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...
The future : a novel
Alderman, Naomi
Paper Book
The bestselling, award-winning author of The Power delivers a "page-turning" (Los Angeles Times), "propulsive" (The Boston Globe), "thrilling" (BookPage, starred review) tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants...
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
Despite the odds, Candace, a young invisible woman, has done everything right her entire life - school, university, and now a highly sought-after apprenticeship with one of the Northwestern Hemisphere's premier inventors, a non-invisible man belonging to the dominant population who is as eccentric...
Atomic Anna
Barenbaum, Rachel
Paper Book
Named a Most Anticipated Book by Bookish   Named a Best Book of the Month by Buzzfeed "The novel is masterfully plotted."--New York Times Book Review "Atomic Anna is a dazzling...
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....
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<...
Street freaks
Brooks, Terry
Paper Book
It begins with a dire call-right before his father disappears and his skyscraper home's doors explode inward. Street Freaks is the kind of thrilling futuristic story only New York Times bestselling author Terry Brooks can tell. "Go into the Red Zone. Go to Street Freaks." his father...
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...
Singer distance
Chatagnier, Ethan
Paper Book
The odds of the planet next door hosting intelligent life are--that's not luck. That's a miracle. It means something. In December 1960, Crystal Singer, her boyfriend Rick, and three other MIT grad students take a cross-country road trip from Boston to Arizona to paint a message in the...
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. ...
The ferryman : a novel
Cronin, Justin
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING   From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where...
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...
The candy house : a novel
Egan, Jennifer
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE of the TOP 10 BOOKS OF THE YEAR by THE NEW YORK TIMES * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * SLATE* THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * Also named one of the BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by Vanity Fair, Time, NPR, The...
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 2023 by Time, Huffington Post, Kirkus, 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 novel with...
Calamity
Fay, Constance
Paper Book
Winter's Orbit meets Ilona Andrews in this sexy enemies-to-lovers romance. "Constance Fay...wildly combines heart-stirring romance with a high-stakes adventure in a wonderfully deep space odyssey. This passionate story is a heady mix of suspense, romance, and intrigue, all set...
The peripheral
Gibson, William
Paper Book
William Gibson returns with his first novel since 2010's New York Times-bestselling Zero History. Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran's benefits, for neural damage he suffered from implants during his time in the...
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 /
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...
Toward eternity : a novel
Hur, Anton
Paper Book
"A love story spanning multiple millenniums, life-forms and variations on immortality, the book posits Victorian poetry as a weapon of empire, insists on nature's resilience in the face of genocide, and manipulates prose into something like a new language....Toward Eternity...
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...
Otaku
Kluwe, Chris
Paper Book
Otaku is the debut novel from former NFL player and tech enthusiast Chris Kluwe, with a story reminiscent of Ready Player One and Ender's Game. Ditchtown. A city of skyscrapers, built atop the drowned bones of old Miami. A prison of steel,...
Yours for the taking : a novel
Korn, Gabrielle
Paper Book
A thrilling queer debut novel set several decades in the future and following an unforgettable cast of characters as they become swept up into a strange and exclusive new society. The year is 2050. Ava and her girlfriend live in what's left of Brooklyn, and though they love...
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...
Prophet
Macdonald, Helen
Paper Book
NOSTALGIA HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DEADLY "A crackling, shape-shifting romp with big ideas and a bigger heart . . . A delight." -- C Pam Zhang From the extraordinary minds of award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of H Is for Hawk Helen...
Ocean's echo
Maxwell, Everina
Paper Book
Ocean's Echo is a stand-alone space adventure about a bond that will change the fate of worlds, set in the same universe as Everina Maxwell's hit debut, Winter's Orbit. "I inhaled this one like I needed it to live." --New York Times Book Review ...
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
*Shortlisted for 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 Book of 2024 * A...
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
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...
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...
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...
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 circumference of the world
Tidhar, Lavie
Paper Book
Delia Welegtabit discovered two things during her childhood on a South Pacific island: her love for mathematics and a novel that isn't supposed to exist. But the elusive book proves unexpectedly dangerous. Oskar Lens, a science fiction-obsessed mobster in the midst of an existential crisis, will...
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...
What the hell did I just read : a novel of cosmic horror
Wong, David
Paper Book
John Dies at the End's "smart take on fear manages to tap into readers' existential dread on one page, then have them laughing the next" (Publishers Weekly) andThis Book is Full of Spiders was "unlike any other book of the genre" (Washington Post). Now,...
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