I really enjoyed that book and the whole “alone in space” vibe it gives off. Are there any more like it?
EDIT: Jeez i can’t reply to you all. I wish there was a way to compile all your suggestions into a Goodreads list, these all sound awesome!
Massive fan of The Martian and Weirs follow up called ‘Project Hail Mary’. It leans a little more in the direction of Science Fiction than the Martian did, but it’s an absolute page turner from front to back.
Wow you’re fast! Just looked it up and that looks like an awesome book. Going to have to read that one. Thanks!
It’s also an excellent audiobook, gives it another layer
This is how I “read” the book. It was fantastic and my wife at first just didn’t care if I listened to it. But quickly started looking forward to listening to it with me. Great book.
Ohh interesting! I am not really an audio book guy though, whenever i read i’m listening to music.
You might like audio books then, hits the audio side of the brain
It’s a really fun audiobook, if that’s your thing!
The way they did the alien speech in the audiobook was really neat
I keep hearing that the audiobook is amazing, but it’s a fantastic book either way. A true spiritual successor to The Martian.
Listening to Project Hail Mary for the 3rd time excellent book. Great characters and the build up is excellent.
How do you feel about the ending?
I love project hail merry the ending was excellent
I found it to be excellent especially since we learn how Grace ended up on this mission. He redeem himself.
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Just finished this. Woah dude. Great book.
Project Hail Mary, almost as good as the Martian and his 3rd book. I didn’t care for Artemis, not that it’s a bad book but he deviated a little too much from what made The Martian great for me.
Yep, if you liked the author, Project Hail Mary by the same guy has very similar vibes. Optimistic scientist dude stuck in space using science in creative ways to save the day.
Plus that one relationship I won’t say more about that I cleared for!
Try the Bobiverse books by Dennis E Taylor. They were my next step after the Martian and we’re pretty good.
I also tried out a nice series by Nick Jones following a time traveller called Joseph Bridgeman which was decent, though it does deviate from alone in space to more loner.
The murderbot diaries is another good one with a loner in space going on adventures
That one really gives new meaning to being alone with yourself.
If you liked The Martian, you’ll probably love Weir’s “Project Hail Mary” It’s about a last-ditch effort by a lone scientist and astronaut to save Earth from a cataclysm. There’s much, much more to it, but I really don’t want to spoil it. I will say that it very much builds on core principles of The Martian, and is a fantastic read. Reminds me a bit of Michael Bear’s “Eon” books and the Niven/Pournelle Motie series by way of The Martian.
I second this. Fantastic read
Amaze! Amaze!
I think Andy Weir basically revived the Victorian adventure story genre. Robinson Crusoe is the most famous book in that genre.
But The Wager by David Granny a nonfiction book about a real life wreck and how the navy sailors survived off the coast of Patagonia.
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick is also non-fiction in the same vibe about a group of sailors lost in the Pacific after a whale sinks their ship.
The Terror by David Simmons is also another lost at sea book but fiction with a supernatural element set in the arctic based on a true story.
Alone: A Classic Polar Adventure by Robert Evelyn Bird is a first hand account of his failed attempt to survive alone over winter in Antarctica. It’s absolutely harrowing.
+1 The Terror
I would suggest Seveneves by Neil Stephenson. It is a little bit more grand of a scale of time, but I would say up until the last chapter is pretty “hard” science fiction. Definitely one of the more lasting impressions in scifi for me.
Another vote for Seveneves.
Hell, anything by Neal Stephenson is going to be a win.
Try Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. One of the best books I’ve ever read and is more or less what you are describing.
I think The Star Diaries by Lem might be as good a fit. Personally I enjoyed it even more than Solaris.
Seconding the star diaries - they’re a lot more light hearted and have that more “stuck in space due to weird space things” vibe while Solaris is more “stuck in space because I’m being haunted by moral issues and my dead girlfriend”
Can’t wait to read a book about Sun Microsystem’s operating system. Nonetheless, looks cool! Added to my bookmarks
Also check Weir’s book Artemis. Not as good as the Martian or Project Hail Mary, but still pretty good.
Had a hard time with this one and I’m not sure I ever figured out why. Initially I thought it was just a bit uninteresting but now I’m wondering if there’s more there. Not sure he writes his female protagonists all that well (which I can understand given you know, he’s not female).
To me, it almost read more like a YA book than his others. The stakes were lower, and it was more adventury than sciencey and dire. Definitely made it feel different; not that it’s wrong. The Hobbit is aimed way younger than LOTR, but it’s still good. I do agree that the female protagonist writing felt a little clunky from what I remember.
This was exactly my experience with Artemis. I had to stop halfway through because I really didn’t like the protagonist and reading her in first person was torturous for me
Ugh I was severely disappointed tbh. Short, unsatisfying, not nearly as science heavy as his other hits. Ended so abruptly too. Idk I was left unsatisfied
Will do. All of Weir’s other stuff seems to be highly regarded too.
I’m currently reading this and am thoroughly enjoying it. However, I’m not sure how much it relates to the “alone in space” angle that OP is looking for.
The Three Body problem is a bit more science fiction-y but it has a similar type of pull that The Martian or Project Hail Mary has. Hard to stop once you start.
Also anything by Neal Stephenson would be appropriate. Particularly Seveneves or Snowcrash.
The Three Body problem is a bit more science fiction-y
I would say it’s more of a “space opera” than science fiction, and I didn’t find the writing itself nearly as engaging or good.
I’ve never heard the term “space opera” before, but I like it!
I haven’t read The Martian, but Shipwreck by Charles Logan is one of my greatest hidden gems. Not well known at all, I have never heard anyone talk about it. I picked it up for 25 cents at a senior’s home garage sale, on a whim and loved it.
The basic plot is that Tansis crash lands on a planet in deep space, the others have died in the accident, and the book starts shortly after the last crew member but him dies. The planet is hostile, filled with a specific plant that has dominated with no signs (at first…) of animal life, and the atmosphere at first doesn’t seem safe to breathe. It’s a story of isolation, trying to survive, trying to escape, and coming to terms with one’s situation. It feels very real, without being extravagant, engaging writing style, and I never quite knew what would happen next even right up to the satisfying (but perhaps not for everyone!) ending.
I really hope you read it, but if not that’s okay :)
Looks awesome, will check it out! Thanks for providing a plot.
Sounds great but can not find a copy of it !
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. You will love it.
I also really like the bobiverse books by Dennis E Taylor. They got a similar vibe in my opinion.
Endurance is an older nonfiction book from the 1960s about a ship that gets stuck in Antarctica. Despite sounding nothing like The Martian, it’s very similar - they’re both wholesome survival stories that focus on the “how”, rather than the “drama”.
Didn’t expect Endurance to show up as a recommendation here, but you are absolutely right. Haven’t reflected on the similarities between the two but I loved every bit of both!
The Last Astronaut and Paradise-1, both by David Wellington come to mind.
The first two books in C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra both fit the bill. Plus I find them extra-charming because they’re so dated, which adds to the adventure and mystique, in my opinion. They feel like a hybrid of science fiction and something like a Jules Verne adventure story.
Neither one came close to scratching the itch like The Martian in my view. They did lead me to a Sherlock Holmes kick though.
May not quite be alone but Becky Chambers’ To Be Taught, If Fortunate has some very strong themes of isolation.
