Answer Details

For recent, highly-reviewed science fiction, you can recommend novels like the humorous and thrilling Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir or the contemplative, award-winning A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. If your friend enjoys a specific sub-genre, such as hard sci-fi, space opera, or near-future tech, you can narrow the list. Hugely popular and highly acclaimed Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021) Plot: A lone astronaut wakes up with amnesia on a last-chance mission to save humanity and Earth itself from a cosmic threat. Praise: An entertaining blend of humor, scientific problem-solving, and a moving story of friendship. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020) Plot: A man known as Piranesi lives in a bizarre labyrinthine House of infinite halls and statues, where a new discovery threatens to upend his entire reality. Praise: This fantasy-adjacent novel won the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction for its compelling mystery and memorable world-building. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (2022) Plot: A novel that explores time travel and a pandemic from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a moon colony centuries later. Praise: A profound and lyrical story weaving together themes of art, plague, and time. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022) Plot: A laid-off tech worker joins an animal rights organization only to discover he has signed up to protect giant, city-destroying monsters in another dimension. Praise: An incredibly fun, fast-paced, and hilarious standalone adventure. Cozy and optimistic sci-fi A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (2021) Plot: The first book in the Monk and Robot novella series, it follows a tea monk who encounters a self-aware robot for the first time in centuries. Praise: Widely lauded as a beacon of "cozy sci-fi," it is a gentle, philosophical, and deeply hopeful tale. The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (2021) Plot: The conclusion to the Wayfarers series, this novel follows a diverse group of aliens stranded at a space-station repair stop. Praise: Celebrated for its focus on character relationships and for its empathetic depiction of cultural differences. Recent and award-winning reads A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (2021) Plot: The sequel to the Hugo Award-winning A Memory Called Empire, this space opera follows a diplomatic envoy trying to make first contact with a hostile alien fleet. Praise: Praised for its complex characters and intricate political intrigue. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2023) Plot: The last human survivors of a galactic war are raised for a final conflict, but the protagonist makes a discovery that could change everything. Praise: This compelling book won a Hugo Award for its thrilling plot and sharp commentary. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (2024) Plot: In a magically-infused future, a man searches for the father he never knew among sorcerers and cults. Praise: A winner of a Nebula Award for its originality and dazzling prose. Hard sci-fi and tech thrillers Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024) Plot: A biologist is exiled to a colonized planet with a hidden mystery, where she finds herself on the trail of a corporate conspiracy. Praise: A classic hard sci-fi story that explores evolution and alien biology. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2025) Plot: Another novel by Tchaikovsky about a rebellious robot, which was nominated as one of the best books of 2025 by Five Books. Upgrade by Blake Crouch (2022) Plot: The author of Dark Matter returns with a near-future techno-thriller about a man who finds his brain has been genetically "upgraded". Praise: A tightly-plotted, high-concept thriller that plays with ideas of identity, consciousness, and the future of human evolution.