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For recently published, highly-reviewed science fiction novels, consider award winners and nominees from 2024 and 2025. Standout authors like Adrian Tchaikovsky, Martha Wells, and James S. A. Corey have multiple recent, critically acclaimed works that cover a range of popular sci-fi subgenres. 2025 Award winners The Man Who Saw Seconds by Alexander Boldizar: Won the 2025 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Boldizar's book is an immersive sci-fi adventure. Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell: This debut novel explores monstrous identity and found family. It won the 2025 Locus Award for Best First Novel, with reviewers praising its emotional depth. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: This first novel from Bradley was a finalist for the 2025 Locus Award for Best First Novel. It's a "darkly comic, surrealist" novel about an agency that retrieves people from throughout history. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky: Tchaikovsky is a well-regarded author with a strong track record. His 2025 novel about a robot butler was named one of the best sci-fi books of the year. The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler: A 2025 Hugo Award-winning novella. Its plot involves a resurrected woolly mammoth with a scientist's consciousness uploaded into it. 2024 Award winners and nominees System Collapse by Martha Wells: The latest installment in the popular Murderbot Diaries series won the 2024 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It continues the adventures of a socially anxious cyborg security unit. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh: This queer space opera, which follows a young warrior from a military colony who discovers a terrifying truth, won the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera: A fantasy/sci-fi blend that won the 2024 Locus Award for Best First Novel. A young man attempts to find and assassinate his father, a religious prophet. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler: Won the 2023 Locus Award for Best First Novel. The book examines first contact with a newly discovered species of sentient, communicative octopus. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi: A standalone adventure that won the 2023 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. It centers on an average man hired to work at a secretive facility protecting giant monsters. For a friend who likes series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: A beloved series about a misanthropic security android. The series won the 2023 Hugo for Best Novel (for Network Effect) and the 2024 Locus for Best Science Fiction Novel (for System Collapse). Children of Time Series by Adrian Tchaikovsky: This series explores themes of consciousness and evolution on an accelerated timeline. It received the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Series. The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir: A popular series that blends fantasy, science fiction, and humor. It was nominated for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Series.