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Some of the most highly reviewed and recently published science fiction novels include award winners and popular works from 2024 and 2025. You can choose from a range of genres, from space operas to time-travel romance. Award-winning science fiction Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh (2024): Winner of the 2024 Hugo Award, this queer space opera is praised for taking tried-and-true sci-fi themes and elevating them into a "fresh" and "cleverly crafted" novel. The story follows Valkyr, a member of a human militia living on a space station after Earth's destruction, as she discovers new timelines and possibilities. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes (2024): A 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award winner, this book is both epic and intimate, following a marine biologist on an odyssey into a deep-sea trench that leads her across the cosmos. It was also longlisted for the Booker Prize and explores the connection between the natural world and a woman's own troubled past. Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (2024): Another nominee for the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this dystopian novel is set in a near-future, for-profit prison system where inmates must fight in televised death matches to win their freedom. Reviewers have compared it to The Hunger Games but noted its deeper social commentary on inequality. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler (2024): This book also made the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award shortlist and is praised as a "first-rate speculative thriller" exploring themes of first contact with an alien intelligence—in this case, octopuses. Popular and buzzed-about recent releases The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2025): This novel has become hugely popular on BookTok and was a nominee for the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards. It's a time-travel romance about an archivist who must act as a minder for a time-displaced Victorian explorer in the near future. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024): Known for his acclaimed Children of Time series, Tchaikovsky released this standalone novel about a pleasure android who embarks on a quest to become human. It was shortlisted for the 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award and has received strong reviews from readers. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (2021): A reader-favorite from the author of The Martian, this standalone book follows a man who wakes up in deep space with amnesia and must save Earth from an astronomical disaster. It has earned widespread acclaim for its fast pace, humor, and engaging scientific problem-solving. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel (2022): From the author of Station Eleven, this critically praised book connects the dots across centuries, spanning from a 1912 time traveler to a 25th-century novelist on a moon colony. It offers a thoughtful reflection on time and art. Standout debuts and continuing series The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (2024): The first book in The Captive's War series, this space opera has received strong early ratings on Goodreads. It comes from the acclaimed co-author of The Expanse series and is recommended for fans who love detailed world-building. Translation State by Ann Leckie (2024): For fans of her award-winning Imperial Radch series, this new standalone novel explores themes of belonging and features an overarching mystery. It was nominated for the 2024 Hugo and Nebula Awards. Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase (2024): This fantasy novel is set in a society where resurrected bodies are used for surveillance and control. It has been noted for its unique concept and was a finalist for the 2025 Nebula Award.