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Cover of The Light Brigade by Kameron HurleyThe Light Brigade
Modern · Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia

The Light Brigade

by Kameron Hurley
2019 · 396 pages · Fiction
63.7Must-Read
Score Modern
Critics' pick
≈ 10 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

In a futuristic war, soldiers are broken down into light to get them to the front lines on Mars. Kameron Hurley's science fiction thriller follows one soldier as the war, and reality, stop making sense.

Why it's worth reading

It was a Hugo Award finalist. It's a brutal, mind-bending military science fiction novel.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

It's violent and nonlinear by design.

By the numbers

63.7Must-Read Score
  • Readers43 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics25 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz14 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Hugo Award finalist (2020)

Reads as

Dark, Thought-provoking, Adventurous

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedModern booksTop 25 · 1,573 rankedBooks of the 2010sTop 25 · 736 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Light Brigade worth reading?

Yes. It was a Hugo Award finalist. It ranks #2,012 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.7 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Light Brigade about?

In a futuristic war, soldiers are broken down into light to get them to the front lines on Mars. Kameron Hurley's science fiction thriller follows one soldier as the war, and reality, stop making sense.

How long does it take to read The Light Brigade?

About 10 hours (396 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Light Brigade?

If you liked it, try The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein or Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.