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Here are five recently published, highly-reviewed science fiction novels that would make excellent recommendations. I’ve included a bit about what makes each one stand out so you can pick the best fit for your friend. 1. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2024) 6 Why it’s worth it: It won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2025. The Guardian +2 Kirkus Reviews +2 The novel is told from the perspective of Annie, a humanoid-robot companion, and examines autonomy, power, control and what it means to be human. andrewggibson.com +1 Reviewers call it “provocative and powerful”. Kirkus Reviews Good for: a reader who enjoys thoughtful, character-driven sci-fi with ethical questions, especially around AI and identity. 2. Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2025) 6 Why it’s worth it: This is a 2025 release and has been named by major outlets as one of the best new sci-fi books of the year. Pan Macmillan +2 Goodreads +2 The setting is a hostile alien moon (nicknamed “Shroud”) that humans are trying to exploit — and things go very badly. It blends survival, alien sentience, and corporate exploitation in one. The Bookish Elf +1 Reviews highlight its world-building, alien psychology, and the tension of being completely out of depth in a non-human environment. Tar Vol on +1 Good for: someone who enjoys hard sci-fi, alien worlds, survival narratives, or truly “other” perspectives. 3. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024) 6 Why it’s worth it: It won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Science Fiction in its category. Wikipedia +2 Five Books +2 The premise: a time-travel bureaucracy handles “expats” from other eras; the tone is described as witty, thought-provoking, and a genre-blend of sci-fi + romance. Wikipedia Good for: a reader who prefers lighter-touch, genre-melding sci-fi (time-travel, romance, bureaucratic satire) rather than heavy hard-science worlds. 4. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024) 6 Why it’s worth it: It was a finalist for major awards (Hugo, Locus) and received strong critical attention. Wikipedia The story: a biologist is exiled to a brutal labour camp on an alien planet, forced to study alien life – examines humanity, power, evolution. Wikipedia Good for: someone who enjoys speculative, thought-provoking sci-fi with heavy themes of biology, evolution, alienness, human nature. 5. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (2023/2024) 6 Why it’s worth it: It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award (2024) for best sci-fi novel. The Guardian Combines deep atmosphere, from ocean trench exploration to outer space, blending the familiar with the cosmic. The Guardian Good for: a reader who appreciates literary-leaning sci-fi that is evocative, philosophical, and richly written rather than necessarily action-packed. 📋 Summary Table Book Tone / Style Best for this kind of reader Annie Bot Psychological, AI & identity Interested in ethics, human-tech, intimate stories Shroud Hard sci-fi, survival, alien & hostile world Likes big ideas, alien perspectives, intense stakes The Ministry of Time Time-travel + romance + humour Prefers lighter, genre-blending sci-fi Alien Clay Speculative biology & alien society Enjoys reflection on evolution, power, human limits In Ascension Atmospheric, literary, cosmic scale Wants poetic sci-fi with a broad sweep If you like, I can pull 10 or even 20 more suggestions across sub-genres (space opera, dystopian, AI fiction, climate-fiction) so you have a fuller list to send your friend. Would you like that? You have not enough Humanizer words left. Upgrade your Surfer plan.