Book description
In 1957, a small group of scientists, supported by the U.S. government, launched an attempt to build a four-thousand-ton spaceship propelled by nuclear bombs. The initial plan called for missions to Mars by 1965 and Saturn by 1970. After seven years of work, political obstacles brought the effort to a…
Why read it?
1 author picked Project Orion as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Imagine the classic, stereotypical 1950s rocketship. Now, imagine that rocketship is propelled by hundreds of nuclear bombs, and those nuclear bombs are dropping out the bottom and exploding, causing the rocketship to shoot skyward, sending humans to Mars—or beyond.
That was the wild premise of Project Orion, a real—and really classified—government project that began in 1957 and continued for an astounding seven years.
For a book with loads of heavy technical concepts, Dyson’s writing is sublime. He mixes vivid environments with colorful character backstories to weave the perfect science story. I resonated with his very successful attempt to document…
If you love Project Orion...
The Rosewood Penny
2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!
The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.
On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…
Want books like Project Orion?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 75 books like Project Orion.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Project Orion, you might also like...
Murder, Lies and Chocolate
Book 2, Death by Chocolate series.
Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…
Tangle of Time
A spellbinding journey through time and cultures.
When Annie Thornton, midwife and apprentice witch, falls through time to a 15th-century Yorkshire village with her telepathic cat, Rosamund, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Mistress Meg, Annie’s ancestral aunt living in the 15th century, is…
