The Biggest Science Fiction Books of 2025

Many sci-fi fans place themselves in a particular camp of speculative fiction they gravitate towards, naming as their favorites popular sub-genres like time travel, space opera, or post-apocalyptic dystopias. But science fiction doesn’t fit into such neat categories these days, and 2025 is about to prove how the imagination of authors in this genre never stop asking, “What if?”

One book of 2025, in fact, that didn’t quite make this list since it’s already out is from Africanfuturism pioneer Nnedi Okorafor. Her Death of the Author is definitely not to be missed as it’s arguably her best work in an already strong line-up. The very “meta” storyline follows a first-time Nigerian author whose science fiction debut brings her unexpected fame. But the notoriety comes with some serious soul-searching about who gets to assign meaning to a created world once it’s written. This book within a book must not be missed!

That being said, we still have some fun space romps and, yes, even a bit of time travel on this list, so traditionalists need not fear. However, we challenge you to try some of the more bizarre stories teased below to broaden your horizons. After all, science fiction is all about making up new rules and seeing where things end up!

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

March 18, Scholastic

March is a huge month for science fiction fans as more than half of our list hits bookshelves within the space of two weeks. For fans of The Hunger Games, the highly anticipated “sequel to the prequel” jumps forward a quarter century after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Sunrise on the Reaping follows the famous Haymitch Abernathy in his storied victory in the second quarter quell, in which twice as many tributes were taken from each district to participate in the deadly contest. To say fans are looking forward to this long-hinted-at tale would be an understatement.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

March 18, Tordotcom

The HMS Fairweather is a luxury generation ship traveling through space with passengers enjoying endless lifetimes. New bodies are provided upon request and minds are carefully preserved in glass within the ship’s Library. But when ship detective Dorothy Gentleman wakes up in a body that isn’t hers, she’s thrust into a chilling mystery. A murder has occurred, but the crime goes beyond mere death: someone is erasing minds from the Library itself. Those who enjoy a little mystery with their sci-fi will also be happy to hear that Murder by Memory is only the first in a planned Dorothy Gentleman series.

The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi

March 18, Orbit

In any time travel tale, the rules are very important, but they’re invariably almost impossible to stick to without creating paradoxes. The Third Rule of Time Travel is very up front about these limitations: you can only travel to the past within your lifetime, you can only stay for ninety seconds, and you can only observe without interaction. The cleverness of the book’s title, however, is that the third rule comes into question as Beth Darlow tries to figure out how her and her dead husband’s machine determines its arrival point in the past… and whether the past truly can’t be changed. The sci-fi premise encapsulates more of a horror thriller, as the grief that motivates the story might actually be tied to the invention of time travel itself.

Space Brooms! by A. G. Rodriguez

Mach 25, Angry Robot

Just as Star Trek: Lower Decks reminded us that not all space adventures happen to the officers on the bridge, Space Brooms! centers on one of Kilgore Station’s janitors, Johnny Gomez, whose spiteful boss has him cleaning zero-g toilets — imagine the mess! But when Johnny finds an illicit data chit in the alien excrement, he’s off on adventure with some unusual companions to try to change his fortunes. Can he sell the data and escape his humble life, or will the assassins and mobsters get the better of him? This space romp is not to be missed by those seeking lighter sci-fi fare.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

March 25, Tor Books

Anyone who has read Scalzi’s meta sci-fi classic Redshirts or the wildly comedic Starter Villain knows that this author is not above playing with the genre’s established mythos. When the Moon Hits Your Eye throws science out the window with a world in which Earth’s satellite suddenly and without warning turns into cheese. Multiple characters react to this impossibility throughout the novel, including students, preachers, politicians, and, of course, scientists. The absurd premise is more about enjoying the wildly varying perspectives of what ends up being a series of interconnected short stories.

Overgrowth by Mira Grant

May 6, Tor Nightfire

Looking for a twist on the pod-person alien trope that tells the story from the perspective of an extra-terrestrial hiding in a human body? Anastasia Miller has made no secret of the fact that she’s from another planet; it’s just that no one believes her. But the armada that left her on Earth is returning, and humanity will not be happy when they arrive. This novel somehow manages to bring humor and existential horror together in harmony, and the themes of metamorphosis will have a deeper meaning for some readers. Be on the lookout for a nod to Little Shop of Horrors as well!

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

August 5, Tordotcom

Annalee Newitz of io9 fame is an amazing journalist-author who has always excelled at commenting on technology’s impact on society. Automatic Noodle takes place in a future California after its civil war with America. An abandoned ghost kitchen is taken over by four food service bots and an unhoused human just trying to get by, but they must overcome a mysterious review-bomber to make it in the restaurant business. It’s a low-key but heartfelt tale that will make you want to join the fight for robot rights… and perhaps a bit hungry at the same time.

Spread Me by Sarah Gailey

September 23, Tor Nightfire

Sarah Gailey deftly handles both fantasy (Magic for Liars is a personal favorite) and science fiction, not to mention comics, but the early buzz about Spread Me is tantalizing to say the least. Kinsey is a research scientist at a remote desert outpost that acts as the perfect escape from the vices of civilization, but a mysterious specimen unearthed from deep in the sand tempts her into breaking quarantine. The temptations here speak to themes of desire and shame and how life will always find a way, however horrific its proliferation. Talk about an intriguing premise!

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mentions must be given to a couple of sequels coming from Tor Books in 2025 as well. The first is The Martian Contingency, the fourth book in the Lady Astronaut series, in which author Mary Robinette Kowal takes her post-meteor strike humanity, led by protagonist Elma York, to the red planet. The post-apocalyptic adventure continues on the aformentioned popular date of March 18th.

The other notable sequel is The Potency of Ungovernable Impulses, which continues the Hugo and Nebula award nominated detective series known as The Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti by Malka Ann Older. This one’s more Pleiti-centered as she tries to help a cousin whose academic reputation has been besmirched while also try to navigate the rejection of her professional and personal partner, Mossa. This third installment comes out on June 10.

Also be on the lookout for our review of the first novelization of the beloved Netflix animated series, Arcane. Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, which will hit shelves on February 18th, explores the exploits of the Noxian general who made a nuisance of herself in the video game adaptation’s second season. A book about a TV show about a video game? Let’s see if the lore can hold up!

The post The Biggest Science Fiction Books of 2025 appeared first on Den of Geek.