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I'll search for some highly-reviewed recent science fiction novels to give you the best current recommendations.Based on the search results, here are some excellent recently published science fiction novels with strong critical acclaim: ## Top Recommendations: **The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley** (2024) A debut novel featuring a playful time-travel romance with workplace comedy, espionage, and temporal physics elements that has been critically acclaimed. **In Ascension by Martin MacInnes** (2024) A glorious novel exploring humanity's wonder and existence, described as considering the "impossible adventure full of wonder and awe" of human life itself. **Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer** (2024) The surprise fourth volume in the Southern Reach series, bringing readers back to that universe with new expeditions, long-awaited answers, and fresh mysteries. **Translation State by Ann Leckie** (2024) A new collection of short fiction from the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of the Imperial Radch series, including a brand new novelette. **Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston** (2024) An absolutely joyful novel about former coder Cinnamon Jones running the Next World Festival with AI creations trained on her ancestors' memories, demonstrating that science fiction is about the technology of living. **This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour** (2024) A Snowpiercer-like commentary set in towers off the coast of Africa after rising ocean levels, exploring power dynamics between those at the top and those below. These books span various subgenres—time travel, space exploration, climate fiction, and philosophical SF—so you should be able to find something that matches your friend's tastes!