



Project Hail Mary
A Novel
-
-
4.6 • 10.3K Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE MARTIAN • Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard
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.
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 • New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
“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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Andy Weir, author of the runaway bestseller The Martian, has written another space-disaster thriller that’s equal parts edge-of-your-seat suspense, fascinating science, and sarcastic humor. Ryland Grace’s mission is saving Earth from an extinction-level event, but first he has to figure out who he is, how long he’s been in a coma, and why he’s alone on a spaceship in the middle of nowhere. No pressure. Weir grounds his hero’s wildly imaginative predicament in real-world physics and biology. Every new revelation about the enormity of his situation is a jaw-dropper, as are the solutions he comes up with. Ryland’s joy of discovery is contagious, but the story’s heart is in a completely shocking twist that’s way too good to spoil. We’ll just say that it makes Project Hail Mary as sweetly touching as it is intelligent, funny, and exciting. This is science fiction that even people who think they don’t like science fiction will love.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Weir (The Martian) delivers a suspenseful portrait of human ingenuity and resilience in this powerful narrative of a desperate effort to save Earth. Ryland Grace awakens from a coma with no memories of his identity or how he came to be alone on a spaceship. Weir creates instant engagement by toggling between Grace's efforts to make sense of his present circumstances and flashbacks that gradually paint an unsettling picture of his life before. Grace worked as a microbiologist until the negative response to his theory that water may not be required to sustain alien life drove him from his research to a job teaching middle school science. That career is disrupted, however, after astronomers discover that the sun is losing heat, imperiling the future of humanity. The cause seems to be a microscopic life-form that feeds on the star's energy, and Grace is drafted into the international team of scientists working to combat the impending catastrophe. Weir cleverly doles out pieces of Grace's backstory and information about the mission that landed him in space, tossing in curveballs and judiciously using humor to break the tension as the story builds to an unexpectedly moving ending. This is a winner.
Customer Reviews
See AllAmaze!
Amaze. Personally, I thought it would be a tall order for Andy Weir to break out of the shackles of The Martian and provide readers with someone better, he managed to do just that. While this book is generally realistic science fiction, the inclusion of intelligent alien life let the author play around with the science and make new rules, which I felt only added to the immersion. It also allowed for a setting that changed progressively throughout the story, showing how the characters were developing their environment bit by bit to allow for the scientific breakthrough for the astrophage dilemma, despite the setting of the book effectively being a mini three story complex. Speaking of the characters, Ryland Grace was quirky and fun to delve in to, and Rocky is up there with my favorite characters of any book ever. His witty responses and knack for problem solving left me on the edge of my seat when a particular scene revolved around him. The only thing I look at with a hint of dissatisfaction is Stratt. She effectively murdered Ryland Grace, yet we don’t know what her fate turned out to be, though it is implied. I would’ve loved for Grace to go back to Earth and stick it to her, however that is simply not in his character. Is this book worth reading? In the words of Rocky: Yes! Yes, yes, yes!
Top of the Line Hard Science Fiction!
Although this book is much more speculative than The Martian, it’s every bit as readable, fast paced, suspenseful, and delightful. I burned through it in just one week! The best part of all, of course, are the startliing science problems and their ingenious solutions. The characters are deep, fascinating, and endearing. I’m getting a hard copy of this book for my best of the best top shelf!!
Amaze amaze amaze!
I love it.