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To find the best recent science fiction novels for a friend, consider the genre's top awards and reader-voted lists from the last few years. Standout titles include Andy Weir's feel-good adventure Project Hail Mary, Martha Wells's popular Murderbot Diaries series, and acclaimed works from authors like Ann Leckie and Emily St. John Mandel. Highly-reviewed books from 2024 and 2025 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: A time-travel novel in which a civil servant is tasked with assisting a group of "displaced" people from history. It was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for 2024. The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey: A space opera and the first book in The Captive's War series, written by the co-authors of The Expanse. It was a popular choice in the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky: In this 2024 release, a prisoner sentenced to a hostile alien planet with bizarre fungal life must survive with help from a corporate team. The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville: This collaboration tells the story of an ancient warrior who must contend with loneliness and a violent past. Top titles from 2023 System Collapse by Martha Wells: The seventh book in the critically acclaimed Murderbot Diaries series, which follows a security android that has hacked itself to achieve freedom. Translation State by Ann Leckie: An adventure about a sheltered young man who discovers his past is tied to a diplomatic mission and two retired, non-human entities. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh: In this action-packed novel, a young warrior trained for a war that has already been lost finds her purpose by seeking revenge. The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera: A literary sci-fi novel about a man in a world where magic and gods exist who must escape his past and confront his estranged family. Highly acclaimed reads from 2022 Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel: This time-jumping narrative connects several characters, including a novelist and a space colony resident, to a shared mystery surrounding a disturbance in time. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: The third book in The Locked Tomb series continues the unique blend of sci-fi and fantasy, centered on a woman with extraordinary powers. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: The author of The Martian returns with a feel-good space adventure about an amnesiac astronaut who wakes up to discover he is humanity's last hope. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: A historical science fiction story that reinvents H.G. Wells's classic tale, following a woman on a secluded estate who lives among human-animal hybrids. Popular classics and series published in recent years If your friend is interested in recent volumes of popular series, they can explore these critically lauded titles: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky: The first book, Shards of Earth, was published in 2021. The series is a space opera about humanity's conflict with an alien race known as the Architects. The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey: The concluding book, Leviathan Falls, was published in 2021. The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers: This popular cozy sci-fi series concluded its main narrative with The Galaxy, and the Ground Within in 2021.