Name: Project Hail Mary
ISBN: 9780593135204

Andy Weir

The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. 

A Novel

Project Hail Mary

Thierry Schellenbach

Rahma Ali

Zhao Ma

Danny White

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.”

Tabea

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.

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

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

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

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

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW: from the bestselling author of THE MARTIAN 'If you like a lot of science in your science fiction, Andy Weir is the writer for you. . . This one has everything fans of old school SF (like me) love.' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN 'Brilliantly funny and enjoyable. One of the most plausible science fiction books I've ever read' TIM PEAKE, astronaut 'Weir's finest work to date. . . This is the one book I read last year that I am certain I can recommend to anyone, no matter who, and know they'll love it.' BRANDON SANDERSON ________________________________________ A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. 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 imagine it, 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. ________________________________________ 'One of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I've ever taken.' ERNEST CLINE, author of Ready Player One and Ready Player Two 'Undisputedly the best book I've read in a very, very long time. Mark my words: Project Hail Mary is destined to become a classic.' BLAKE CROUCH 'An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship - nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork.' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'A suspenseful portrait of human ingenuity and resilience [that] builds to an unexpectedly moving ending. A winner.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'Weir returns with gusto . . . his writing flows naturally, and his characters and dialogue crackle with energy. With this novel, he takes his place as a genuine star in the mainstream SF world.' BOOKLIST

From the bestselling author of The Martian

M. Sosotris

I absolutely loved this book. It’s brilliantly plotted, has wonderful characters, and is wholly engrossing.

And there are multiple sections that got me all emotional. 

Please read this! And I’d highly recommend the audiobook version!

Yulez

the ability to cram that much science/biology into a book in a digestible and entertaining way is a feat of its own. The narrator was fantastic and the little noises for rocky were adorable.

Kelsey 

Amaze. Amaze. Amaze. 👎

Grace & Rocky save stars! 

Jacob

476 pages of characters explaining basic science with Marvel-esque corny quips. Most stories require their readers to suspend some disbelief but Weir relies HEAVILY on his readers to do that here. One lady is bossing around all the governments of the world and they just…go along with it because the UN elected her? Scientists just toss hypotheses out there only to be proven right literally immediately? He tries to write this off by claiming it’s an “extreme circumstance,” but has Weir ever interacted with the world at all? Our planet is actually boiling and still people deny it’s happening in the name of profit (and he even has the audacity to make up a stupid plot point that greenhouse gas emissions will SAVE the planet because the sun is dimming). You don’t think industry would see these basically infinite energy molecules and immediately try to exploit them for money? My biggest issue - what was Andy Weir trying to say with this book? Where was the heart? There is no theme, no emotion - just taking the reader from exposition to exposition, plot point to plot point. Most authors say something with their novels. All he seems to be saying is that when humanity is threatened, we will magically set aside all differences, greed, and ego to save the planet? That everyone will just agree to put all authority in a few random scientists without fighting tooth and claw to have a seat at the table? What kind of basic ass take is that? It’s something I’d see on a 14-year-old’s Tumblr page. The dialogue is stunted, cliche, and completely unrealistic. 90% of the book is PhD scientists explaining high-school level concepts to one another. There are parentheticals everywhere. The jokes are extremely lame but everyone laughs at them. Characters are basically walking stereotypes. There’s the jovial, vodka-drinking Russian guy. Ryland is the “cool science teacher” whose kids all love him of course. The climate scientist literally calls himself a tree-hugging hippie. There is basically zero imagination in any of the characters. They are all just copy-paste cliches of what we seen all over pop media every day. Speculative science fiction is usually imaginative, thought out, and makes the reader think about big things like the nature of humanity, time, the universe, consciousness, curiosity…literally anything! There’s nothing here to think about other than, “how will we stop the sun from dimming?” It’s like a shower thought turned into a book. At the very least, it was a super easy read. The movie looks cool and I’m excited to see it, but the book was a chore. Update: the movie was so stupidly good. They did everything I wished the book did. Humanize characters? Check (the karaoke scene with Stratt was brilliant). Establish stakes? Check. Humor? Check. Emotions? Check. I almost cried multiple times. It’s incredible how much better the movie was while still sticking almost entirely to the plot of the book. They made it emotional, fulfilling, and most of all, HUMAN. That’s what sci fi is about - humanity. If you’re writing sci fi to make dumb jokes and write about low level science experiments, you’re better relegated back to internet blogs where Weir started, and where he belongs. Seeing the movie actually made me hate this book even more because the movie showed how much heart could have been put into this story. But Weir is lazy and thinks he’s funny and cool. He’s not. This book sucked, but I guess I’ll thank it for inspiring an incredible movie.

Maddie Mason

Joana Mae

This book is way outside my comfort zone, as I'm definitely not a science person but Andy Weir’s writing is sooo good! I'm so glad I have this in audiobook format. It's my first and only fiction title in my Audible library so far. If this is in your TBR, you absolutely must get the audiobook! The conversations are something you cannot unhear. Ray Porter's narration is spectacular. I'm excited for the movie adaptation since I prefer watching sci-fi genres like this on screen.

Rose-Lynn 

Science fiction is not on my preferred genre list but I was motivated to read this by the hype. I like to read the book before the movie so I wanted to read this before watching! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book that is not in my typical go to genre. I loved Grace's character and the relationship that developed between Rocky and Ryland. I liked it was open ended but not on a totally unsatisfying cliff hanger. 

A lone astronaut must 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 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, 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.

i love the story, no matter how basic, but the movie did it better, not needing me to suffer through the math equations.

skully

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?

Mandie

what can i say about this book that hasn't already been said? it was funny, emotional and complicated in the sense that i barely understood any of the science lingo. but i loved every minute of this book and while i was initially hoping for a different outcome for ryland, i was actually so happy with how he ended up. fist my bump! second read: just as incredible as the first time i read it. cannot wait to see the movie this week!

Proiectul Hail Mary

Movie DEFINITELY did the original material justice. The book itself was just not quite for me.

I'm sorry but I live and breathe this book.

I'm not too much of a fan of Andy Weir's writing style, but I can appreciate why people like this book so much. I did like Rocky and found Ryland and Rocky's interactions very fun and cute. Plus, the astrophage plot was very well-created. However, it's just not the style of book that I like to read.

Christopher Kim

The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

I wish I could give this 6 stars! 🥹 I loved it sooo so much! It was my first Andy Weir book, but I had watched the film for the Martian before. The characters are so wholesome, the story so fascinating. I didn’t want it to end. I listened to the audiobook, and Ray Porter’s performance was so fitting Dr Grace’s character! I now cannot wait for my partner to finish the book so we can watch the film together! 🥰 Amaze amaze amaze!! 🤩

Olanda

Aviad Gamliel

I liked it. The Science Communication is excellent and the plot is interesting. Side-Characters are a bit one dimensional but its entertaining still. The movie is absolutely amazing tho. 

Trainer Red

Lola Jenkins

Loved this book - it was interesting, funny and at times very touching. Or simply - Amaze amaze amaze :) 

Rebecca Berg 

A Big Mac is a burger with no real substance. It was purely made to taste good and appeal to the masses.

Project Hail Mary is literary equivalent. A book that leaves no lasting impression and boils down to pure competence porn. The plot’s loop is as followed: problem occurs, and three pages later, it is immediately resolved. Whenever Weir writes himself into a narrative corner, the rock thing just pulls a solution out of his ass, which is lazily payed off as the “galaxy’s greatest engineer” or something about the magical mechanics of Xenoite. 

Max Nott

A Big Mac is a burger with no real substance. It was purely made to taste good and appeal to the masses.

Project Hail Mary is literary equivalent. A book that leaves no lasting impression and boils down to pure competence porn. The plot’s loop is as followed: problem occurs, and three pages later, it is immediately resolved. Whenever Weir writes himself into a narrative corner, the rock thing just pulls a solution out of his ass, which is lazily payed off as the “galaxy’s greatest engineer” or something about the magical mechanics of Xenoite. 

This book is empty calories.

loved!! so heartwarming. In Rocky's words: "amaze amaze amaze!"

Patsy Koss

Ritik Sahni

gishelle

Brynn Sklar

Andy Weir is great at coming up with plots, but someone needs to tell him to ease up on the "problems" that arise along the way.

I know: problems are what make a story interesting. If Frodo just tossed the ring in an unguarded volcano, which was in his backyard, it wouldn't make for a great trilogy. With Weir, however, I think someone needs to tell him that each plot point should probably only have one problem and solution.

Like I did with "Annihilation", I will try not to compare this to the film; but there's no denying that the filmmakers' choices of streamlining the plot were wisely chosen cuts. Do we really 

 the section where Grace borrows fuel from the beetles? It's not very interesting, it just showcases how smart he is, but that's also like 80% the way through the book; I think we know he's a smart guy several hundred times over by then.

And that's not the only instance, it happens plenty of times before and even again AFTER this, just before the very end. It's extremely clunky and starts to feel like science-thesaurus ramblings, or worse, Weir just masturbating his space-obsession factoids and brilliance in front of everyone barely-disguised as plot.

This book has horrible pacing issues. Someone needs to tell Weir about story beats and how to chill out a bit on throwing in yet another problem that needs a solution explained tediously.

BUT, this book shines in its partnerships and cooperation. In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I'll say there are many cute moments in the book and brief bits of action are written pretty well. And again, the overall plot and its mechanisms are good ones.

I won't be reading his third book. "The Martian" was a better movie than book and so was this. A pattern is emerging: when the "Artemis" movie comes out, I'll just pretend it's original.

I do not recommend "Project Hail Mary", the book. I do recommend the movie.

Evan

Andy Weir is great at coming up with plots, but someone needs to tell him to ease up on the "problems" that arise along the way.

I know: problems are what make a story interesting. If Frodo just tossed the ring in an unguarded volcano, which was in his backyard, it wouldn't make for a great trilogy. With Weir, however, I think someone needs to tell him that each plot point should probably only have one problem and solution.

  

Like I did with "Annihilation", I will try not to compare this to the film; but there's no denying that the filmmakers' choices of streamlining the plot were wisely chosen cuts. Do we really need the section where Grace borrows fuel from the beetles? It's not very interesting, it just showcases how smart he is, but that's also like 80% the way through the book; I think we know he's a smart guy several hundred times over by then.

And that's not the only instance, it happens plenty of times before and even again AFTER this, just before the very end. It's extremely clunky and starts to feel like science-thesaurus ramblings, or worse, Weir just masturbating his space-obsession factoids and brilliance in front of everyone barely-disguised as plot.

This book has horrible pacing issues. Someone needs to tell Weir about story beats and how to chill out a bit on throwing in yet another problem that needs a solution explained tediously.

  

BUT, this book shines in its partnerships and cooperation. In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I'll say there are many cute moments in the book and brief bits of action are written pretty well. And again, the overall plot and its mechanisms are good ones.

  

I won't be reading his third book. "The Martian" was a better movie than book and so was this. A pattern is emerging: when the "Artemis" movie comes out, I'll just pretend it's original.

  

I do not recommend "Project Hail Mary", the book. I do recommend the movie.

Project Hail Mary A Novel

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