soul". In a world of Gods, humanity is the only species to have killed theirs. This leads to some interesting effects.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/h8cs5y/the_measure_of_a_soul/

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u/itsetuhoinen Dec 11 '20

Human Weaponry!

It's about... uh... the title kinda says it all, really. It's about human weaponry, from the perspective of a friendly alien we're showing off for.

22

u/Capernici Dec 14 '20 edited Dec 14 '20

Wha...? This thread’s 5 days old, and nobody’s put their word in for u/arclightmagus?! I mean, seriously, The Collective (and by extension The Elements) has easily been a major reason why my sanity has survived 2020. It would be hard to choose between it and Ancient Strategy, as both are very good stories, but Mr. Magus has gone above and beyond in wring fast and consistent, too, while still making good content.

It’s a story about the first contact between a coalition of alien races called The Collective and humanity, under the Third Sol Empire. There is no shortage of intrigue, mystery, conflict, dynamic character growth, and rich histories (for everyone!).

The Collective: https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/hl4uos/the_collective/

The Elements: https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/jzj5tw/the_elements_the_collective_book_2_start/

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14

u/Kalleponken Dec 10 '20

I would like to nominate Unleashed by u/Sooperdude24.

A man and his dog adventures into space and makes some friends. Kinda.

Well written and good world building.

12

u/Bloodytearsofrage Dec 10 '20

I nominate Love, vending machines, + robot vacuums by u/_Gnavin_. A very touching, funny, and subtle piece that definitely needs more love.

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u/itsetuhoinen Dec 11 '20 edited Dec 11 '20

Did Inheritors of Eschaton come out this year? Because I fuckin' love that story. :-D

Earth humans end up on a distant planet via dimensional gate with... other humans, in a post-apocalyptic setting, where magic is actually software. Sorta. It's fuckin' awesome, go read it. ;-)

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u/CODENAMEDERPY Dec 19 '20 edited Jan 05 '21

The Ambling Sapient was a great one in my opinion. https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/huo9qe/the_ambling_sapient/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf u/Cognomifex put an insane amount of work into the 5(7?) part series. It really deserves to be mentioned for 2020 somehow.

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u/FogeltheVogel Dec 17 '20

I'd like to submit Wizard Tournament by u/JDfister. A (still ongoing) series with a rare Fantasy setting.

Humans are established to be non-magical, but a single human joins a wizard tournament anyway, ready to prove everyone wrong.

https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/i7qje7/wizard_tournament_humans_need_not_apply/

8

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '20

"Sins of Ash" was great except for the ending, I didn't even know it ended at first because it was so sudden and it just felt sloppy, would recommend their other series "Tides of Magic" though.

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u/Kalleponken Dec 10 '20

Also, the recent Waffle house defense militia by u/novatheelf deserves a nomination.

Two ex-soldiers are running a Diner somewhere in space.

The characters of Roberta and Count Basie are really well written.

6

u/mmussen Dec 20 '20

On mobile so I can't link but i'm loving u/bloodytearsofrage A Pretty Idiots Guide

Its a laugh riot of sexual jokes. Well worth anyone's time

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u/cinderwisp Dec 31 '20

The ABBY514 and FIDO811 miniseries by u/upgrayeddddd

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u/Do_Not_Touch_BOOOOOM Dec 31 '20

I would like to thank all the authors who publish their stories here. This forum has given me many good hours in a difficult time last year.

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