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Here are some excellent, highly-reviewed recent sci-fi novels you should consider: **The Ministry for the Future** by Kim Stanley Robinson (2020) - A near-future climate fiction masterpiece that's won multiple awards. It's ambitious and hopeful while dealing with our biggest challenges. Great if your friend likes thoughtful, idea-driven sci-fi. **Project Hail Mary** by Andy Weir (2021) - From the author of *The Martian*, this is a gripping space survival story with humor, heart, and fascinating problem-solving. Extremely readable and fun. **Translation State** by Ann Leckie (2023) - The latest in Leckie's Imperial Radch universe. Brilliant exploration of identity and connection with her signature complex world-building. Works as a standalone too. **The Terraformers** by Annalee Newitz (2023) - Spans thousands of years following rangers protecting a planet being terraformed. Creative, optimistic, and full of fascinating ideas about ecology and community. **Some Desperate Glory** by Emily Tesh (2023) - Won the Hugo Award. A militaristic space station, multiverse elements, and a protagonist whose worldview gets completely upended. Intense and gripping. **The Saint of Bright Doors** by Vajra Chandrasekera (2023) - Wildly inventive fantasy/sci-fi blend with stunning prose. Very different from typical Western sci-fi - draws on South Asian influences. What kind of sci-fi does your friend usually enjoy? Hard science-focused, character-driven, action-packed, or more literary? That might help narrow it down!