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Drawing on recent award lists, publication lists, and critic reviews, here are some of the best and most highly-reviewed science fiction novels published within the last few years. Critically acclaimed recent novels Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021) is a popular, standalone novel from the author of The Martian. When astronaut Ryland Grace wakes up with amnesia, he must piece together his identity and complete his last-chance mission to save humanity. A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine (2021) is the Hugo Award-winning sequel to A Memory Called Empire. It continues the political space opera of the Teixcalaanli Empire as it faces a destructive alien threat. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (2022) is a time-bending novel that follows multiple characters over 500 years, connecting a forest in 1912 British Columbia to a moon colony in the future. Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi (2022) was named a Best Book of the Year by TIME, NPR, and The Guardian. In this story, the wealthy have fled Earth for space colonies, leaving behind those who must survive in the collapsing cities. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2023) is a space opera about a young soldier raised on a planet with the last vestiges of humanity. After discovering that her orders are based on a lie, she embarks on a rogue mission to save the universe. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (2023) won the Booker Prize. This dystopian novel is set in a near-future Ireland that is sliding into totalitarianism, exploring themes of resistance and survival. Absolution: A Southern Reach Novel by Jeff VanderMeer (2024) is the surprise fourth volume in the Southern Reach series, returning readers to the mysterious Area X to provide new answers and raise new questions. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024) is a quirky science fiction romance in which a civil servant is tasked with assisting a time traveler who has been plucked from the 19th century. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024) follows a professor exiled to a distant planet, where he uncovers a terrifying secret about the planet's seemingly uninhabited past. Rose/House by Arkady Martine (2025) is a unique sci-fi murder mystery where a locked house with its own AI intelligence becomes the scene of a perplexing crime. Popular recent novels and series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells is a highly-rated, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning series. The series follows a part-human, part-machine security android that has hacked its own module and prefers to watch media than to obey orders. The 2020 novel Network Effect and the 2023 novel System Collapse are the fifth and seventh installments in the series, respectively. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022) is a popular, fast-paced science fiction novel where an unassuming food delivery driver discovers a parallel Earth filled with gigantic, dinosaur-like creatures. In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune (2023) is a poignant and charming queer retelling of the story of Pinocchio, featuring robots in a treehouse. The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune (2024) is a standalone novel from the bestselling author, in which a man retreats to his family's cabin and finds a young girl with powerful secrets.