Books like

Books like The Martian

12 books with a reading profile close to The Martian by Andy Weir. Practical, outward-looking, growth-minded, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.

1

PROJECT HAIL MARY

by Andy Weir

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

Ryland Grace awakens from an induced coma aboard the starship Hail Mary with no memory of his identity or mission.
2

Divergent Trilogy

by Veronica Roth

Also practical and clear-cut · entertainment, narrative

In a future Chicago, society is organized into five factions—Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite—designed to cultivate specific virtues and maintain order.
3

The Kaiju Preservation Society

by John Scalzi

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, science fiction

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Jamie Gray leaves a dead-end food delivery job to join an animal rights organization.
4

OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE

by Matt Dinniman

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, science fiction

On the planet New Sonora, colonist Oliver faces a lethal technological onslaught initiated by distant corporations.
5

Dragon Teeth

by Michael Crichton

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

Set in 1876, the story follows William Johnson, a wealthy Yale student who joins a fossil-hunting expedition to the American West.
6

Halo: The Fall of Reach

by Eric S. Nylund

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, science fiction

The narrative tracks the origin of the SPARTAN-II program, a clandestine military initiative led by Dr.
7

Armada

by Ernest Cline

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, science fiction

Zack Lightman is a high school student and expert gamer who spends his time playing Armada, a flight simulator involving an alien invasion by a species called the Sobruchai.
8

Starter Villain

by John Scalzi

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, science fiction

Charlie Fante is a substitute teacher struggling to stay afloat when he inherits an international villainy empire from his estranged uncle.
9

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

by Ben Mezrich

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

Ben Mezrich chronicles the activities of the MIT Blackjack Team, a group of math-oriented students and alumni who used card counting and sophisticated team play to extract millions from Las Vegas casinos.
10

Kick-Ass

by Mark Millar

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

Dave Lizewski is an unremarkable teenager who decides to become a real-life superhero despite having no special abilities, training, or budget.
11

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

by Rick Riordan

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

In this illustrated compendium, Percy Jackson provides a firsthand account of the Greek creation myth and the origins of the Olympians.
12

Flush

by Carl Hiaasen

Also practical and outward-looking · entertainment, narrative

Noah Underwood's father is in jail for sinking a casino boat, the Coral Queen, which he says is dumping raw sewage into the waters of the Florida Keys.

Get picks matched to your own reading on papr.

Get papr

Your library, beautifully understood.