Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir
What it is
A lone astronaut wakes up with no memory on a last-chance mission to save Earth. From the author of The Martian.
Why it's on the list
This one has spent a long time on Amazon's most sold fiction chart, and it is one of the few adult novels that suits a curious teenager just as well. A science teacher wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, and has to work out, one problem at a time, what he is doing so far from home. The science is the enjoyable kind, solved out loud and often with humour. It is now a film too, so a family can read it and then argue about the adaptation.
Popularity when chosen: #6 · Amazon Charts, Most Sold Fiction, week of 4 October 2026 (seen 12 October 2026). A sales ranking, not a review.
Chosen for 12–18 October 2026.
Edition linked: Hardcover, Ballantine Books, 4 May 2021 · ISBN 9780593135204.
Who this book is for
Readers who prefer problem-solving and humour to space battles, and older teenagers who liked The Martian or want to read it before the film.
Where to find it
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