The List: My Five Favorite Space Reads

In honor of the Perseverance landing on Mars.

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Late last week, humanity was once again reminded of the wonder that is the intersection of science, technology, and space. The pictures and videos that came from the landing of the Perseverance were remarkable. Few stories are as dramatic as those that take place in the vacuum of outer space. Without further ado, here are my five favorite space reads:

The Martian by Andy Weir

Any self-respecting list of space books has to include Andy Weir’s 2011 breakout story, which was originally self-published and basically went viral. It’s as fun as a novel can get—truly. For starring just a single character whose dialogue is largely with himself, it’s perhaps surprising that you’ll never get bored. Artemis, his second novel, is fine, but nowhere near as entertaining. Project Hail Mary, another space adventure, is coming in May and the premise looks super interesting.

Rocket Men by Robert Kurson

The story of Apollo 8 is usually overshadowed by Apollo 11’s moon landing. Robert Kurson’s 2018 account remedies that oversight and does a masterful job telling the story of the first trip to the moon and back, which served as a test run of sorts. Beyond highlighting the superb characters of the story, he also places the mission’s success in its proper context of late '60s America, which badly needed a win. An amazing book.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

This book is a classic of American non-fiction for a reason. It reads like fiction, and though I got a little tired of the style at times (excessive punctuation becomes less novel and more annoying as the pages keep turning), I was always drawn right back in with Wolfe's masterful descriptions of the astronauts' experiences and the bravado personalities—especially Chuck Yeager. If you've not read The Right Stuff, do yourself a favor and get to it. 

The Pre-Astronauts by Craig Ryan

You’ve likely not heard of this book, but it’s just as good as any on this list. Before humans went to space, we went to the stratosphere. And in balloons no less. It's wild really—these gas-filled teardrops ascending up to 70,000 . . . 80,000 . . . 100,000(!) feet up in a tiny gondola. And then, for a variety of scientific and not-so-scientific reasons, sometimes those courageous aviators jumped out. The characters in The Pre-Astronauts lack the name recognition of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and John Glenn, and yet were some of the bravest men to ever take to the skies. 

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey

Another underrated title in the space genre, this inventive novel is about a group of astronauts who undertake a 17-month simulation in preparation for going to Mars. You get all the relational drama, the survival tasks, the unrelenting isolation. It’s a slower novel—much more about the characters and their backstories than about the plot. That’s not a bad thing, but also not the norm with a space book. Makes your head spin by the end, in a good way. This book also got me into The Habitat, a really fun podcast about a similarly plotted real-life story.

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-Jeremy