I'm looking for something good to read over these summer holidays, but I hate those books that feel like they were written 30 years ago. I want recommendations for more recent sci-fi, like releases from the last year or two. Anyone got good suggestions?
I've been reading quite a bit of science fiction lately and honestly there's some really good stuff to choose from right now. I really enjoyed "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir if you haven't read it yet - it's one of those books that grabs you from start to finish, with solid science but it doesn't get boring.
There are also authors like N.K. Jemisin and Liu Cixin who keep putting out interesting work, and if you'd rather have something more recent with cyberpunk or AI themes, there are dozens of options that don't feel like they were dug up from the YouTube archives. Check out science fiction forums or sites like Skoob, they've got really useful reviews to help you avoid those books that seem like they were written on your grandma's typewriter.
Don't fall for those bestsellers everyone recommends thinking they're new - most of the time they came out years ago and feel dated anyway. I'm always digging around sci-fi subs and recently picked up some books that aren't as obvious, like stuff that won smaller but important awards lately, and it makes a huge difference when the author isn't trying to write for the movies.
What worked for me was looking up finalists for awards like Hugo and Nebula from 2024/2025 instead of going by Amazon rankings. That way you find books that actually use technology and ideas that make sense for right now, without feeling like they were published back in 95. What kind of stories do you prefer - more hard sci-fi, more character-focused, dystopian?
What's your taste? Because that makes all the difference! I read quite a bit of this stuff and let me recommend "The Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi to you - it's recent, super fun, and doesn't take itself seriously, the exact opposite of those boring slogs that seem like they were written before cell phones existed. I've also got "Starter Villain" by him on my list, which just came out and apparently is just as good. The trick is really to search on platforms like Goodreads and filter by release date, because bookstore algorithms always sell you the same three names that are everywhere!
I went to grab a book at my local used bookstore last week and the guy recommended "A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine to me - it came out in 2019 but still feels super current, none of that stale vibe you're complaining about. If you want something more recent though, "Starter Villain" by John Scalzi (2023) is pretty cool, really light and fun to read, like that book you read at the beach without overthinking it.
The thing is, a lot of people just keep recommending the same blockbusters and it ends up looking like that's all there is that's new, when honestly there's plenty of cool stuff coming out. It's worth checking out sci-fi communities or Reddit to find less obvious picks, because like, everyone talks about "Project Hail Mary" (which is good, don't get me wrong), but there's way more happening out there.
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