Korean edition of "Project Hail Mary" (RH Korea) A year ago, the country's bestseller lists were dominated by the works of Han Kang after her 2024 Nobel Prize win in literature brought renewed attention to her fiction.This year, however, a different picture has emerged: A wave of new Korean and international novels has reshuffled the bestseller lists, signaling a broader revival of literary fiction among readers.Leading the shift is Andy Weir's science fiction novel "Project Hail Mary," which became the bestselling book of the first five months of the year at Kyobo Book Center, Korea's largest bookstore chain.According to the company's midyear sales report, released Monday and covering the period from Jan. 1 through May 31, "Project Hail Mary" topped its overall bestseller list. The novel also ranked first in a separate January-May bestseller analysis released last week by Yes24, the country's largest online bookseller.Originally translated into Korean in 2021, the novel is regarded as part of Weir's unofficial space trilogy, alongside "The Martian" and "Artemis."Interest in the book surged in the spring as anticipation built around its film adaptation and continued after its March release in Korea, where it has drawn about 2.5 million moviegoers. Around the film's opening, the novel held the top spot on the bestseller lists for several weeks."Project Hail Mary" follows Ryland Grace, a science teacher who awakens alone aboard a spacecraft with no memory of who he is or why he is there. As his memories gradually return, he realizes he is humanity's last hope in a desperate mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat, leading to an unlikely friendship that becomes central to the story's themes of sacrifice, trust and survival. From left, Hanroro's "Grapefruit Apricot Club," Yang Gui-ja's "Contradiction," Kim Ae-ran's "I Said Goodbye," Cho Hyun-sun's "My Perfect Funeral" (Authentic, Write Publishing, Muhakdongne Publishing, Book Romance) Fiction boom fueled by comfort, fandom, shared readingFiction dominated Kyobo's bestseller rankings, claiming eight of the top 10 spots between January and May.Suzuki Yui's award-winning novel "Goethe Said Everything" ranked second, followed by Korean singer-songwriter Hanroro's "Grapefruit Apricot Club" in third, Yang Gui-ja's "Contradiction" in fourth, Kim Ae-ran's "I Said Goodbye" in fifth, Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha" in sixth and Cho Hyun-sun's "My Perfect Funeral" in seventh, meaning the top seven titles on the bestsellers list were all novels.Sales of fiction rose 19.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, marking a second consecutive year of double-digit growth. Fiction accounted for 10.6 percent of all single-volume book sales, meaning 1 out of every 10 books sold in Korea during the period was a novel.Kyobo attributed the trend to the combined strength of Korean and translated fiction. Korean novels continued to enjoy a loyal readership and occupied many of the bestseller rankings, while high-profile international titles helped expand the overall market."In an increasingly uncertain social environment, readers are seeking stories that offer comfort, empathy and warm messages, making the value of fiction more visible than ever," the company said in the report. "As short-form video consumption becomes part of daily life, demand has grown for immersive narratives that encourage deeper engagement and imagination."The report also pointed to the growing influence of fandom culture on book sales.Along with heightened interest generated by its film adaptation, "Project Hail Mary" benefited from endorsements by major YouTube creators. "Goethe Said Everything" likewise experienced a sharp jump in sales after being recommended by prominent film critic Lee Dong-jin.Kyobo expects the momentum behind fiction to continue through the second half of the year.The bookstore chain said reading has increasingly become a shared cultural experience rather than a solitary pastime, suggesting that renewed interest in novels is more than a passing trend. The sector's second straight year of double-digit growth, it said, reflects a solid structural shift in readers' habits.The second half of the year is expected to bring new works from popular Korean and international authors including Choi Jin-young, Hwang Jung-eun, Pyun Hye-young, Eun Hee-kyung, Bae Suah and Bernard Werber, potentially giving readers another slate of literary hits to choose from. Hanroro's "Grapefruit Apricot Club" (Authentic) Yang Gui-ja's "Contradiction" (Write Publishing) Kim Ae-ran's "I Said Goodbye" (Muhakdongne Publishing) Cho Hyun-sun's "My Perfect Funeral" (Book Romance)