Project Hail Mary
A Novel
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4.6 • 12.2K Ratings
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- $14.99
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
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
AWESOME!!!
Easily one of if not the best sci~fi books I have read. I have read hundreds of these and really Love this one!!!
Project Hail Mary, Full of Cringe
"I check my watch -- yes, I have a watch now." - Project Hail Mary
This is, without any doubt whatsoever in my mind, the worst thing I have ever read in my entire life. To say this book is poorly written is an understatement -- I actually hold that this book may actually be the worst thing that has ever been written in the history of literature. Every single page is an unadulterated assault on taste, intellect, language, art, and storytelling.
"I look at the other half of the doohickey." - Project Hail Mary
Set aside the implausibility of any and all of the major plot points. Set aside the problems which are posed and then immediately solved in a single sentence or some verbal aside. Set aside the fact that no character is actually given any sort of physical description or even casual observation from our narrator. Set aside the hundreds of times we have to endure these self-savoring sentences praising science. This writing is just pure rubbish.
"Eventually the whole doohickey slides on the table." - Project Hail Mary
Had you told me that this was written by a semi-sentient wheel of cheese with access to Wikipedia and a Logitech keyboard missing its backspace key, I would halfway sympathize with whatever literary abomination greets me throughout these pages.
"I clench my teeth. I clench my fists. I clench my butt. I clench every part of me that I know how to clench." - Project Hail Mary
This is the worst book I've ever encountered, and I must therefore reluctantly give it one single star, seeing as I am denied the option to give it zero stars. May God have mercy upon any soul who opens this book looking for signs of intelligent life.
"...aaaand they're dead." - Project Hail Mary
Project Fail Mary
Astonishingly bad. Couldn’t finish.