Books

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Try Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. One of the best books I've ever read and is more or less what you are describing.

Also check Weir's book Artemis. Not as good as the Martian or Project Hail Mary, but still pretty good.

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.

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 :)

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”.

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.

May not quite be alone but Becky Chambers' To Be Taught, If Fortunate has some very strong themes of isolation.

Infinite by Jeremy Robinson was good. But dont read the sequel. Not quite alone in space but close.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy has a crew of engineers alone (together) on Mars building a colony. It's a truly great series.

I really enjoyed Dark Matter and Recusion by Blake Crouch. They are both easy reads and near-future sci-fi. I love the humor in The Martian and that may be lacking in these, but they are real page turners non the less. Especially Recursion might be one of my recent favorites.