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I'll search for the best recently published science fiction novels to give you current recommendations.Let me get more specific details on the top-rated 2024 sci-fi novels:Based on my research, here are some excellent recently published science fiction novels that have received strong critical acclaim and awards: ## Top Recommendations for 2024-2025: **In Ascension by Martin MacInnes** (published 2023, won the 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award) This novel follows Leigh, a marine biologist exploring ocean trenches who eventually investigates an anomaly at the edge of the Solar System. It was longlisted for the Booker Prize and made Barack Obama's top ten books of 2024. Reviews praise it as "a thrilling, thought-provoking celebration of the marvels and mysteries of the universe" that "toggles beautifully between the minute and the vast, the personal and the theoretical." **The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera** (2023) This fantasy novel won the 2023 Nebula Award for Best Novel, 2024 Crawford Award, 2024 Ignyte Award, and 2024 Locus Award for Best First Novel. The story follows a man trained from youth to assassinate a prominent spiritual leader, set in a fictional city with supernatural elements. **Witch King by Martha Wells** (2024) This ranked #62 in a comprehensive ranking of award-winning SF/F novels. Though reviews are mixed, it's from the acclaimed author of the Murderbot series and features a demon prince with necromancy-type magic who awakens from imprisonment to find his world changed. **The collection "The Lake House and Other Stories" by Ann Leckie** This complete collection contains both science fiction and fantasy stories, including "The Justified," described as a haunting story about power and mortality, plus a title novelette following a sentient crustacean. These books represent some of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning science fiction from the past year, offering diverse styles from hard science fiction to more literary speculative fiction.