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To find the best and most highly-reviewed science fiction novels from late 2024 and 2025, look to major award shortlists, genre-focused publications, and books from popular authors. The following is a selection of critically acclaimed and reader-favorite titles to suggest to your friend. Recently acclaimed novels (2024–2025) The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2025): This inventive and genre-bending novel was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2025 and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award. The story follows a civil servant who is tasked with assisting a Victorian explorer displaced in time. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2024): A Hugo Award winner and Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, this is a coming-of-age space opera centered on a young woman raised on a military outpost who embarks on a journey of discovery that challenges everything she has been taught. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (2024): This Arthur C. Clarke Award winner focuses on first contact with a newly discovered, highly intelligent species of octopus. It is a contemplative story that explores themes of consciousness and communication. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2025): A finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards, this book tells the story of a realistic, empathetic robot companion who starts to question the nature of her existence. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2025): The acclaimed author delivers a satirical, post-apocalyptic story following a subservient robot who, after an accident, is left without a master. He ventures out into the world and discovers a new purpose. Translation State by Ann Leckie (2024): Set in the same universe as her award-winning Imperial Radch series, this standalone novel follows three characters searching for a long-lost alien fugitive. It was nominated for multiple awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus. Notable recent releases from established authors The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville (2024): A collaboration between the actor and the prolific fantasy and sci-fi novelist, this book was a highly anticipated release and was featured on The New York Times list of recent must-reads. Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer (2024): Returning to the strange and dangerous world of the Southern Reach series, this surprise fourth installment was a welcome addition for fans of the best-selling author. Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by Peter F. Hamilton (2025): This first installment of a new space opera duology from the sci-fi legend follows a young human slave escaping to explore distant space in a universe where Earth has died. Other highly recommended books Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice (2024): The sequel to the acclaimed Moon of the Crusted Snow, this novel continues the story of an Anishinaabe community surviving after a cataclysmic event. Where the Axe is Buried by Ray Nayler (2025): In this novel, Nayler presents a plausible and horrifying future that has been described by readers as a "fairly horrifying look at a future that feels entirely possible". When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory (2025): A novel that explores how humanity might cope after discovering that they are living in a simulation, as two friends go on a road trip to see strange reality anomalies.