Answer Details

To find the best, most highly-reviewed, recently published science fiction novels, you can look at award shortlists and reader-voted lists from the last couple of years. Notable and award-winning titles from 2023–2025 include explorations of post-apocalyptic societies, deep-sea discovery, and artificial intelligence. Critically acclaimed novels from 2024 and 2025 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024): A debut novel shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, this speculative work follows a civil servant who is tasked with helping "expats" from different historical eras adapt to present-day London. Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024): A post-apocalyptic story that is both funny and philosophical, this book follows an obsolete android on a journey across an Earth abandoned by humans. Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024): A suspenseful tale about a terraforming planet that harbors a unique and dangerous secret. This was a 2025 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee. Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto (2025): This debut queer space heist novel follows a paroled criminal who must team up with her former double-crossing partner for one last job. It was inspired by Ocean's 8. Luminous by Silvia Park (2025): A detective story with a literary bent, this novel is set in a near-future, reunified Korea where a missing AI case forces a pair of estranged siblings to uncover the truth about their long-lost robot brother. Top-rated novels from 2023 Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh: This Hugo Award-winning queer space opera follows a soldier who trained her entire life to avenge humanity, only to have her mission thwarted by her brother. The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler: On a remote, near-future island, a marine biologist studies a newly-discovered octopus species that has developed its own language and culture. Translation State by Ann Leckie: Set in the same universe as Leckie's award-winning Imperial Radch series, this standalone novel follows a person on a quest for belonging after discovering a 200-year-old fugitive. It received nominations for multiple awards, including the Hugo and Nebula. In Ascension by Martin MacInnes: Winner of the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award, this literary sci-fi novel blends cosmic wonder with profound human introspection. It follows a microbiologist who joins a space mission to explore a mysterious anomaly. Popular and breakout series The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells: While the series isn't brand new, the recent installments continue to earn high praise. The 2023 novel System Collapse and the 2020 entry Network Effect are particularly strong, following a socially anxious, self-aware security android through space adventures. The Captive's War series by James S.A. Corey: From the acclaimed authors of The Expanse series comes this new space opera series. The first book, The Mercy of Gods (2024), follows the aftermath of an alien war.