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Here are five **recently published science fiction novels** that have garnered strong reviews and would make excellent suggestions to a friend. I’ve picked a variety of tones and themes so you can pick what might suit their tastes best. --- **1. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2024)       * The novel is told from the point of view of Annie, a robot designed to be the perfect companion, who begins to realise she may not just be an object. ([rrhorton.blogspot.com][1]) * Reviews highlight how it uses familiar sci-fi tropes (AI, autonomy, relationship power dynamics) but does so thoughtfully and emotionally. ([rrhorton.blogspot.com][1]) * Bonus: It won the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science-fiction novel in the UK. ([The Guardian][2]) **Why it’s a good pick**: Great for someone interested in AI, consciousness, intimate stories, or the intersection of technology and human relationships. --- **2. Private Rites by Julia Armfield (2024)       * The book follows three sisters in a near-future Britain affected by climate catastrophe, exploring family, identity and change. ([The Guardian][3]) * One review calls the novel “daring, ambitious, and all around poignant” with strong themes of family, shame, environment and love. ([Chicago Review of Books][4]) **Why it’s a good pick**: Ideal for a reader who likes speculative elements blended with emotional and character-driven stories rather than purely hard sci-fi. --- **3. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024)       * This debut novel mixes time-travel science fiction with romance and a spy-thriller structure: a government programme brings historical figures into the present, and characters navigate identity, belonging, and displacement. ([The Guardian][5]) * Reviewers describe it as “a seriously fun sci-fi rom-com” and note its thought-provoking blend of genres. ([The Guardian][5]) **Why it’s a good pick**: Great for someone who wants sci-fi that’s playful yet meaningful—less about gadgets and more about people and time. --- **4. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (2025)       * This novel builds a near-future dystopia in which citizens are evaluated for their propensity to commit crimes, and a returning Moroccan-American woman is detained as a result. ([Wikipedia][6]) * Though more literary in tone, it has strong speculative elements and positive critical reception for its vivid and chilling world-building. ([Wikipedia][6]) **Why it’s a good pick**: If your friend enjoys thought-provoking, socially conscious sci-fi with a strong character focus—this one fits nicely. --- **5. Dissolution by Nicholas Binge (2025)       * In this novel, a husband’s Alzheimer-like memory-loss is revealed to be a manipulation—memory-erasure and time-loops are at play. ([Wikipedia][7]) * Critical reception is very strong: the book’s twisty, time-loop narrative has drawn comparisons to Philip K. Dick. ([Wikipedia][7]) **Why it’s a good pick**: For the friend who likes mind-benders, cerebral sci-fi, twisting timelines and speculative ideas about memory and identity. --- **Summary of picks and how to choose:** * Want **AI/robot ethics & intimate relationships** → *Annie Bot* * Prefer **climate-shift + family drama** → *Private Rites* * Enjoy **time-travel + romance + genre mash-up** → *The Ministry of Time* * Keen on **dystopian near-future with social commentary** → *The Dream Hotel* * Crave **time-loops, memory manipulation, cerebral twists** → *Dissolution* --- If you like, I can **pull together 10 or 15 more** recent sci-fi novels (from 2024-25) with short blurbs and a range of styles, so you can send a fuller list to your friend. Would you like that? [1]: https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2025/03/review-annie-bot-by-sierra-greer.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Review: Annie Bot, by Sierra Greer" [2]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/25/arthur-c-clarke-science-fiction-award-annie-bot-sierra-greer?utm_source=chatgpt.com "'Intense' novel about robot abused by her boyfriend/owner wins Arthur C Clarke science fiction award" [3]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/20/private-rites-by-julia-armfield-review-in-deep-water?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Private Rites by Julia Armfield review – in deep water | Fiction" [4]: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2024/12/13/sisters-and-sacrifice-in-julia-armfields-private-rites/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Sisters and Sacrifice in Julia Armfield's \"Private Rites\"" [5]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/may/03/the-ministry-of-time-by-kaliane-bradley-review-a-seriously-fun-sci-fi-romcom?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley review" [6]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_Hotel?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The Dream Hotel" [7]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_%28Binge_novel%29?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Dissolution (Binge novel)"