What to read after Project Hail Mary?

[Darkfield]

I’m bereft 😭

No help - but I loved this too. Not my usual type of thing but it was fab.

The obvious recommendation is The Martian (by the same author). It's good in a different way.

It’s quite different, but I found The House in the Cerulean Sea pulled me out of the funk I was in after it! Similar themes of friendship and found family in difficult circumstances.

DH has just finished PHM and had a week of lying there with no book and doomscrolling. Last night he finally settled on Children of Ruin (the sequel to Children of Time, Adrian Tchaikovsky). I’ve not read those myself but he is much more into sci fi in general.

It’s a very tough act to follow, I agree!

So good to know I’m not alone, thanks all. I could try The Martian although it has far less appeal, probably ruined by the film. I didn’t really love the House in the Cerulean Sea, it was okay but I felt like I was killing time by reading it.

A few other books I got obsessed with before Project Hail Mary were Mexican Gothic, Nettle and Bone, Demon Copperhead.

Have you read I Am Pilgrim, Pillars of the Earth, or Where the Crawdads Sing ?

Artemis is one of my favourite books, have you read it?
Also if you like sci fi or space opera John Scalzi Old Man's War and its sequels are great.
If you like story telling and awesome characters Joe Abercrombie First Law series, really really good.

Nope! Thank you, I’ll give them a try. Where The Crawdads Sing especially appeals.

I will start with Artemis, thanks, the others sound good too. It’s been terrible not having a book on the go! I usually work my way through the rest of the author’s work when this happens but stalled at The Martian.

I know what you mean about not having a book it is just hideous. I also adore the Patrick O'Brien seafaring series there are 20 or so books so it's lovely and takes months to finish.
Also I am a fan of amoral professional thief Parker in the books by Richard Stark, although the first one is the weakest oddly, I'd start with book 2.
But Artemis is great although the reviews aren't all that. But the plot is so ingenious it's both old fashioned and also brand new!

Ooh, yes, I'll second Old Man's War and John Scalzi.

I’m looking forward to starting Artemis this evening, thanks for understanding my plight and for all the recommendations. Good good good!

I've just finished The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin which was a great read

I'm now re-reading Project Hail Mary thanks to this thread 😁

How was Artemis OP? I’ve been looking at it but hesitant (don’t know why!)

Loved PHM (have now listened to it a few times since my first listen) and was also bereft afterwards. Listened to The Martian and actually loved that too. I had the same feeling as you beforehand (seen the film, meh) but needed a book to get me over the hump. Turned out the book is much better than the film and similar sort of humour to PHM.

Hi op. I tried to read Artemis after Hail Mary but just couldn't get in to it and it took me over a year before I went back to it and enjoyed it for what it was, an amusing space romp.PHM broke me!

I loved PHM so much ( but hated Demon Copperfield) I'd like to read The Martian next.

It’s okay, the fact that I’m still only partway through all this time later when I devoured PHM in a couple of sittings probably tells you all!

I like the comfort of familiar style, voice. I’ve always been a serial reader, as in find a book I like then read everything else by the same writer. But it’s not as good. I have high hopes for his new one, about AI, whenever that’s coming. Artemis is entertaining though. I think I’m still sulking!

I was also bereft after PHM, my favourite read ever. I Am Pilgrim is brilliant and definitely a good read after PHM!

I’ve just finished the audiobook and it was so good. The audio version really worked well for this type of story. I’m curious how it came across on the written page?

I loved Project Hail Mary and my son loved the audiobook.
I can’t be bothered to read the Martian as I saw the film at least twice.

Becky Chambers is very good indeed.
i strongly recommend her.