Science Fiction

New and recommended science fiction

Updated September 19, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Science Fiction

New and recommended science fiction

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Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from...
Mickey7
Ashton, Edward (Science fiction writer)
Paper Book
Now experience where the hit movie from Academy Award-winning director Bong Joon Ho, starring Robert Pattinson, started in Mickey7 (the inspiration for the film Mickey 17). Dying isn't any fun...but at least it's a living. Mickey Barnes is an...
This great hemisphere : a novel
Askaripour, Mateo
Paper Book
"A thrilling page-turner."-Brit Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Wildly imaginative."-The Washington Post "Askaripour soars."-The Boston Globe A rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt invisible....
Ghost Station
Barnes, S. A.
Paper Book
"Relentlessly creepy and fantastically atmospheric...Ghost Station is space horror at its best."--The New York Times A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence....
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport
Basu, Samit
Paper Book
A 2024 Locus Award Finalist! A 2024 Dragon Award Finalist! A "Best Of" pick in BookBub | Lit Hub | Book Riot | The Mary Sue "So much fun!"-Ann Leckie, New York Times bestselling author From...
Beautyland
Bertino, Marie-Helene
Paper Book
A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, Esquire, Time, Elle, The Boston Globe, Literary Hub, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Goodreads, WBEZ Chicago, Book Riot, The Christian Science Monitor, Mother...
Ascension
Binge, Nicholas
Paper Book
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY VULTURE! "You've gotta read Ascension by Nicholas Binge. Old-school creepy. . .five-star horror."--Stephen King "Smartly paced, deploying twists and turns strategically to keep the reader moving. . . The ideas are...
The ministry of time
Bradley, Kaliane
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF SUMMER 2024 * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL * WINNER OF THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR SCIENCE FICTION * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, VANITY FAIR, ESQUIRE<...
Sky full of elephants
Campbell, Cebo
Paper Book
"Bold and imaginative." --Tananarive Due "This stunning allegory will spark much discussion." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A truly powerful and riveting story." --Booklist In a world without white people,...
Infinity gate
Carey, M. R.
Paper Book
"An immense achievement, an impeccably crafted book without a single word out of place." --The New York Times  From bestselling author M. R. Carey comes a brilliant genre-defying story of humanity's expansion across millions of dimensions--and the...
The long way to a small, angry planet
Chambers, Becky
Paper Book
National Bestseller! The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece, Hugo Award winner for Best Series! Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space--and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe--in this...
Rakesfall
Chandrasekera, Vajra
Paper Book
WINNER of the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction | WINNER of the Otherwise Award | Finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novel | Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel Rakesfall is a groundbreaking, standalone science fiction epic about two souls...
The mercy of gods
Corey, James S. A.
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself. ...
Upgrade : a novel
Crouch, Blake
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "If Michael Crichton had written a superhero novel, it would look a lot like Upgrade."--The New York Times Book Review "You don't so much sympathize with the main character as live inside his skin."--DIANA GABALDON, #1 New York...
I cheerfully refuse : a novel
Enger, Leif
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A BARNES & NOBLE BOOK CLUB PICK * A career defining tour-de-force from New York Times bestselling, award-winning and "formidably gifted" (Chicago Tribune) author of Peace Like a River Leif Enger. "A rare, remarkable book to be kept and...
Leech
Ennes, Hiron
Paper Book
"[Leech] is The Thing meets The Alienist . . . beautifully written and so strangely humane . . . I will follow this writer anywhere going forward." --Gillian Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl A surreal and horrifying debut, Hiron...
Ripe : a novel
Etter, Sarah Rose
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Named a Best Book of the Year by Time, HuffPost, Kirkus Reviews, and more * A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice * A Roxane Gay Audacious Book Club Selection * A Marie Claire Book Club Pick A surreal literary fiction...
Annie bot : a novel
Greer, Sierra
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American, Harper's Bazaar and NPR. Named a Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year by the Washington Post and Elle. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in Science Fiction. "Provocative...a...
Orbital : a novel
Harvey, Samantha
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **New York Times Book Review Book Club Pick** **Stephen Colbert's The Late Show Book Club Pick** Winner of the 2024 Hawthornden Prize Shortlisted for the 2024...
The other valley : a novel
Howard, Scott Alexander
Paper Book
*Soon to be a TV series* Jimmy Fallon's Book Club Top Four Pick and a PBS Book Club Pick For fans of Kazuo Ishiguro and Emily St. John Mandel, this "mind-bending take on time travel" (The New York Times) is about an isolated town neighbored by its own past and...
The stardust grail
Kitasei, Yume
Paper Book
Save one world. Doom her own. Maya Hoshimoto was once the best art thief in the galaxy. For ten years, she returned stolen artifacts to alien civilizations--until a disastrous job forced her into hiding. Now she just wants to enjoy a quiet life as a graduate student of...
Whalefall : a novel
Kraus, Daniel
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR The Martian meets 127 Hours in this "astoundingly great" (Gillian Flynn, #1 New York Times bestselling author) and scientifically...
Ancillary justice
Leckie, Ann.
Paper Book
Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Awards: This record-breaking novel follows a warship trapped in a human body on a quest for revenge. A must read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.  On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as...
Persephone Station
Leicht, Stina
Paper Book
Hugo award-nominated author Stina Leicht has created a take on space opera for fans of The Mandalorian and Cowboy Bebop in this high-stakes adventure. Persephone Station, a seemingly backwater planet that has largely been ignored by the United Republic of Worlds...
In ascension
MacInnes, Martin
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR An astonishing novel about a young microbiologist investigating an unfathomable deep vent in the ocean floor, leading her on a journey that will encompass the full trajectory of the cosmos and...
The family experiment
Marrs, John (Freelance journalist)
Paper Book
The Goodreads Choice Award 2024 runner up, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted speculative thriller set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, about the ultimate "tamagotchi"--a virtual baby.
Our hideous progeny : a novel
McGill, C. E.
Paper Book
"A gripping Gothic tale of grief and ambition, passion and intrigue." -- Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship "An immersive blend of historical and science fiction brims with surprises and dark delights. . . . An incisive exploration of women's rights within the field of science....
The wings upon her back
Mills, Samantha
Paper Book
Zenya was a teenager when she ran away from home to join the mechanically-modified warrior sect. She was determined to earn mechanized wings and protect the people and city she loved. Under the strict tutelage of a mercurial, charismatic leader, Zenya became Winged Zemolai. But after twenty-six...
The tusks of extinction
Nayler, Ray
Paper Book
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novella When you bring back a long-extinct species, there's more to success than the DNA. Moscow has resurrected the mammoth. But someone must teach them how to be mammoths, or they are doomed to die out again. ...
In universes : a novel
North, Emet
Paper Book
*WINNER of the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction* NEW YORK TIMES' 10 BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY BOOKS OF THE YEAR An Esquire and Literary Hub Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year * An Autostraddle Best Queer...
The mimicking of known successes
Older, Malka
Paper Book
"Every once in a while, a book comes along that is both a comfort read and a rousing, fist-pumping adventure, and The Mimicking of Known Successes absolutely is both of those things. An utter triumph."--Charlie Jane Anders A Hugo Award nominee for Best Novella
Braking Day
Oyebanji, Adam
Paper Book
On a generation ship bound for a distant star, one engineer-in-training must discover the secrets at the heart of the voyage in this new sci-fi novel. It's been over a century since three generation ships escaped an Earth dominated by artificial intelligence in pursuit of a life...
The shamshine blind : a novel
Pardo, Paz
Paper Book
A beguiling blend of noir detective story and science fiction perfect for fans of Michael Chabon and Emily St. John Mandel, this unputdownable debut imagines a world where emotions have been weaponized, and a small-town law enforcement agent uncovers a conspiracy to take down what's left of...
Hum
Phillips, Helen
Paper Book
A Most Anticipated Book for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Goodreads, LitHub, and Book Riot A Best Book of the Summer for Esquire, Electric Lit, and Town & Country A People Book of the...
Extinction : a novel
Preston, Douglas J.
Paper Book
With Extinction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston has written a page-turning thriller in the Michael Crichton mode that explores the possible and unintended dangers of the very real efforts to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other long-extinct animals.
The Mars house : a novel
Pulley, Natasha
Paper Book
A compulsively readable queer sci-fi novel about a marriage of convenience between a Mars politician and an Earth refugee. Named a Best Book of 2024 by The Washington Post * Amazon * Book Riot * LitHub * Paste Magazine * HuffPost In the wake of an...
The meister of Decimen City
Raney, Brenna
Paper Book
2023 Foreword INDIES Award Gold Medal Winner "Raney's debut is a blast [and] inventive as all get out . . ." --Booklist, Starred Review "Thoroughly entertaining and utterly delightful." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review ...
Eversion
Reynolds, Alastair
Paper Book
From the master of the space opera comes a dark, mind-bending adventure spread across time and space, where Doctor Silas Coade is tasked with keeping his crew safe as they adventure across the galaxy in search of a mysterious artifact. In the 1800s, a sailing ship crashes off the coast...
Moon of the crusted snow : a novel
Rice, Waubgeshig
Paper Book
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the council and community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south...
The practice, the horizon, and the chain
Samatar, Sofia
Paper Book
Nebula Award Finalist for Best Novella Named a Best Sci-Fi Book of 2024 by Esquire, The New York Times, SLATE, The Washington Post, and ELLE "I am in love with Sofia Samatar's lyricism and the haunting beauty of her imagination. Her stories...
Starter villain
Scalzi, John
Paper Book
Now a New York Times bestseller! Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher...
The rise and fall of D.O.D.O. : a novel
Stephenson, Neal
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Goodreads Choice Awards Semifinalist! B&N Editor's Pick - Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2017  From bestselling author Neal Stephenson and critically acclaimed novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating and complex near-future...
This time tomorrow
Straub, Emma
Paper Book
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER "The pages brim with tenderness and an appreciation for what we had and who we were. I could not have loved it more."--Ann Patchett "One of the most moving and intelligent time travel novels I have ever read. Nostalgic, wise, funny, and filled with...
Scattered all over the earth
Tawada, Yōko
Paper Book
Welcome to the not-too-distant future: Japan, having vanished from the face of the earth, is now remembered as "the land of sushi." Hiruko, its former citizen and a climate refugee herself, has a job teaching immigrant children in Denmark with her invented language Panska (Pan-Scandinavian):...
Service model
Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Paper Book
Murderbot meets Redshirts in a delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time. To fix the world they must first break it, further. Humanity is a dying breed, utterly...
The last murder at the end of the world : a novel
Turton, Stuart
Paper Book
"A gripping tale that reads like a Sherlock Holmes novel set in a broken future...Turton is an exciting writer with a knack for strange tales that push the envelope, and this strange story of murder, survival, and the importance of memory might be his best work yet." --Gabino Iglesias for NPR ...
Annihilation
VanderMeer, Jeff.
Paper Book
A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM ALEX GARLAND, STARRING NATALIE PORTMAN AND OSCAR ISAAC NOW AVAILBLE IN A SPECIAL NEW TENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION The Southern Reach Trilogy begins with Annihilation, the Nebula Award-winning novel that "reads as if Verne or...
My murder
Williams, Katie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER  NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND GLAMOUR! "One of those rare emotionally intelligent books that are also fun reads... Going to keep readers turning pages late into the night." -The New York Times ...
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