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Some of the most highly-reviewed science fiction novels published in the last few years include award-winners like Emily Tesh's Hugo winner Some Desperate Glory and Vajra Chandrasekera's Nebula winner The Saint of Bright Doors. Critically acclaimed authors such as Martha Wells and Adrian Tchaikovsky have also recently published new titles. Hugo and Nebula Award winners (2023–2024) These titles won major awards and are likely to please a wide range of science fiction fans. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2023): Winner of the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel. After Earth has been destroyed by aliens, a young woman raised on a military space station must question her indoctrination when she is denied the chance to fight. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera (2023): Winner of the 2024 Nebula Award for Best Novel. In a world inspired by South Asian mythology, the protagonist Fetter rebels against his mother's plan for him to kill his own father. Translation State by Ann Leckie (2023): Nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards in 2024. In this standalone novel within the Imperial Radch universe, a diplomat must track down a missing, alien-race translator. Other recent best-of-year selections These novels have received strong reviews and appear on numerous "best of the year" lists from the last few years. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024): Blending romance and historical sci-fi, a civil servant is tasked with assisting a time-traveling Victorian explorer adapt to the 21st century. The Book of Love by Kelly Link (2024): A genre-bending novel about three teenagers who return from the dead with new magical abilities and a mysterious task to complete. The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei (2023): A locked-room mystery set on a generation ship carrying the last remnants of humanity. The novel unfolds when a murder occurs and a saboteur is discovered on board. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022): After being laid off during the pandemic, a man stumbles into a secret organization that protects gigantic monsters on a parallel Earth. If your friend likes series If your friend is interested in starting a series, these recent entries are highly regarded and build on established universes. System Collapse by Martha Wells (2023): This is the latest full-length novel in the beloved Murderbot Diaries series, about a part-human, part-android security unit that has hacked its own governor module. Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2023): The third book in the Children of Time series, which explores themes of sentience and evolution in a far-future human society. The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (2024): The first book in The Captive's War series by the bestselling author of The Expanse.