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Recent and highly-rated Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021): From the author of The Martian, this fun, fast-paced hard sci-fi novel follows a man who wakes up in space with amnesia and must save the world. It has been a massive hit with readers and critics. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2024): This book, which won the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award, is a speculative novel about a sentient AI companion bot. It is praised for being a humane and emotional story. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (2022): This first-contact novel centers on a marine biologist studying a newly discovered species of octopus that appears to have its own culture and language. It won the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2025): A darkly humorous and poignant story about an AI domestic robot who, after murdering his owner, sets out on a quest to fix the world. Tchaikovsky is a highly-regarded, prolific author in the genre. Starter Villain by John Scalzi (2023): A comedic, fast-paced novel where a down-on-his-luck man inherits his uncle's supervillain enterprise, complete with a volcano lair and a legion of talking cats. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (2022): Another of Scalzi's recent and popular books, this one is about a man who unexpectedly joins an organization that protects giant, dinosaur-like creatures on an alternate-dimension Earth.n the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune (2023): This queer retelling of Pinocchio is a quirky and heartfelt tale about a human living with three robots in a forest home, whose past is threatened by a newly repaired android. Short stories Exhalation by Ted Chiang (2019): Named to Barack Obama's 2019 summer reading list, this collection of stories by the acclaimed author explores profound philosophical questions about humanity and the universe. For specific tastes For fans of complex political space operas: Suggest the Teixcalaan duology by Arkady Martine, starting with the Hugo Award-winning novel A Memory Called Empire (2019). The series continues with A Desolation Called Peace (2021). For fans of cozy science fiction: Recommend anything from Becky Chambers, especially the Monk and Robot series, which began with A Psalm for the Wild-Built (2021). For those who enjoy social commentary: Point them toward Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's National Book Award-nominated novel Chain-Gang All-Stars (2023), a dystopian tale about a for-profit prison system.