Answer Details

Here are three **highly-reviewed, recently published science-fiction novels** that span different styles and themes — any of them would make a great suggestion for your friend: --- ### 1. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2023)       **Why it’s worth sending:** * It won the 2024 Hugo Award for Best Novel. ([Wikipedia][1]) * Reviewers praise its combination of thrilling action, big-ideas (AI, fascism, gender politics), and strong character growth. For example, *Publishers Weekly* starred it: “The political theme of breaking away from fascist ideology pairs beautifully with smart sci-fi world-building … and queer coming of age.” ([Wikipedia][1]) * Plot in a nutshell: After Earth is destroyed, humans survive among alien society; the protagonist Kyr must fight for freedom and meaning. ([Wikipedia][1]) **Good match for a reader who enjoys:** fast-paced space opera with strong themes of identity, rebellion, and transformation. --- ### 2. The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (2023)       **Why it’s worth sending:** * The novel has received strong reviews for its imagination and scope. For example, *Publishers Weekly* said: “Newitz … performs a staggering feat of revolutionary imagination … With the ethos of Becky Chambers and the gonzo imagination of Samuel R. Delany.” ([publishersweekly.com][2]) * Themes include terraforming, corporate ownership of worlds, diverse sentient life (humans and beyond), and the meaning of “personhood” in far-future settings. ([The Washington Post][3]) **Good match for a reader who enjoys:** wide-ranging speculative futures, big ideas about ecology and society, and characters who reflect change over very long timescales. --- ### 3. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024)       **Why it’s worth sending:** * It’s a strong, recent release (2024) and has been shortlisted for major awards. ([Wikipedia][4]) * Reviews highlight its vivid world-building and its fusion of speculative biology with political commentary. For example, *Kirkus* recommends it (verdict: “GET IT”). ([Kirkus Reviews][5]) * Brief plot: A biologist who opposes a fascist regime is sent to a remote planet (Kiln) as a laborer; he uncovers strange life-forms and must survive while unraveling mysteries. ([Library Journal][6]) **Good match for a reader who enjoys:** darker, more cerebral SF with strong alien-ecology, themes of dissent and survival, and less-trodden territory in world-building. --- If you like, I can pull **5-10 more titles** (including lesser-known ones) with a short summary for each, which gives you a broader selection to send your friend. Would you prefer that? [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Some_Desperate_Glory_%28novel%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Some Desperate Glory (novel)" [2]: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250228017?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz" [3]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/01/27/annalee-newitz-terraformers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz book review - The Washington Post" [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Clay?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Alien Clay" [5]: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/adrian-tchaikovsky/alien-clay/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "ALIEN CLAY | Kirkus Reviews" [6]: https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/alien-clay-1809171?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Alien Clay | Library Journal"