Project Hail Mary
A Novel
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4.5 • 8.1K Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
#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.
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
Great book.
I enjoyed the first person narrative like in The Martian. Unlike other reviewers, I enjoyed and was enlightened by the physics, biology and technical explanations that broadened my understanding of gravity and pendulums to cite a few. Never too old, or young, to learn stuff.
Incredible author!
I picked this up after reading The Martian, which of course I read because of the Matt Damon movie. Like all books, it had so much more detailed information than the movie, so I tried Hail Mary. It is exciting and fun and informative - I was absolutely amazed. Tiny example, it explained why microwave oven doors have the little black dots (might be common knowledge, but I didn’t know). I couldn’t put it down, and I highly recommend it!
Great read
Quick and captivating- and let’s add creative and clever too. Just a tiny bit over the top on the depth of the science, but probably because I was so captivated by it that I chose to think each situation through rather than just accept the premise. Very enjoyable.