What to read (and watch) next if you loved “Project Hail Mary”
Can’t get enough of Ryan Gosling in the recent movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary, breaking box-office records across the globe? Loved the updates from our favorite astronauts in the Artemis II mission? We’ve got recommendations for you.
If you’re new to the bestselling book-turned-blockbuster-movie, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, here’s the story (sans spoilers):
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.
All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. Hurtling through space on his tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. With the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?
Fans can join science-fiction icon and author Andy Weir for AARP’s Girlfriend Book Club on April 21, 2026, at 7:30 pm ET, to discuss his bestselling novel and film.
Finished reading or watching and still want more? Explore the following sci-fi titles on the Libby app to experience more exciting space-faring adventures.
Project Hail Mary read-alikes
Gate Crashers
by Patrick S. Tomlinson
Humankind ventures further into the galaxy than ever before…and immediately causes an intergalactic incident. In their infinite wisdom, the crew of the exploration vessel Magellan, or as she prefers “Maggie,” decides to bring the alien structure they just found back to Earth. The only problem? The aliens are awfully fond of that structure.
One Way
by S. J. Morden
Stranded on Mars with seven other convicts, one man must fight for survival on a planet where everyone’s a killer in this edge-of-your-seat science fiction thriller. Former architect Frank Kittridge is serving life for murdering his son’s drug dealer, so when he’s offered a deal by the corporation that owns the prison—he takes it. He’s been selected to help build the first permanent base on Mars. As the convicts set to work on the frozen waters of Mars, the accidents multiply. Until Frank begins to suspect they might not be accidents at all…
Delta-v
by Daniel Suarez
The bestselling author of Daemon returns with a near-future technological thriller, in which a charismatic billionaire recruits a team of adventurers—ex-soldiers, former astronauts, BASE jumpers and mountain climbers—to launch the first deep space mining operation, a mission that could alter the trajectory of human civilization.
Seveneves
by Neal Stephenson
What would happen if the world were ending? A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in a hastily built space ark. Five thousand years later, their progeny—seven distinct races now three billion strong embark on yet another audacious post-apocalyptic journey into the unknown… to an alien world utter transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.
Light from Other Stars
by Erika Swyler
Love and loss compel a brilliant scientist to defy the laws of physics. “Grand in scope and graceful in execution, Swyler’s latest is at once a wistfully nostalgic coming-of-age tale and a profound work of horror-tinged science fiction.” (Kirkus)
Orbital
by Samantha Harvey
A slender novel of epic power and a Booker Prize winner, Orbital deftly snapshots one day in the lives of six women and men traveling through space. Selected for one of the last space station missions of its kind before the program is dismantled, these astronauts and cosmonauts—from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan—have left their lives behind to travel at a speed of over 17,000 miles an hour as the earth reels below. Profound and contemplative, Orbital is a moving elegy to our environment and planet.
Looking for something to watch?
Explore the NASA collection on Kanopy that includes these accounts of space exploration:
2026 | 58min
Artemis II and its upcoming test flight around the Moon will transform plans and preparation into execution and exploration when four astronauts test NASA’s new systems and hardware for lunar exploration for the first time with crew.
2022 | 34min
Through Artemis, NASA will once again land humans on the Moon. But before that can happen, we must first launch our Space Launch System (SLS) rocket—the most powerful rocket we've ever built—and Orion spacecraft on a flight test around the Moon.
2024 | 47min
This film captures the personal stories of seven current and former Black astronauts, each selected to become part of NASA’s astronaut corps and train for space missions.
*Access to books and films may vary.
Browse more books like Project Hail Mary below and be sure to rocket over to your local library for more out-of-this-world reads. 🚀
Published Apr 13, 2026
Audrey Wynne
Audrey Wynne works with public libraries at Libby. When she’s not working, she’s reading sci-fi, nature, romance, and books of all genres by BIPOC and women authors.