If you loved how Emergence unfolds through Candy’s telegraphic journal entries—tracking scavenging runs, ration math, and clever fixes—The Martian will feel instantly familiar. Mark Watney’s mission logs turn every life-or-death snag into a solvable puzzle, from hacking air and water cycles to rigging comms, with the same dry wit Candy uses while outsmarting a dead world.

Candy’s wry asides and breezy confidence—whether she’s jury‑rigging gear or outmaneuvering threats—mirror Murderbot’s voice in All Systems Red. You’ll get that same blend of gallows humor and razor‑sharp competence as Murderbot protects its survey team, hacks systems on the fly, and snarks its way through danger the way Candy does across the empty continent.

In Emergence, Candy approaches the megaplague’s aftermath with optimism—cataloging supplies, mapping routes, and searching for others like her. Earth Abides shares that forward-looking spirit: Isherwood Williams survives a global die-off and gradually helps a small community relearn tools, language, and purpose, echoing Candy’s practical, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves approach to remaking the world.

If Candy’s solo forays from her shelter—testing gear, scouting empty towns, and planning every chore—kept you turning pages, Ann Burden’s diary in Z for Zachariah will grip you. Ann tends her valley, calculates risks like Candy does, and faces an intruder whose presence threatens her hard-won safety, sharpening that intimate, survival‑by‑wits tension you enjoyed.

Candy’s competence—her training, quick diagnostics, and fearless scavenging—finds a kindred spirit in Juliette, a mechanic who tackles failing systems and forbidden questions inside an underground silo. As Juliette follows evidence and trusts her hands‑on know‑how, you’ll get that same satisfaction you felt watching Candy methodically uncover clues about what really happened outside.