so you read Project Hail Mary...
and you want more awesome shit to read? here's a bunch of recs from someone who loved the book, based on what you might be looking for :)
all links go to StoryGraph. switch to it from GoodReads ASAP bc fuck Bezos. SG shows crowd-sourced TWs so you can check those if you need <3
hope against hope against hope: The Ministry for the Future builds climate hope from real research and innovations without making you feel preached to, with sane, real characters and a good look at the diplomacy that change requires, for better and for worse.
hope + billionaire revenge: The Future does a bang-up job of bringing wealth to task, exploring the relationships between tech and activism, and comes with a nice little helping of (toxic?) yuri on the side.
grief and love and everything else: Bridge has it all. actually read everything by Lauren Beukes right now.
things to cry about (and films to look forward to): The Dog Stars will get right inside your chest and fuck you up and then comfort you about it.
quirky funny bullshit: After On is an indictment of Silicon Valley, a hopeful look at the idea of artificial superintelligence, and in my tech worker opinion, brilliantly timely in what it chooses to dread vs. what it chooses to embrace.
weird love + narrative rule-breaking: After World is full of surprises and is at once deeply sad and strangely packed with love.
last-ditch efforts to save the world: The Effort is a lived-in world full of imperfect actors trying their damnedest to beat the clock, and has the ending you need rather than the one you want.
twists and turns: if you liked the thrill ride, but wished it was even more of a challenge to keep up with (and about twice as long), try out Gnomon. there is so little you'll see coming.
love that goes the distance: The Day Tripper was one of those "eh, may as well" library grabs for me and quickly rose to the top of my faves for the year. does time travel in a very grounded way and will make you hug your loved ones.
xenolinguistics: Semiosis is the top of my rec list, for everything, always. it's everything i love in humanistic sci-fi: a clean story, linguistic nerdery, a focus on community, and hope that takes action.
a dorky protagonist who doesn't know why he has to be here: The Fold is a thrilling crowd-pleaser with (IMO) a side of gay if you look at it right. maybe that's just me, tho.
bleak but funny (and also...hot?): Exordia is my #1 "sci-fi for grownups." it stares the unspoken nationalism and xenophobia in the alien invasion genre dead in the eye, setting canny geopolitical commentary against an eldritch backdrop without losing the thread of either. it will leave you feeling absolutely gutted, but desperately needing a follow-up. pair that with three (four? five?)-way sexual tension that doesn't feel forced, and it's like someone came down and answered all my personal prayers. can you tell i really really like this book.
yaoi with stakes: The Death I Gave Him is a gay, technological retelling of Hamlet, and somehow awesome instead of obnoxious. i did cry my eyes out, but hey...objectum sex scene .
stakes with yaoi: Prophet is a powerful look at nostalgia and memory, a heart-pounding thriller, and a brilliant character study all in one. brings you that slow-burn, not-even-touching tension and you're in love yourself before you even realize it.
a misfit cast solving the world's weirdest problem: The Quiet Boy is my favorite Ben H. Winters and a genre-defying take on the legal drama that will stress you the fuck out in the best way.
future-vision, but make it in the past this time: The Future of Another Timeline is an interesting look at misogyny, managing to strike a balance between hope and despair. you'll probably see the twist coming, but you won't even be mad about it.
star-crossed non-romance (maybe?): End of the World House is a time-loop look at how far we'll go to stick together, all set in the Louvre; very fun.
dark near-future comedy with a grounded protagonist: Sleepwalk hits every emotional note there is and then some while managing to be thrilling and heartfelt the whole time.
wildcard: Appleseed. i don't know what the fuck even to say about this book, only that it's wonderful and weird and i want it on here, dammit.
