Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Red Mars

A future history of Martian colonization

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Red Mars launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   America's Forgotten Mars Mission▲91

   A visual essay, from Hardbound

   2016 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Earth and Space▲56

   Photographs from the Archives of NASA

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Wait But Why - How (and Why) SpaceX Will Colonize Mars▲67

   The past and the future of space exploration.

   2015 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Homo Deus▲105

   A Brief History of Tomorrow

   2017 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Sapiens▲185

   A brief history of humankind

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Physics of the Future▲73

   How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by

   2015 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future▲67

   Young readers' edition

   2017 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Kobold's Guide to Worldbuilding▲56

   Essays on the creation of worlds, from geology to politics

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth▲60

   How will humanity survive?

   2015 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Deep Survival▲62

    Science + storytelling to explain the mysteries of survival

    2015 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Diamond Age▲81

    Confucian Law, Neo-Victorian values and nano-technology

    2015 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Deep▲64

    Freediving, renegade science, + the secrets of the ocean

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Before the dawn▲66

    Recovering the lost history of our ancestors

    2015 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Wheels Stop▲63

    The tragedies and triumphs of the space shuttle program

    2016 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Wait▲74

    The art and science of delay

    2016 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Technotopia▲96

    A book about how the future is going to be pretty awesome.

    2015 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    The Martian▲200

    An astronaut stranded on Mars fights to survive

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Cosmopolis▲66

    The hidden agenda of modernity

    2015 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Nomad by Matthew Mather▲61

    Something massive is coming... And it's heading for Earth.

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    A History of Silicon Valley▲71

    The greatest creation of wealth in the history of the planet

    2016 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    redbook.io▲61

    Readings in Database Systems (5th edition)

    2015 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Presence▲81

    Science fiction novel about the future of Virtual Reality

    2016 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Tools for Thought▲69

    The history and future of mind-expanding technology

    2016 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Time Travel: A History▲63

    A meditation on exploring time, travel, and technology

    2016 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →