Answer Details

Here are **five highly-reviewed, recently published science-fiction novels** you could suggest to your friend — each with a different flavour. If you give me a few preferences of your friend (e.g., hard SF, space opera, near-future, themes) I can pull more tailored picks too. --- ### 1. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (2024) A sharp, dark near-future novel about a humanoid robot designed as the “perfect girlfriend” and the unsettling dynamics of intimacy, autonomy, and control. One review says: “A robot’s sentience chafes against her programming’s restraints.” ([Kirkus Reviews][1]) Another review adds: “It’s a powerful story about a ‘perfect’ AI girlfriend … she learns how dark human relationships can be.” ([The Reader Life][2]) This is a provocative read that works especially if your friend is up for something disturbing, thought-provoking and character-driven. --- ### 2. The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei (2024) A space-opera heist adventure: a former art thief teams up with an alien companion to recover a powerful artifact that could save a dying species. Reviewers highlight the scope and emotional depth: “a luminous work… vacillating between the highs and lows of human experience and how they might translate across alien worlds.” ([Kirkus Reviews][3]) Good if your friend loves interstellar stakes, alien cultures, and high action *and* some reflection on identity. --- ### 3. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (2024) A genre-blending debut: near-future Britain + a government time-travel programme + historical figures brought into the present. One review describes it as “a time-toying spy romance that’s truly a thriller.” ([Kirkus Reviews][4]) Another: “uses time travel to explore identity, love, and belonging.” ([jamifairleigh.com][5]) If your friend enjoys speculative plots with a twist of romance and political/social themes, this one fits. --- ### 4. Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini (2024) This is more of a big-scale “hard” space-/exploration SF: the setting is an alienly perfect mega-structure on a distant planet (Talos VII) and a xenobiologist’s trek into unknowns. Mentioned in “best new sci-fi books of 2024” lists. ([panmacmillan.com][6]) Great if your friend prefers hard science, big mysteries, and cosmic scale. --- ### 5. Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by Peter F. Hamilton (2024) Also listed among the “best new sci-fi books of 2024”. Humanity has to flee Earth and explore distant space in search of a home. ([panmacmillan.com][6]) If your friend likes epic, sprawling space sagas with lots of world-building, this choice might appeal. --- If you like, I can **compile a longer list (10-15 titles)** with a mix of subgenres (e.g., near-future, climate-SF, alien contact, dystopia) and include *Australian/Down-Under published* ones too (if your friend is in Australia). Do you want that? [1]: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sierra-greer/annie-bot/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "ANNIE BOT | Kirkus Reviews" [2]: https://thereaderlife.com/annie-bot-by-sierra-greer-a-disturbing-tale-of-the-perfect-ai-girlfriend/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Annie Bot by Sierra Greer - Detailed Book Review & Analysis" [3]: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/yume-kitasei/the-stardust-grail/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "THE STARDUST GRAIL | Kirkus Reviews" [4]: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kaliane-bradley/the-ministry-of-time/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "THE MINISTRY OF TIME - Kirkus Reviews" [5]: https://jamifairleigh.com/2025/04/25/ministry-of-time/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Book Review: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley" [6]: https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/science-fiction-and-fantasy/best-new-science-fiction-books?utm_source=chatgpt.com "The best sci-fi books of 2025, and all time - Pan Macmillan"