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To find the best, most recently published science fiction novels for your friend, consider titles that have earned major awards and positive buzz in the last few years. This list includes a mix of hard sci-fi, space opera, and softer sci-fi focused on human and societal issues. 2024 award winners and nominees The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: Blends sci-fi with romance as a civil servant in modern London is tasked with helping a time traveler from 19th-century Antarctica adjust to the future. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera: A debut novel that explores the complicated relationship of a protagonist raised to kill their father, a task that would unravel their entire society. The fantasy tale was nominated for multiple awards. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh: A highly lauded debut novel and winner of a 2024 Hugo Award. Set in a distant future where humanity is at war with an alien race, it follows a young woman navigating complex loyalties. Translation State by Ann Leckie: Set in the same universe as the popular Imperial Radch series, this stand-alone novel follows a pair trying to uncover a conspiracy. It was nominated for multiple awards, including a Hugo and a Nebula. Witch King by Martha Wells: From the author of the popular Murderbot series, this fantasy novel follows a Witch King who must return to a treacherous world of politics and magic to protect his people. 2023 award winners and nominees Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: A dystopian social satire and National Book Award finalist set in a privatized prison system where inmates battle to the death for a chance at freedom. Starter Villain by John Scalzi: This New York Times bestseller follows a man who inherits his estranged uncle's villainous empire, complete with a lair, cat, and sentient volcano. System Collapse by Martha Wells: The seventh book in the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite Murderbot Diaries series finds the rogue security robot dealing with trauma and trying to protect its human charges. The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei: Set on a generation ship journeying to a new world, a bombing threat forces an elite pilot trainee to uncover the truth of a past crime in space. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin: A mysterious island paradise hides a dark secret where residents are sent to "the Annex" and reborn whenever their memories begin to return. Recent standouts and popular choices Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: The author of The Martian returns with a hard sci-fi, first-contact story about a lone astronaut who must save the Earth from an extinction-level event. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler: In a near-future world threatened by climate change, a marine biologist makes a groundbreaking discovery of a sentient octopus species. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers: This installment in the cozy sci-fi Wayfarer series is a story of three aliens from different species forced to take shelter at a remote spaceport. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine: The sequel to the award-winning A Memory Called Empire continues the political space opera with an expedition to make first contact with a dangerous alien species. Leviathan Falls by James S.A. Corey: The conclusion to the massive and action-packed space opera series The Expanse brings all of its narrative threads to a spectacular close.