Project Hail Mary
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Intelligent
Exciting

Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir2021
A lone astronaut is on a desperate, last-chance mission to save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian. 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 a computer and two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance. Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, The 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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Reviews

Photo of Keira
Keira@kostross
5 stars
Mar 25, 2025

I am not a science fiction girly at all - but this was SO GOOD. It was hilarious, moving, and had me at the edge of my seat. I feel like I could recommend this to anyone and they would enjoy it.

+3
Photo of Sj
Sj@sj
5 stars
Mar 8, 2025

Jazz hands. Very amaze. Major fist bump.

+6
Photo of Colson Bollinger
Colson Bollinger@colson
5 stars
Feb 6, 2025

Rocky may be my favorite character of all time.

This review contains a spoiler
+3
Photo of Ridwan Alim Muhaimin
Ridwan Alim Muhaimin@ridwanmhn
5 stars
Jan 31, 2025

A generational sci-fi literature.

+5
Photo of Beth Bartholomew
Beth Bartholomew@BooksNest
5 stars
Jan 28, 2025

Amaze.

I loved this so much. The characters were so fun and refreshing to read about in the face of such a perilous situation. This book will stay with me for a long time, for its end of world threat, for its demonstration of kindness in the face of fear and for its creation of a hero from a man who never thought he could be one.

Photo of Aims
Aims@aimz
5 stars
Jan 8, 2025

Strongly suggest listening to the audiobook, the narrator makes this such a fun ride. For the first 2 hrs, i was convinced it was Tom Hanks!


Great story, really fun, but hugely science based. I personally think if i’d read the book, i may have gotten lost. Loved it though.


Photo of Eimear O'Connor
Eimear O'Connor @eimear
5 stars
Dec 12, 2024

I absolutely adored this from start to finish, one of the best books I have ever read. You would think the concept would be boring with one man in a spaceship but Andy Weir has a way of writing Grace's monologue that feels conversational, like speaking to someone you know.

Amazing book, couldn't recommend more.

+7
Photo of August Stone
August Stone@unfortunatecrowboy

The Martian was great, and I don't think I need anything else from this guy

Photo of Caelan
Caelan@ykk
2.5 stars
Oct 30, 2024

Andy Weir, in my opinion, has never really found a standard-novel-format voice/narration style that suits him - Martian avoided the need substantially with its format; Artemis was fairly boring in all respects, but inoffensive; this is way "richer" in terms of plot, characters And voice, but the last was annoying enough ("witty" and "irreverent" are words I imagine people that enjoyed it would use) that I dropped it 2/3rds of the way in.

Photo of Daphne Li-Chen
Daphne Li-Chen@daphne
4 stars
Oct 18, 2024

such a cute, quirky, sweet read. a look into what it means to be human and how friendship comes from many places. fun science bits as well that make this a fun sci fi read

+3
Photo of Zubi Mendi
Zubi Mendi@heartbeat
2.5 stars
Sep 23, 2024

Good science, but the science becomes a bit dull when the plot line is just - life finds a way, and another one, and another one.....and another.....boy this is getting a bit old.


Would have like to see a tragic plotline that stuck for more than a few chapters at least :////

+2
Photo of Akhilesh
Akhilesh@akhu
3 stars
Sep 23, 2024

I understand that Mr. Weir wants the book to be accessible, but the writing is very elementary and deteriorates from the reading experience.

+4
Photo of Jay Tan
Jay Tan@jatan
4.5 stars
Sep 23, 2024

Very good

+5
Photo of Paper boy
Paper boy@paperboy
1 star
Sep 23, 2024

The book is very much written like a script and is quite predictable.

+2
Photo of simran singh
simran singh@paperbookreader
2 stars
Sep 23, 2024

Good book entertaning, nothing special, good math

Photo of Aidan
Aidan@aidan4253
5 stars
Sep 23, 2024

An absolute masterclass in storytelling.

+5
Photo of Joe Mccaffery
Joe Mccaffery @five235
5 stars
Sep 18, 2024

This is probably my book of the year. Absolutely perfect.

+4
Photo of Fred Rivett
Fred Rivett@fredrivett
4 stars
Aug 25, 2024

Very good, a nice plot twist, got me emotionally invested in the characters whilst doing the normal Andy Weir play of nerdy details throughout, enjoyed it very much.

+4
Photo of Abdul Rehman Ismail
Abdul Rehman Ismail@syfyabdu
5 stars
Jul 22, 2024

Such an amazing book to read. Loved every bit of it.

Photo of Eva Ströberg
Eva Ströberg@cphbirdlady
5 stars
Jul 19, 2024

This book reminds me a lot of The Martian. Not the story, but the goofy, self-narrative that is almost half of the book, not that I mind about it. It gives Ryland Grace, the main character, a little bit of humbleness and humanness that we can't all be scientific and serious at the same time. We can be stupid, telling ourselves stupid jokes and think that we can get away with it, when we're ALONE. Yes, he's alone. In Space. Familiar? Ryland Grace woke up in a spaceship all alone (although he didn't reveal much in the start, but there's a chart of a spaceship on the beginning of the book and that you know the book is about space, so not much clue wasted there) and he had no clue where he was going or how he ended up there. But he gained his memory little by little and what he remembers will shock you! HAHA, enough with the clickbait, get on reading...

Photo of anya
anya@anyasrvn
4.5 stars
Jul 12, 2024

i love sci fi

Photo of danakim
danakim@danak
5 stars
Jul 2, 2024

Wow. Just wow. I was reluctant on reading Project Hail Mary because I have never been interested in the Sci-Fi genre and boy am I ever glad I gave it a shoot. This my first space oriented book and my second ever sci-fi book after Dark Matter and it did not disappoint. The main character has so much charm and likability! And the other articulated science I would have never understood on my own incredibly well. I thought the ending was perfect and had me making audible noise of despair and excitement. I do have to say it felt a little long, but it's still a 5 star rating for me. The hype is real - I would recommend Project Hail Mary to anyone who's on the fence like I once was.

Photo of Ira Cummings
Ira Cummings@irafcummings
2.5 stars
Jun 30, 2024

Part interesting, part meh. Narrator's tone was pretty annoying even though the science was interesting. I'm glad that I finished it but not feeling compelled to read more.

+5
Photo of c0up
c0up@c0up
3.5 stars
Jun 15, 2024

The start and its build up to creating the shared language and understanding were the highlights. Lost a little steam as it went on.

Highlights

Photo of Sj
Sj@sj

It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas.

Page 299
Photo of Sj
Sj@sj

“How did you do it? What killed it?”

“I penetrated the outer cell membrane with a nanosyringe.”

“You poked it with a stick?”

“No!” I said. “Well. Yes. But it was a scientific poke with a very scientific stick.”

Page 61
Photo of Tabea
Tabea@attako

»Tja, jetzt bist du nicht mehr allein, Freund«, sage ich. »Wir sind beide nicht mehr allein.«

Page 249

🫶🏼

Photo of Tabea
Tabea@attako

Also bin ich ein Mann Mitte dreißig, der allein in einem kleinen Apartment lebt, ich habe keine Kinder, aber ich mag Kinder sehr. Mir gefällt nicht, wohin das führt... Lehrer! Jetzt erinnere ich mich! Gott sei Dank. Ich bin Lehrer.

Page 45

Ganz dünnes Eis war das gerade

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

Antarctica used to be a jungle. For millions of years it was as lush as Africa. But continental drift and natural climate change froze it over. All those plants died and decomposed. The gases from that decomposition—most notably methane—got trapped in the ice.”

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

I’ve gone from “sole-surviving space explorer” to “guy with wacky new roommate.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

It’s rare to find a scientist who is also a good administrator

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

When European mariners first came across Asian mariners, no one was surprised they both used sails.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

For fifty thousand years, right up to the industrial revolution, human civilization was about one thing and one thing only: food. Every culture that existed put most of their time, energy, manpower, and resources into food. Hunting it, gathering it, farming it, ranching it, storing it, distributing it…it was all about food

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

And just like that another climate denier is born. See how easy it is? All I have to do is tell you something you don’t want to hear.

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

It’s a weird feeling, scientific breakthroughs. There’s no Eureka moment. Just a slow, steady progression toward a goal. But man, when you get to that goal it feels good.

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

“Why is Eridian science and human science so similar? Billions of years, but almost the same progress.” It’s been bugging me for a while. Humans and Eridians evolved separately in separate star systems. We had no contact with each other until now. So why is it that we have almost identical technology? I mean, Eridians are a little behind us in space technology, but not a ton. Why aren’t they in their stone age? Or some superfuturistic age that makes modern Earth look antiquated? “Has to be, or you and I would not meet,” Rocky says. “If planet has less science, it no can make spaceship. If planet has more science it can understand and destroy Astrophage without leaving their system. Eridian and human science both in special range: Can make ship, but can’t solve Astrophage problem.

This highlight contains a spoiler
Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny

Gravity doesn’t just “go away” when you’re in orbit. In fact, the gravity you experience in orbit is pretty much the same as you’d experience on the ground. The weightlessness that astronauts experience while in orbit comes from constantly falling. But the curvature of the Earth makes the ground go away at the same rate you fall. So you just fall forever

Photo of Zhao Ma
Zhao Ma@ciaozhao

Jazz hands

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

No one ever talks about the really hard parts of first contact with intelligent alien life: pronouns. I'm going to go with "he" for now, because it just seems rude to call a thinking being "it."

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

There's no interplanetary symbol for supplication. I don't know if he understands, but he unclenches his fist.

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

Broadly speaking, the human brain is a collection of software hacks compiled into a single, somehow- functional unit. Each "feature" was added as a random mutation that solved some specific problem to increase our odds of survival.

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

I stood and shuffled out of the room. I don't thinkI even said goodbye. It's a dark and depressing feeling to have all your closest colleagues get together and decide you should die.

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

The hardest part about working with aliens and saving humanity from extinction is constantly having to come up with names for stuff.

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

"So here I am. Environmental activist. Climatologist. Antiwar crusader." He looked out to sea. "And I'm ordering a nuclear strike on Antarctica. Two hundred and forty-one nuclear weapons, courtesy of the United States, buried fifty meters deep along a fissure at three-kilometer intervals. All going off at the same time"

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

The math of famine is actually pretty easy. Take all the calories the world creates with farming and agriculture per day, and divide by about fifteen hundred. The human population cannot be greater than that number. Not for long anyway.

Photo of Rahma Ali
Rahma Ali@rali

I’d have to do the math to know for sure but--I can't help it, I want to do the math right now.

Photo of Lexie
Lexie@bookswithlexie

How does Andy Weir already have me laughing on page 1??

Photo of Thierry Schellenbach
Thierry Schellenbach@tschellenbach

Almost as good as the martian, great read