Series

Books like The Martian: 9 series to read next

The Martian is science fiction and hard science fiction, about survival, set in mars, hopeful in register. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

The Martian is 2 books, 2012–2024.

“Using scientific improvisation and dark humor, Watney works to keep himself alive long enough for a rescue to reach him.”
from the catalogue description

The The Martian page →Narrow this list →

Adventures of Viktor & Julia
NASA Trilogy
Darwin
Forge of God
The Space Excursions Series
Aftermath (Charles Sheffield)
Mara / Raging Earth
The Final Six
Shroud (Adrian Tchaikovsky)

Adventures of Viktor & JuliaSeries

seriesGregory Benford2 books1999

Adventurous in tone, about aliens.

“When NASA becomes bogged down in politics and bureaucracy, businessman Axelrod and a conglomerate of backers seize their chance.”
from the catalogue description of The Martian Race

Start with The Martian Race →

NASA TrilogySeries

seriesStephen Baxter4 books1996

Alternate history.

Start with Voyage →

DarwinSeries

seriesGreg Bear2 books1999

About genetic engineering and plague and pandemic, set in north america.

“Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio imagines a dormant retrovirus in human DNA activating worldwide, triggering an accelerated leap in human evolution that governments respond to as a plague.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Darwin's Radio →

Forge of GodSeries

seriesGreg Bear2 books1987

Dark in tone, about aliens.

“Earth faces destruction when an inscrutable and overwhelming alien form of life attacks.”
from the catalogue description of The Forge of God

Start with The Forge of God →

The Space Excursions SeriesSeries

seriesLes Johnson & Travis S. Taylor2 books2010

Adventurous in tone, set in space and the moon.

Start with Back to the Moon →

Aftermath (Charles Sheffield)Series

seriesCharles Sheffield2 books1998

Dark in tone, set in space.

“Charles Sheffield's Aftermath duology opens with a near-future Earth devastated by a nearby supernova's radiation, which knocks out electronics and forces survivors to rebuild without most modern technology.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Aftermath →

Mara / Raging EarthSeries

seriesJulie Bertagna4 books2002

Post-apocalyptic, about ecological collapse.

“Mara must think of a way to save herself, the other villagers and, most importantly, the world.”
from the catalogue description of Exodus

Start with Exodus →

The Final SixSeries

seriesAlexandra Monir2 books2018

Set in space.

“When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, an Iranian-American science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Final Six →

Shroud (Adrian Tchaikovsky)Series

seriesAdrian Tchaikovsky2 books2024

About aliens, set in other star systems and far future.

Start with Sins of the Children →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after The Martian?: Adventures of Viktor & Julia — the closest match to The Martian on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Martian?: The Martian. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Martian.
How big is The Martian?: The Martian is 2 books, 2012–2024.

Books like The Martian: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Martian

Why these

Questions readers ask

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