The year 1952 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

• Douglas Adams (d. 2001)
• Robin Wayne Bailey
• Kage Baker (d. 2010)
• Steven Barnes
• João Barreiros
• Candas Dorsey
• Debra Doyle (d. 2020)
• Valerio Evangelisti (d. 2022)
• Jane Fancher
• Kathleen Ann Goonan (d. 2021)
• Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
• Gwyneth Jones
• Sharon Lee
• Brad Linaweaver (d. 2019)
• Nathan Lowell
• Susan R. Matthews
• Patrick O'Leary
• Marek Oramus
• Tim Powers
• Kim Stanley Robinson
• Mary Rosenblum (d. 2018)
• Al Sarrantonio
• Dana Stabenow
• Somtow Sucharitkul (also known as S. P. Somtow)
• Yoshiki Tanaka
• Tais Teng
• Lisa Tuttle
• Kathy Tyers
• David Weber
• David Zindell

• Big Planet by Jack Vance, Startling Stories (September), published in book form in 1957.
• The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester, Galaxy Science Fiction (January–March), published in book form in 1953, when it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
• Gravy Planet by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth, published in book form as The Space Merchants in 1953.
• Tramp Space Ship by Robert A. Heinlein, Boys' Life (September–December), expanded and published in book form as The Rolling Stones, also in 1952.

• Les Animaux dénaturés by Vercors (in French), anthropologists find "missing links" in New Guinea, sparking a trial over their humanity after a scientist kills a hybrid offspring.
• Ballroom of the Skies by John D. MacDonald, leaders of an intergalactic empire are always chosen from among humans but must first be tested by extreme hardship.
• City by Clifford D. Simak, a collection of interconnected stories exploring humanity's future and its interactions with robots and aliens.
• The Crystal Horde by John Taine, silicon crystalline lifeforms threaten to overwhelm carbon life on Earth.
• The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov, involves intrigue and political maneuvering on a remote planet in a galactic empire.
• Double Jeopardy by Fletcher Pratt, tackles industrial espionage and a locked-room mystery, both linked to a revolutionary matter-duplication process.
• Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov, continues the saga of the Foundation as it confronts challenges from within and without the galaxy.
• The Long Loud Silence by Wilson Tucker, Corporal Gary survives a post-apocalyptic America, facing quarantine, cannibals, and military, ultimately reuniting with a fellow survivor.
• Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut, dystopian novel exploring the consequences of automation and its impact on society.
• Sentinels From Space by Eric Frank Russell, Captain David Raven must stop a mutant-led war for Mars and Venus's independence to keep humanity united for interstellar contact.
• The Sound of His Horn by Sarban, an alternate history where a Nazi officer hunts humans for sport in a dystopian future.
• The Starmen by Leigh Brackett, a space opera concerning the only race that is able to endure the rigors of interstellar travel.
• This Island Earth by Raymond F. Jones, a race of aliens recruiting "Peace Engineers" are actually using Earth as a pawn in an intergalactic war.^{[nb 1]}
• The Weapon Makers (revised edition) by A. E. van Vogt, explores a future society where advanced weapons technology plays a crucial role in political power struggles.^{[nb 2]}

• Cholwell's Chickens by Jack Vance, Thrilling Wonder Stories (August)

• "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, Collier's (June 28, 1952)
• "Surface Tension" by James Blish, Galaxy Science Fiction (August)

• Five Against Venus by Philip Latham (juvenile), the Robinson family crash-lands on Venus, survives with a scientist's help, and discovers a valuable antibiotic from a nuisance mold.
• Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke (juvenile), follows a young boy's adventure aboard a space station and his encounters with space travel.
• Marooned on Mars by Lester del Rey (juvenile), survival and adventure on the Martian surface.
• Mists of Dawn by Chad Oliver (juvenile), Dr. Nye's space-time machine sends his nephew to 50,000 BC, where he must survive for two weeks with minimal supplies.
• Rip Foster Rides the Gray Planet by Blake Savage (juvenile), Lt. Rip Foster must retrieve a valuable thorium asteroid while facing rival Space Force crew and enemy agents.
• Rocket Jockey by Lester del Rey (juvenile), a young man dreams of becoming a rocket pilot and exploring space.
• The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein (juvenile), follows the Stone family's spacefaring adventures.
• Son of the Stars by Raymond F. Jones (juvenile), a teenager discovers an alien survivor and works to protect him from the military while signaling for his rescue.

The main science-fiction awards known at the present time did not exist at this time.

• 1952 in science