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Project Hail Mary: A Novel

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Project Hail Mary: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Andy Weir (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 116,173 ratings

Editors' pick Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling.

HUGO AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST BOOKS: Bill Gates, GatesNotes, New York Public Library, Parade, Newsweek, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal • “An epic story of redemption, discovery and cool speculative sci-fi.”—USA Today

“If you loved The Martian, you’ll go crazy for Weir’s latest.”—The Washington Post

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

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482 pages
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English
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Ballantine Books
Publication date

May 4, 2021
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Human beings have a remarkable ability to accept the abnormal and make it normal.
Highlighted by 6,837 Kindle readers
Oh thank God. I can’t imagine explaining “sleep” to someone who had never heard of it. Hey, I’m going to fall unconscious and hallucinate for a while. By the way, I spend a third of my time doing this. And if I can’t do it for a while, I go insane and eventually die. No need for concern.
Highlighted by 4,892 Kindle readers
They say hunger is the greatest seasoning. When you’re starving, your brain rewards you handsomely for finally eating. Good job, it says, we get to not die for a while!
Highlighted by 3,149 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. andy weir;the martian;scifi

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of May 2021: As Ryland Grace awakens from a coma, he doesn’t know who he is or where he is, but a mix of calculations, deductions, and slowly returning memories enlightens him: He’s a junior high school science teacher on a small space ship. His mission? Save Earth. As in The Martian, Weir makes science and problem solving not only cool but absolutely essential to survival, delivering an electrifying space adventure that yanks at both the gut and the heart strings. Readers will absorb facts about gravity and heavy metals even as Grace races against the clock and builds an unexpected partnership while hurtling through the cold depths of space. —Adrian Liang, Amazon Book Review

Review

“A crowd-pleaser on the grandest scale.”—The Boston Globe

“An engaging space odyssey.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)

“Dazzling.”—Vulture

“Funny, well plotted, and full of surprises.”—The Guardian

“A joy to read.”—Locus

“The ultimate page-turner.”—Daily Mail

“Weir spins a space yarn in a way only he can. Fans of his earlier works won’t be disappointed.”—Newsweek

“Andy Weir proves once again that he is a singular talent. Project Hail Mary is so fascinating and propulsive that it’s downright addictive. From the first page as Ryland wakes up not knowing who or where he is, I was hooked.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six

“Reading Project Hail Mary is like going on a field trip to outer space with the best science teacher you’ve ever had—and your class assignment is to save the world. This is one of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I’ve ever taken.”—Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

“Two worlds in peril, a competent (but flawed and human) man, a competent alien, unending scientific puzzles to unravel, with humanity itself at risk, this one has everything fans of old school SF (like me) love. If you like a lot of science in your science fiction, Andy Weir is the writer for you.”—George R. R. Martin, New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones

“I loved The Martian, but I actually find Project Hail Mary to be Mr. Weir’s finest work to date. It’s somehow both exciting, yet also personal. I’m constantly amazed by how well Mr. Weir continues to write wonderfully accessible science fiction without compromising either the science or the fiction.”—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Stormlight Archive series

“Brilliantly funny and enjoyable . . . one of the most plausible science fiction books I’ve ever read.”—Tim Peake, ESA astronaut and internationally bestselling author of Limitless

“Thrilling doesn’t even begin to describe Project Hail Mary, which is undisputedly the best book I’ve read in a very, very long time . . . I cheered, I laughed (a lot), I cried, and when the twist arrived and the book revealed its true target, my jaw hit the floor. Mark my words: Project Hail Mary is destined to become a classic.”—Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Recursion and Dark Matter

“Readers may find themselves consuming this emotionally intense and thematically profound novel in one stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed sitting. An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship—nothing short of a science fiction masterwork.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

“What’s two plus two?”

Something about the question irritates me. I’m tired. I drift back to sleep.

A few minutes pass, then I hear it again.

“What’s two plus two?”

The soft, feminine voice lacks emotion and the pronunciation is identical to the previous time she said it. It’s a computer. A computer is hassling me. I’m even more irritated now.

“Lrmln,” I say. I’m surprised. I meant to say “Leave me alone”—a completely reasonable response in my opinion—but I failed to speak.

“Incorrect,” says the computer. “What’s two plus two?”

Time for an experiment. I’ll try to say hello.

“Hlllch?” I say.

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

What’s going on? I want to find out, but I don’t have much to work with. I can’t see. I can’t hear anything other than the computer. I can’t even feel. No, that’s not true. I feel something. I’m lying down. I’m on something soft. A bed.

I think my eyes are closed. That’s not so bad. All I have to do is open them. I try, but nothing happens.

Why can’t I open my eyes?

Open.

Aaaand . . . open!

Open, dang it!

Ooh! I felt a wiggle that time. My eyelids moved. I felt it.

Open!

My eyelids creep up and blinding light sears my retinas.

“Glunn!” I say. I keep my eyes open with sheer force of will. Everything is white with shades of pain.

“Eye movement detected,” my tormenter says. “What’s two plus two?”

The whiteness lessens. My eyes are adjusting. I start to see shapes, but nothing sensible yet. Let’s see . . . can I move my hands? No.

Feet? Also no.

But I can move my mouth, right? I’ve been saying stuff. Not stuff that makes sense, but it’s something.

“Fffr.”

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

The shapes start to make sense. I’m in a bed. It’s kind of . . . oval-shaped.

LED lights shine down on me. Cameras in the ceiling watch my every move. Creepy though that is, I’m much more concerned about the robot arms.

The two brushed-steel armatures hang from the ceiling. Each has an assortment of disturbingly penetration-looking tools where hands should be. Can’t say I like the look of that.

“Ffff . . . oooh . . . rrrr,” I say. Will that do?

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

Dang it. I summon all my willpower and inner strength. Also, I’m starting to panic a little. Good. I use that too.

“Fffoouurr,” I finally say.

“Correct.”

Thank God. I can talk. Sort of.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Wait—I just controlled my breathing. I take another breath. On purpose. My mouth is sore. My throat is sore. But it’s my soreness. I have control.

I’m wearing a breathing mask. It’s tight to my face and connected to a hose that goes behind my head.

Can I get up?

No. But I can move my head a little. I look down at my body. I’m naked and connected to more tubes than I can count. There’s one in each arm, one in each leg, one in my “gentlemen’s equipment,” and two that disappear under my thigh. I’m guessing one of them is up where the sun doesn’t shine.

That can’t be good.

Also, I’m covered with electrodes. The sensor-type stickers like for an EKG, but they’re all over the place. Well, at least they’re only on my skin instead of jammed into me.

“Wh—” I wheeze. I try again. “Where . . . am . . . I?”

“What’s the cube root of eight?” the computer asks.

“Where am I?” I say again. This time it’s easier.

“Incorrect. What’s the cube root of eight?”

I take a deep breath and speak slowly. “Two times e to the two-i-pi over three.”

“Incorrect. What’s the cube root of eight?”

But I wasn’t incorrect. I just wanted to see how smart the computer was. Answer: not very.

“Two,” I say.

“Correct.”

I listen for follow-up questions, but the computer seems satisfied.

I’m tired. I drift off to sleep again.

I wake up. How long was I out? It must have been a while because I feel rested. I open my eyes without any effort. That’s progress.

I try to move my fingers. They wiggle as instructed. All right. Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Hand movement detected,” says the computer. “Remain still.”

“What? Why—”

The robot arms come for me. They move fast. Before I know it, they’ve removed most of the tubes from my body. I didn’t feel a thing. Though my skin is kind of numb anyway.

Only three tubes remain: an IV in my arm, a tube up my butt, and a catheter. Those latter two are kind of the signature items I wanted removed, but okay.

I raise my right arm and let it fall back to the bed. I do the same for my left. They feel heavy as heck. I repeat the process a few times. My arms are muscular. That doesn’t make sense. I assume I’ve had some massive medical problem and been in this bed for a while. Otherwise, why would they have me hooked up to all the stuff? Shouldn’t there be muscle atrophy?

And shouldn’t there be doctors? Or maybe the sounds of a hospital? And what’s with this bed? It’s not a rectangle, it’s an oval and I think it’s mounted to the wall instead of the floor.

“Take . . .” I trail off. Still kind of tired. “Take the tubes out. . . .”

The computer doesn’t respond.

I do a few more arm lifts. I wiggle my toes. I’m definitely getting better.

I tilt my ankles back and forth. They’re working. I raise my knees up. My legs are well toned too. Not bodybuilder thick, but still too healthy for someone on the verge of death. I’m not sure how thick they should be, though.

I press my palms to the bed and push. My torso rises. I’m actually getting up! It takes all my strength but I soldier on. The bed rocks gently as I move. It’s not a normal bed, that’s for sure. As I raise my head higher up, I see the head and foot of the elliptical bed are attached to strong-looking wall mounts. It’s kind of a rigid hammock. Weird.

Soon, I’m sitting on my butt tube. Not the most comfortable sensation, but when is a tube up your butt ever comfortable?

I have a better view of things now. This is no ordinary hospital room. The walls look plastic and the whole room is round. Stark-white light comes from ceiling-mounted LED lights.

There are two more hammock-like beds mounted to the walls, each with their own patient. We are arranged in a triangle and the roof-mounted Arms of Harassment are in the center of the ceiling. I guess they take care of all three of us. I can’t see much of my compatriots—they’ve sunken into their bedding like I had.

There’s no door. Just a ladder on the wall leading to . . . a hatch? It’s round and has a wheel-handle in the center. Yeah, it’s got to be some kind of hatch. Like on a submarine. Maybe the three of us have a contagious disease? Maybe this is an airtight quarantine room? There are small vents here and there on the wall and I feel a little airflow. It could be a controlled environment.

I slide one leg off over the edge of my bed, which makes it wobble. The robot arms rush toward me. I flinch, but they stop short and hover nearby. I think they’re ready to grab me if I fall.

“Full-body motion detected,” the computer says. “What’s your name?”

“Pfft, seriously?” I ask.

“Incorrect. Attempt number two: What’s your name?”

I open my mouth to answer.

“Uh . . .”

“Incorrect. Attempt number three: What’s your name?”

Only now does it occur to me: I don’t know who I am. I don’t know what I do. I don’t remember anything at all.

“Um,” I say.

“Incorrect.”

A wave of fatigue grips me. It’s kind of pleasant, actually. The computer must have sedated me through the IV line.

“. . . waaaait . . .” I mumble.

The robot arms lay me gently back down to the bed. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

ANDY WEIR was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is also a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. The Martian is his first novel.

Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08FHBV4ZX
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (May 4, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 4, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 11679 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 482 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593598652

Best Sellers Rank: #1,353 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4 in Hard Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #11 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)
- #14 in Science Fiction Adventure

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4.7 116,173 ratings

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Andy Weir

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ANDY WEIR built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time.

He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail.

He lives in California.

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Jeff Gomske

Astonishing, Fun, Entertaining, Fantastic

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2021

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I consider The Martian my favorite fictional novel of the last 15-20 years. The movie was incredible in that they actually followed the book closer than 99% of other films based on books. It remains my favorite movie of the last 15 years or so as well. I don't know anyone (personally) that loves either of them as much as I do.

With that said, I was REALLY looking forward to Artemis. It was good...but, it was certainly not in the same caliber as The Martian was (at least not for me). I enjoyed it a lot, however and appreciated how author Andy Weir chose to go in a completely different direction and not just rehash another similar story, which I am certain would have been great as well.

As a result, I was cautious regarding Project Hail Mary. It sounded a little too close to The Martian, but yet, also different in that the circumstances simply could not be more opposite and the stakes so much higher. I'm trying to figure out the best way to summarize without giving too much away from this utterly compelling novel. As I read several reviews, I noticed a recurring theme: SCIENCE. Lots and LOTS of science. Holy cow, they were right. Many years ago I read Apollo 13 and Jim Lovell and his co-writer, try as they might, simply could not dumb down Orbital Mechanics anywhere near enough for me to have even a minor clue as to what they were attempting to say...I just skipped 90% of it and hoped that the sentences written afterwards, would help to make sense of what I had just skimmed over. I'm a lot of things, but a math wizard is definitely not one of them. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) had an amazing talent for dumbing-down the science of what he was trying to explain in ways that genuinely made sense (most of the time). Not everyone has this talent, and I would say Andy Weir falls squarely in between. He's certainly better than Jim Lovell, but not quite as good as Crichton. But then again, outside of a science textbook, I haven't really read anything with quite as MUCH science as Project Hail Mary. So maybe he's just as good, but he just puts more science into his books than Crichton, maybe that's it...? Either way, be prepared for a lot of astonishingly interesting science within the pages of this novel...and I DO mean a LOT. I don't say this to make you wary or steer you away...on the contrary, Andy Weir has a special talent for making hard science truly entertaining.

The book opens with an absolutely amazing and frightening premise: an astronaut awakes from an induced coma to find the only other two people on board have died at some point along their journey...but it gets worse. He has no idea who he is, or why he's on the ship, and oh yeah, they look to be a long way from home. A really, REALLY long way from home. In fact, the sun he sees isn't actually OUR sun at all. He's managed to leave our solar system entirely. And he has no idea why.

((Minor Spoilers)) The book goes through some clever flash-backs, which set the stage for why the mission happens, and slowly, carefully explains how they managed to get so far away from earth in such a short amount of time. Basically, earth's sun seems to be dying. At the rate of decay, we have maybe 19 years left before the gradual cooling has catastrophic consequences resulting in the death of billions (best guess). Why the sun is dimming is quite the conundrum in the first place. Turns out it really isn't dying, it's being killed by an outside source...which turns out to be easily the greatest find in history. It's alien life, and they are using the sun for food, essentially. It's alien life, but not intelligent life. But still, wow! ALIENS, right???

After this monumental discovery, and some tremendous research done by the most improbable scientist, the investigation into what is happening and why and what to do about it expands exponentially to other nations in order to pool all the resources possible to hopefully save the sun, and by extension, the human race as well. They learn. A LOT. A plan is put together, and with the help of the newly discovered microscopic alien life, which can also double as a power source (along with a few other nifty surprises), they begin to create one last, Hail Mary that could very well be the last chance we might have to save earth. It's audacious. It's dangerous, and it is absolutely critical that it succeed.

As our astronaut's memory slowly unravels, so does his identity: Ryland Grace. He's a teacher on earth. Just a science teacher. Not even a college professor. He's amazingly smart, though. But he's no astronaut...and certainly not one who would volunteer to go on a one-way mission to another solar system to "try" and save humanity. Yet here he is. Alone. light years from earth, trying to solve the biggest riddle in all of human history. Ryland accepts his situation, such as it is, with relative indifference (for the most part). It doesn't matter HOW he got here. He's here now and he may as well use that time to be as productive as possible, right? Along the way, he unravels even more information regarding the microscopic alien life which is slowly dimming our sun during some additional flashbacks. The aliens, dubbed, "Astrophage" are quite the galactic plague as it turns out. Stars all over the galaxy are also losing their light, all due to the little buggers. All that is, except one particular star named, Tau Ceti. Now why would that one star be unaffected by Astrophage, when every single star around it has been affected to some degree. The plan is to go there and figure it out and send the information back, hopefully in time to save the sun before the damage to earth is beyond repair.

There is an incredible amount of stuff going on. The story switches from Tau Ceti to flashbacks of how the whole mission was planned and implemented (which is VERY entertaining, especially Director Stratt, who may actually be my favorite character in the entire novel). Weir is becoming quite adept at building tension, and abruptly switching the story from Tau Ceti back to earth and building more of the backstory then switching back to Tau Ceti. Keeping it all in check and most importantly, interesting all while mixing in a healthy dose of science, which I am to understand is pretty much all genuine, is quite the juggling act. I have long known science can be astronomically entertaining (see what I did there?) when done right...but unfortunately very few people in a position to teach science actually know the best way to create that interest in others. I can say without reservation, Andy Weir definitely knows how to do it...at least in written form.

There is so much I want to say more regarding this truly phenomenal story, but I simply cannot without ruining a lot of the fun and surprises revealed along the way...and it is killing me to keep it locked in. Though I labeled a spoiler warning earlier, I don't think it gave away any more than what the author himself has revealed in interviews he has done regarding the book, and what you can glean from reading the summary here and just a couple other reviews. Tying all of that science together is truly astonishing to me. The creativity to put it into a novel that is remarkably exciting to read is nothing more than incredible talent. Kudo's to Andy Weir for not just hitting a home run, Project Hail Mary is a Grand Slam all the way. I truly did not want this story to end. By the way, I enjoyed the ending quite a bit. I don't know if everyone will. But it was fine for me. I think the ending screams "sequel" at some point too. A lot was left open-ended (IMO) and I wouldn't mind reading a follow-up to this. It doesn't HAVE to happen, but there are a lot of ways where the story could go if Andy chose to do it. Just sayin'.

Just run out and buy this book.

272 people found this helpful

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Dave Armstrong

This is my #1 favorite book of all time. I read a LOT of books so I mean what I just said.

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

As with The Martian, Andy Weir hooks you on page one where Ryland Grace is being asked a simple question. "What is two plus two?" From there, you go on a journey with Ryland to figure out his environment, what the heck is going and why HE is in the middle of all of this.

I can't spoil it for you but there is a specific character that you will LOVE. Andy did a fantastic job of making this particular character one of the best in Sci-fi. Yes, this is just my opinion, but suffice it to say, you will probably love this character just as much :)

There is a LOT of science. If you can appreciate the puzzles Ryland has to solve and not worry so much about the math or technical aspects woven into the story, it should not be overwhelming. If you liked The Martian, you should have no problem with this level of technical prose.

I've read/listened to this book twenty-three times now. The high number is because I love the book so much that I am writing a fan-fiction sequel. It will suck and I'm not posting any means for you to find it here, but it does explain twenty-three reads.

I can't say why, but this one book above all others might be better listened to as a first-read experience. If you trust me on this, you will understand. Ray Porter narrates and did so well that it won an award.

The ending is heroic as only Andy could write. You will feel very satisfied that all has been resolved but in unexpected ways.

I'll finish by saying the supporting characters are amazing. Andy does a fantastic job of creating different voices and personalities that make you enjoy their 'scenes,' hoping to see more of them.

I give this book 5 resounding 'Jazz Hands.' Read the book and you will REALLY agree and also, understand my reference.

4 people found this helpful

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Erik Martenson

Lost in Space

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023

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I loved the movie The Martian and thought I’d try the new Andy Weir book. It’s my first encounter with this author, and at first I was a bit thrown off by the use of first person perspective, but in the end I decided it fit the story perfectly.

It’s about a man waking up on a spaceship having no memories of himself or his surroundings. Classic setting, and one that worked well for the story. All in all I loved the book, but there were a few inconsistencies or errors that prevented me from giving it five stars.

I read the book using the Kindle app, and the first impression is that the text should’ve been justified. But I guess the author had someone else do the formatting, so I won’t blame him. However, as an American he should really know how to write the caliber of a bullet. It’s usually measured in milimeters or inches. On page 59 he writes «Which is like shooting a 50-caliber round at a sheet of paper …»

I’m pretty confident he meant «… shooting a .50-caliber round …» because that bullet is half an inch in diameter, and in Norway we call it 12,7 mm.

The next thing that makes no sense is a few pages later. «You guys know about climate change, right? How our CO2 emissions have caused a lot of problems in the environment?»

Our CO2 emissions? Problems in the environment? More CO2 means a greener planet. Plants use CO2 for photosynthesis, and more CO2 makes them grow faster and use up less water. Why do you think farmers pump more CO2 into their greenhouses? It’s good for the planet, not bad, especially now we’re in a time with historically low CO2 content in the atmosphere, meaning many species of plants are almost at a starvation level.

Besides, human emissions are tiny compared to those of nature herself. Fifty active volcanos, anyone? And most of it comes from the ocean anyway, and that’s where any excess CO2 would end up too.

And then he presents one and a half degree temperature rise as a problem. Excuse me? One and a half? It was much warmer during the Holocene Optimum. Maybe he should read some history? Talk to some geologists? The Earth has been much warmer before, and we know this from ice core samples and tree ring data. Civilizations thrived. The Roman Empire, Chinese Han Dynasty, the Vikings settled Greenland and Newfoundland. No, cold is the enemy, not warmth.

Looking past these rookie mistakes I found the book entertaining and fun. Great sci-fi. Great dialog. Loved Rocky and how his entire species was described in detail. I just love it when an author put this amount of detail into his stories. Also amazing detail on the spaceship and its unorthodox fuel.

2 people found this helpful

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Felipe Lorenzo

Excelente lectura

Reviewed in Mexico on January 10, 2024

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sorprendente, ingenioso, detallado... No dormí una noche para terminar
Todo estudiante de Ciencias o ingeniería debería leerlo. Muy buen libro

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Ana

Ficção científica com suspense - muito bom!

Reviewed in Brazil on November 28, 2023

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A personagem principal do livro é - a ciência! Muito interessante a forma como ele desenvolve a história e envolve o leitor em cada descoberta. Tem muito suspense, foi difícil parar de ler. Recomendo para todos "nerds" como eu.

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Carolyn

Great science fiction adventure

Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2021

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Having read The Martian and seen the movie, I was anxious and excited to read Project Hail Mary. First, let me explore some of the problems causing mixed reviews. It is very heavy on science and technology. I thought the explanations by Andy Weir were difficult to follow for anyone without a strong background in mathematics, physics, chemistry or astronomy. Still, the author did this as well as possible. I found I did not need to fully follow the explanations to be along on the wild ride through space. It was sufficient to read about the actions, danger, and problems faced. I found the story so exciting and thought-provoking that it was enough for me to follow what was happening and be captivated by the suspense and tension without understanding the scientific theories involved. I imagine that readers with a strong background in science or math might enjoy fact-checking the accuracy of the explanations, but this is not necessary to believe this thrilling story.

The earth is facing annihilation in the not-too-distant future. Alien microorganisms, astrophages, are absorbing energy from the sun. The sun is cooling, and it is predicted that this will lead to an ice age, famines, wars for resources, and the eventual extinction of most of the life on earth. There seems to be a glimmer of hope on a planet, Tau Ceti, in a distant solar system. This is the only place discovered where astrophages are being destroyed.

The Petrova task force has been set up consisting of the worlds' greatest minds from many nations. They establish Project Hail Mary under the leadership and authority of the director (dictator) Eva Stratt. She is driven to save the world from impending catastrophe at all costs. What she possesses in authority puts her on a power trip. She is cold-hearted, lacks scruples and willing to set aside legalities, morality and ethics to achieve her goals. She will select a three-person crew of the best scientists and astronauts capable of withstanding a prolonged coma on their long one-way suicide journey into interstellar space.

Sometime in the future, aboard the spaceship Hail Mary, Ryland Grace awakens from an induced coma. Tubes, electrodes and IV lines are attached to his body. Nearby are the mummified bodies of his two crewmates. He cannot recall his name, where he is, or why he is there. As his physical body gains strength, he recovers snippets of memory of the past.

He was a dedicated, enthusiastic, and popular Junior High science teacher whose work was inspiring to his students. He had few friends. How did he come to be selected for this mission, and for what purpose? He is horrified to learn he is somewhere in deep space with no way back to earth. He knows he doesn't want to die, but there is no way home with insufficient food and fuel. His two crewmates could have explained the mission and helped him, but they are dead. He realizes this will soon be his solitary fate. As bits of his memory and thoughts begin to clarify, we learn more about his life and how he got to be on this mission into outer space. If only he could remember what he is supposed to do now!

He makes contact with a masterful engineer and mechanic named Rocky. To say more about this endearing and wonderful character would be a spoiler.

Ryland Grace has a snide, witty, and sarcastic sense of humour, usually directed at himself. It is a wild, exciting journey towards his destination, Tau Ceti. The ride is full of danger, twists and excitement. Through his tireless ingenuity, he manages to overcome obstacles never before faced by anyone. Does Grace muddle through and save the earth? What difficult choice must now face him? Of all the endings I could envision, I never thought of its fantastical conclusion which was most unexpected and satisfying for me.

19 people found this helpful

Shivani Singh

Loved every minute of reading it

Reviewed in India on January 6, 2024

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It was my first sci-fi book and I couldn't have asked for anything better. An un-put-downable read which you wouldn't want to end. Brilliant storyline and, hands down, it's going into my favourites.

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