About Andy Weir

American novelist and former computer programmer

Quick Facts

Nationality: American
Birth Year: 1972
Notable Works: The Martian, Project Hail Mary
Literary Period: Contemporary
Genres: Science Fiction

Andy Weir is an American novelist who is best known for his best-selling novel, The Martian. Throughout his career, he has written serial novels, long stories, novels, and short stories. He has also created graphic novels and comics and worked in an audio format.


Life Facts

  • Andy Weir was born on June 16, 1972.
  • He used to work as a computer programmer.
  • It was not until his twenties that Weir began writing.
  • He studied computer science at the University of California, San Diego
  • His short story “The Egg” was the first literary work that gained attention.

Interesting Facts

  • Weir was an only child and recalls spending much of his youth reading science fiction books.
  • Weir has written comics and graphic novels.
  • The Martian was his first novel.
  • Weir published Artemis in 2017.
  • Project Hail Mary is going to be turned into a film starring Ryan Gosling.


Famous Books by Andy Weir

The Martian Weir’s most popular novel. It tells the story of Mark Watney, who is left behind on Mars, and presumed dead by his crew. It’s up to NASA and those on the Hermes to figure out how to save their colleague and friend. The novel has been praised as being realistic and one of the best science fiction novels of recent years.

Project Hail Mary Weir’s most recent novel. It follows a teacher, Ryland Grace, who becomes an astronaut and is sent on a mission to figure out how to stop the sun from dimming. He’s sent twelve light-years away to another solar system. The novel also features flashbacks to the protagonist’s past.

Artemis — published in 2017. This science fiction novel takes place in the 2080s follows Jazz, a female protagonist. She is a smuggler from a small city on the moon. She gets roped into a conspiracy that involves the whole city.

Theft of Pride — one of Weir’s very early works. It was published on his website and written under an alias. It is a science fiction story.

“The Egg” — a short story rather than a novel, but still one of Weir’s better-known works. It uses a second-person perspective and follows a man who dies and then meets God, uncovering the meaning of life.


Early Life

Weir was raised in Milpitas, California, after being born in Davis California, in 1972. His parents were well-educated and worked as a physicist and an electrical engineer. Weir was an only child and recalls spending much of his youth reading science fiction books, such as those by Isaac Asimov. His first passion was computer programming, something he pursued while working at the Sandia National Laboratories. He studied computer science at the University of California, San Diego but never graduated. Despite this, he worked as a programmer for several different companies, including MobileIron, AOL, and Palm.

Literary Career

It was not until his twenties that Weir began writing. He published work on his website for years before his name became widely known.

Prior to the publication of The Martian, Weir wrote comics, including one titled Casey and Anthony that featured versions of himself and his friends. He also worked on a comic that combined features of Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and more. His short story “The Egg” was the first literary work that gained attention. It has since been adapted into a series of Youtube videos. It was first published on his website in 2009 and is his most popular short story to date.

“The Egg” follows a nameless middle-aged man who discovers the meaning of life after he dies. The story is written in the second person and includes God as one of the main characters.


The Martian 

The Martian was his first novel. It was extensively researched so that it could be as accurate as possible. Weir describes spending time researching orbital mechanics in order to understand the limits of space flight. He also studied Mars itself, the history of space travel, and botany, all things needed to tell the story he ended up penning.

When the novel was published, it appeared as a free series on Andy Weir’s website. It was later turned into an Amazon Kindle novel, where it sold for 99 cents. A literary agent approached Weir and sold the rights to Crown Publishing Group. The print version appeared at #12 on The New York Times bestseller list. It was described by critics as one of the best science fiction novels of recent years and was adapted into a film in 2015 starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain.


Other Literary Works

Weir published Artemis in 2017. The novel featured a female protagonist and was set in the 2080s and 2090s. The main character, Jazz, is from a small town (on the Moon).

Throughout his career, Weir has also written Theft of Pride (2000) and Project Hail Mary (2021). The latter is his most recent novel and another science fiction book. It is set in the future and centers around a teacher-turned-astronaut. He’s sent to Tau Ceti, 12 light-years from Earth, to figure out how to reverse solar dimming that’s believed to be about to bring about the extinction of humanity. The film rights have already been purchased by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and a planned addition features Ryan Gosling as the main character.


Influence from other Writers

Andy Weir was notably influenced by writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein.


Literature by Andy Weir

Explore literature by Andy Weir below, created by the team at Book Analysis.

Discover the secrets to learning and enjoying literature.

Join Book Analysis

Learn More