Sci-Fi audiobooks to read before watching Project Hail Mary
Jason Boog
"Red Rising" by Pierce Brown
Inspired by a longing for justice and driven by the memory of lost love, one lower caste man sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power."All Systems Red" by Martha Wells
A science fiction saga that interrogates the roots of consciousness through the adventures of a security android."Dark Matter" by Blake Crouch
A mindbending, relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we'll go to claim the lives we dream of."Dawn" by Octavia Butler
Hopeful and thought-provoking, this post-apocalyptic narrative deftly explores gender and race through the eyes of characters struggling to adapt during a pivotal time of crisis and change."The Last Human" by Zack Jordan
The last human in the universe must battle unfathomable alien intelligences—and confront the truth about humanity—in this ambitious, galaxy-spanning debut."World War Z" by Max Brooks
In this new classic of apocalyptic fiction (beloved by Fable's own Cory Maran), documentary Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity."Armada" by Ernest Cline
A rollicking, surprising thriller, a coming-of-age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you've ever read before."Recursion" by Blake Crouch
A relentless thriller about time, identity, and memory—the story of two people who must confront their enemy—before they, and the world, are trapped in a loop of ever-growing chaos."The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect. Together, this dynamic pair begins a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers."The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance
These stories introduce dozens of seekers of wisdom and beauty, lovely lost women, wizards of every shade of eccentricity with their runic amulets and spells."The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin
Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens."A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe."Children of Ruin" by Adrian Tchaikovsky
On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life -- but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth. Then humanity's great empire fell, and the program's decisions were lost to time."Expanse" by James S.A. Corey
The Laconian Empire has fallen, setting the thirteen hundred solar systems free from the rule of Winston Duarte. But the ancient enemy that killed the gate builders is awake, and the war against our universe has begun again."Mickey7" by Edward Ashton
Mickey Barnes is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey."Consider Phlebas" by Iain M. Banks
This novel introduces readers to the utopian conglomeration of human and alien races called The Culture that explores the nature of war, morality, and the limitless bounds of mankind's imagination."The Fifth Season" by N.K. Jemisin
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this novel of power, oppression, and revolution."The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
A lone human ambassador hopes to facilitate the inclusion of an alien culture in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the alien race."The Dispossessed" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The spellbinding story of anarchist Shevek, the "galactically famous scientist," who single-handedly attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust."Locked Tomb" by Tamsyn Muir
This novel unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants."Illuminae" by Amie Kaufman
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more— Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes."Six Wakes" by Mur Lafferty
In this Hugo-nominated science fiction thriller by Mur Lafferty, a crew of clones awakens aboard a spaceship to find they're being hunted, and any one of them could be the killer."The Dune Audio Collection" by Frank Herbert
Read by the author, this compilation of key excerpts from the brilliant Dune trilogy is melded with connective text written by Frank Herbert specifically for these recordings."Old Man's War" by John Scalzi
A novel that takes audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe as a 75-year-old man joins the Colonial Defense Force, with the vaguest idea of what to expect as he joins a cosmic war."Foundation and Empire" by Isaac Asimov
To preserve knowledge and save humankind, one man gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation."I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
This classic science fiction masterwork by Isaac Asimov weaves stories about robots, humanity, and the deep questions of existence into a novel of shocking intelligence and heart."The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time."Seveneves" by Neal Stephenson
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space."Fractal Noise" by Christopher Paolini
July 25th, 2234: The crew of the Adamura discovers the anomaly. On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII: a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide. It's not a curve of nature, but design. Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why."Borne" by Jeff VanderMeer
A young woman named Rachel survives as a scavenger in a ruined city, half-destroyed by drought and conflict. On a scavaging mission, Rachel finds Borne—a living green lump that exudes a strange charisma—and takes him home."Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Named as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century by the Modern Library, is one of the first truly dystopian novels. It is a remarkable depiction of the conflict between progress and the human spirit."The Lost World" by Michael Crichton
It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end. There are rumors that something has survived. . . ."Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1)" by Marissa Meyer
The first book in the Lunar Chronicles series. The futuristic YA fairytale saga begins with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space."Passage" by Connie Willis
The electrifying story of a psychologist who has devoted her life to tracking death. But when she volunteers for a research project that simulates the near-death experience, she will either solve life's greatest mystery -- or fall victim to its greatest terror."The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
In connected, chronological stories, a true grandmaster once enthralls, delights, and challenges us with his vision of life on Mars, a strange and breathtaking world where humanity does not belong."Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
A fireman in a dystopian future. Montag is tasked with destroying books. When he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
Jason Boog