Does anyone know any good books similar to the martian that are more "realistic", as in, more like the movie 'Gravity', rather than 'Star Trek'?
I feel like any time I go looking for books more like that I still only see "far in the future, advanced space travel" books.
I like survival stories in general, I'm just in the mood for ones set in space!
by IzMeAmy
10 Comments
Not sure if it is what you are looking for but The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal is an alternate history scenario, so definitely not too futuristic, but also hard sci fi like the Martian.
Project Hail Mary
Also most of the stuff by Michael Crichton would work.
Seveneves
Hard Sci-fi is the genre if you want more realistic science fiction rather than super futuristic.
I would suggest Robert J. Sawyer’s books. He is one of my favorite hard sci-fi authors.
Try the works of Kim Stanley Robinson. His Mars trilogy is amazing
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
Published in 1992, but set in 2026.
Might try Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Red Mars”
Delta-v by Daniel Suarez – cave diver joins a billionaire’s secret astroid mining mission. I preferred The Martian but Delta-v was fairly entertaining. It goes through training, trip to the asteroid, and mining.
Maybe the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Follows people on a 20-years-into-the-future colonization of Mars, beginning with 100 colonists sent on a one-way trip, to set up an outpost with supplies and more people to follow. It doesn’t get into the technical details, because it’s fundamentally interested in people rather than cool new toys, but stays very grounded. Give the age, it’s almost alt history by now.
Rendezvous with Rama, it’s a classic by the sci fi OG Arthur C Clarke. Has hard elements but he still takes some liberties