The Corruption of Hollis Brown
#2004.25 adjusted 4.14 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2025 Reading commitment Low K. Ancrum Last reviewed 2026-10-29
Overview
K. Ancrum’s 2025 young-adult novel is a queer ghost story and thriller set in a struggling small town in Michigan. Hollis Brown, a boy looking for meaning in a place no one can afford to leave, finds his life colliding with that of Walt, a spirit with unfinished business who takes possession of his body. It won the Mythopoeic Award for Young Adult Literature and was longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.
Urban fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Corruption of Hollis Brown K. Ancrum
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Corruption of Hollis Brown | 2025 | 1 | core | 4.25 (1,801 ratings) |
Standalone novel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Corruption of Hollis Brown? The Corruption of Hollis Brown's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Corruption of Hollis Brown finished? Complete (2025).
- How much reading does The Corruption of Hollis Brown take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Corruption of Hollis Brown ranked? #200 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,801 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #200?
Ranked #200 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.25 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,801 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #199, The Squire's Tales (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 1 book · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #200 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Young Adult Literature), 2026: won: The Corruption of Hollis Brown
- National Book Award (Young People's Literature), 2025: nominated: The Corruption of Hollis Brown; Longlisted.
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Suggestions computed from what The Corruption of Hollis Brown and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Goodnight Agency Urban fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.75
- Lockwood & Co Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.38
- El libro de los héroes Urban fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.28
- Legendborn Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.27
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.25 across 1,801 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: The Corruption of Hollis Brown (Ancrum), The Chronicles of King Rolen's Kin (Daniells) accepted 2026-10-29
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-29
Rule: Core Canon = The Corruption of Hollis Brown (2025), a single standalone novel.