Read time: 4 minutes
📱📖 Read on Kindle
📃 476 pages
⏱ Duration: 8 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
Book Blurb:
Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spacecraft millions of miles from Earth with no memory of who he is or why he’s there. His two crewmates are dead. As his memories slowly return, he realizes he’s humanity’s last hope on a desperate mission to save Earth from extinction. With the clock ticking and no one to help him, Ryland must solve an impossible scientific mystery while hurtling through space. But he’s not entirely alone—an unexpected encounter will test everything he thought he knew about survival, sacrifice, and what it means to be human.
Let’s talk about the book:
I picked this book as a part of my Book Club read, after watching the movie, and honestly, Ryan Gosling as Dr. Grace made the whole experience smoother. I went in expecting a dense, science-heavy survival story in space (which it indeed is, as the movie shows), but it also transcends literally everything we think we know about connection. Science fiction genre can be intimidating when it’s packed with technical jargon. Yes, there’s a lot of science here, with equations, theories, problem-solving that went straight over my non-STEM head. But, even after watching the movie, the book adds layers that hits differently, because underneath all that astrophysics is a story about friendship and love.
The relationship between Ryland Grace and Rocky is the beating heart of this book. Where the movie gave us glimpses, the novel gives us everything, from the fumbling first communication attempts, the (sort-of) shared meals, the quiet moments of trust built across species and language barriers. It’s a friendship forged in impossible circumstances, and that’s so pure it hurts. There’s humor (with Ryan Gosling, that landed perfectly), there’s tension, and then there’s that steady undercurrent of hope that keeps threading through even the most high-stakes moments.
The pacing does slow a bit when the science takes centre stage, but every time the story returns to Grace and Rocky, it’s like coming home. At its core, this isn’t just about saving humanity. It’s about trust, kindness, and the idea that goodness can exist anywhere, even in the most unexpected corners of the universe. The message that goodness exists everywhere, even in the vast loneliness of space, even between beings who couldn’t be more different, that stayed with me long after I turned the last page. This is science fiction with soul, and I’m still not over it.
Would I recommend it?
If you can push past (or even just skim through) the heavier scientific explanations, what you get in return is something incredibly special. This is a story that balances intellect with heart in a way that feels rare. It’s long, yes, but it earns that length. Rocky and Grace’s bond is one of the most beautiful friendships I’ve encountered in fiction, and it’s worth every single page. OBSESSED doesn’t even begin to cover it. FIST BUMP!!!
Read Next
- The Martian by Andy Weir — If you haven’t read Weir’s debut yet, start here. Same problem-solving brilliance, same humor, but solo survival on Mars instead of deep space friendship.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers — Found family in space with heart-melting alien friendships and cozy sci-fi vibes. If you loved Rocky and Grace’s bond, you’ll adore this crew.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Semiosis by Sue Burke — First contact done right, exploring communication and cooperation between humans and alien intelligence over generations. Thoughtful and deeply moving.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Dark Matter by Blake Crouch — Fast-paced sci-fi with emotional stakes and mind-bending concepts.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card — High-stakes space mission, brilliant protagonist solving impossible problems, and an emotional core that sneaks up on you. A classic for a reason.
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary
Book Links:
Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider:
Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
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