2015 has been an astronomical year for Mars in the media.

With the discovery of liquid water on its surface in September, and a planned manned mission by Mars One in 2027 (however unlikely that may actually be), the Red Planet has clearly been re-established in the zeitgeist as the next great frontier.

And with his best-selling book, The Martian, as well as its eponymous film adaptation directed by Ridley Scott, there have been few people who have helped to bring Mars back into the world of entertainment more than sci-fi writer Andy Weir.

But Weir, the former computer programmer, now full-time author, is already onto his next novel, and this time he’s turning his sights on the Moon.

In a discussion with the Huffington Post, Weir said that “I’m actually working on a different story idea — about a city on the moon.” And although he doesn’t disclose much detailed information about the new novel, he does say that “this book will be all rigidly sci-fi again,” which means it be in the same style as The Martian; a story that included plenty of real calculations (processed by Watney, if not the reader) integral to the narrative.

Weir also noted that this time around, his central protagonist will be a female, and said that “I’m a little nervous… because I’ve never written a female character, and I hope it comes off as believable.” But as long as she has Mark Watney’s sense of humor (how can Aquaman control whales?) and raw-potato-eating will, readers will likely love her.

This turn toward a lunar locale for Weir’s next story does mean that his previously planned follow-up novel, Zhek, is indefinitely on hold. The literary epic, which Weir has said is “by far the most complex and detailed story [he’d] ever come up with,” was going to be new territory, as it was supposed to contain “faster-than-light travel, aliens, and telepathy.”

But a city on the Moon is cool too.

As for The Martian film, it has already grossed close to $600 million globally, and garnered nominations for numerous awards, including Golden Globe nods for Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy, Best Director, and Best Actor. (The movie will also be released on Digital HD on December 22, and DVD/Blu-ray on January 12.)

Now that you have all the details, what do you think about a lunar setting for his next novel? Are you happy he’s sticking to nitty-gritty physics, or were you hoping he’d broaden his horizons a bit and just jump through a wormhole already? Let us know in the comments section below!

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HT: The Huffington Post

Image: NASA