If you’re like me, you’ve just finished watching Project Hail Mary and then you realized the same author who wrote it also wrote The Martian. That’s led you to go looking for Andy Weir books in order, wondering if there are more science fiction epics for you to fall into.
Weir’s stories work because they turn science problems into page-turners. His characters don’t survive because the universe goes easy on them. They survive because they keep testing ideas, fixing broken things, and doing the math until they find a way forward. That’s why The Martian and Project Hail Mary are such strong stories.
I’d recommend starting with his novels if you’re new to Weir. The shorter pieces and early web projects are better once you already know you like his voice, or if you’re trying to track down the harder-to-find corners of his bibliography.
Jump to:
- Andy Weir Books
- Andy Weir Graphic Novel
- Andy Weir Short Stories and Collections
- Andy Weir Early Web Fiction and Webcomics
- Andy Weir Adaptations
- About Andy Weir
Andy Weir Books
These are Weir’s full-length published novels. They’re all standalones, so you don’t have to read one before another for plot reasons.
- The Martian (2014)
- Artemis (2017)
- Project Hail Mary (2021)
The Martian
The Martian is the book that made Andy Weir famous. Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on Mars after his crew believes he died during an emergency evacuation. He has limited supplies, no easy way to contact Earth, and a planet that would kill him in several different ways if he stops paying attention.
This is the purest version of Weir’s style. Watney is funny, practical, and very aware that panic won’t grow potatoes or fix a rover. The book is a survival thriller, but the real pleasure is watching one problem turn into another problem, then watching Watney try to outthink it.
Artemis
Artemis is Weir’s moon-colony crime story. The main character, Jazz Bashara, lives in Artemis, a city on the moon, and gets pulled into a job that turns out to be much bigger and more dangerous than she expected.
This one has more heist energy than The Martian. It still has science, engineering, and practical problem-solving, but the shape is different. Instead of one person trying to survive alone, you get a city with rules, money problems, smuggling, class tension, and a lead character who is very good at getting herself into trouble.
Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary begins with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is, where he is, or why two dead crewmates are nearby. As his memory returns, he realizes the mission is bigger than survival. Earth is in danger, and he may be the only person who can help.
This is the Andy Weir book I’d hand to readers who want the biggest emotional payoff. It has the problem-solving engine of The Martian, but the story opens up in a way that feels more surprising, more personal, and more hopeful.
Andy Weir Graphic Novel
- Cheshire Crossing, illustrated by Sarah Andersen (2019)
Cheshire Crossing is the oddball entry in Weir’s bibliography, and I mean that as a compliment. It brings Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Wendy from Peter Pan, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz together at a boarding school for girls who have survived supernatural adventures.
This started as one of Weir’s early web projects, then became a published graphic novel with Sarah Andersen’s art. It’s not hard sci-fi like The Martian or Project Hail Mary, so I wouldn’t make it your first Weir book unless the concept already grabs you. But if you like fairy-tale crossovers with sharp humor, it’s worth knowing about.
Andy Weir Short Stories and Collections
Andy Weir published a lot of short fiction online before and around the time his novels took off. Some of it is easy to find, some of it is audio-only, and some of it is more for completionists than casual readers.
- The Egg (2009) – short story
- Diary of an AssCan (2015) – The Martian prequel short story
- The Principles of Uncertainty (2016) – digital short story collection
- Lacero (2016) – Ready Player One prequel short story
- The Egg and Other Stories (2017) – audio collection
- James Moriarty, Consulting Criminal (2017) – audio collection
- Randomize (2019) – short story
- The Martian: Lost Sols (2024) – The Martian short story
The Egg
The Egg is probably Weir’s most famous short story. It’s only a few minutes long, but it’s the kind of idea people immediately want to send to someone else. It’s philosophical, strange, and very different from his novels, though it still has Weir’s gift for making a huge concept feel readable.
Randomize
Randomize is part of Amazon’s Forward collection. It’s a short sci-fi story about quantum computing, casino security, and the tiny gap between a system that looks foolproof and a person clever enough to test it.
The Martian Short Stories
If you love Mark Watney, there are two extra pieces to know about. Diary of an AssCan is a short prequel, while The Martian: Lost Sols is bonus material Weir shared for the anniversary of the published novel. Neither is required before reading The Martian. They’re better after you already like Watney.
Andy Weir Early Web Fiction and Webcomics
Before The Martian, Weir had been writing online for years. These projects are not the main place I’d send a new reader, but they matter if you want the broader Andy Weir picture.
- Theft of Pride (2000) – early full-length online novel published under the name Jack Sharp
- Casey and Andy (2001-2008) – webcomic written and drawn by Weir
- Bonnie MacKenzie: The Life Story of a Mermaid – early online long fiction
For most readers, the early web material is optional. Start with the novels, Cheshire Crossing, Randomize, and the best-known short stories. Then come back to these once you’re curious about how his career developed.
Andy Weir Adaptations
Andy Weir’s biggest books have made a natural jump to the screen because they already read like tense, problem-driven adventure stories. The adaptations do not change the book order, but they’ve brought a lot of readers back to the novels.
- The Martian (2015) stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney and was directed by Ridley Scott.
- Project Hail Mary (2026) stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace and was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
If you’re choosing between the books and movies first, I’d read the novels first. Weir’s best moments often come from being inside the problem step by step, and that’s hard for a movie to capture in the same way.
About Andy Weir
Andy Weir is an American science fiction author best known for The Martian, Artemis, Project Hail Mary, and Cheshire Crossing. Before writing full-time, he worked as a software engineer, and that background shows up all over his fiction.
What makes Weir stand out is that his books usually begin with a terrifyingly practical question. How do you survive alone on Mars? How does a city on the moon actually function? How do you save Earth when you wake up in deep space with no memory? He writes science fiction with jokes, tension, and a lot of nuts-and-bolts thinking.
That’s also why his work is easy to recommend beyond regular sci-fi readers. You don’t have to be obsessed with space travel to enjoy his books. You just have to like smart characters trying to solve impossible problems without pretending the impossible parts are easy.
Looking for more books in order?
If you want more science fiction authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Science Fiction Books in Order index.