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For a friend looking for highly-reviewed, recently published science fiction, consider these popular and acclaimed novels from 2024 and 2025. Top recommendations from 2024 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: This debut novel, a finalist for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Award, is a unique blend of romance, time travel, and historical fiction. A civil servant in a clandestine government agency is tasked with assisting a time-traveler from the 19th century as he acclimates to life in the 21st century. The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey: This space opera marks the beginning of The Captive's War series from the author of The Expanse. The book is a high-stakes adventure that follows humanity's fight for survival against a mysterious and dominant alien civilization. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky: From a popular and award-winning author, this book offers an intense story of first contact. An exobiologist investigating an alien world finds that the planet's ecosystem is more menacing and complex than anyone could have imagined. In Universes by Emet North: A finalist for the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction, this emotionally resonant novel explores parallel worlds. It follows a trans woman who discovers a way to jump between alternate realities and searches for the family she left behind. The Book of Love by Kelly Link: Blending fantasy and sci-fi elements, this novel from a MacArthur Fellow features a group of teenage friends who return from the dead with magical powers and find their town changed. Highly anticipated releases for 2025 The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami: In a dystopian near-future, a novelist living under surveillance finds her dreams controlled by a mysterious entity. The Once and Future Me by Melissa Pace: This psychological thriller focuses on a woman who is institutionalized for experiencing the memories of her future self. When We Were Real by Darryl Gregory: In this book from a multiple-award-winning author, two friends tour a simulated world to explore its mind-bending glitches. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi: A new, standalone novel from the bestselling author, exploring what would happen if the moon were replaced by a giant wheel of cheese. Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler: Following the success of The Mountain in the Sea, Nayler offers a new book of geopolitical espionage set in a cybernetic, near-future world. Other notable recent sci-fi Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021): A popular and widely praised novel about a lone astronaut who wakes up with amnesia on a mission to save Earth. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (2022): This Arthur C. Clarke Award winner explores what happens when a team of researchers discovers a species of highly intelligent, tool-using octopuses. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022): A fun adventure where a food delivery driver is offered a job in a seemingly straightforward animal rights organization, which turns out to be a secret operation protecting giant, Godzilla-like creatures in an alternate dimension. Upgrade by Blake Crouch (2022): From the author of Dark Matter and Recursion, this fast-paced techno-thriller follows a government agent who is genetically upgraded and forced to grapple with his new reality.