Project Hail Mary

 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Science Fiction

2021

Finished on September 19, 2025

Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction (2021)

Hugo Award Nominee for Best Novel (2022)

Audie Award for Best Audiobook and Science Fiction (2022)

Publisher's Blurb:

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.

Project Hail Mary is an outstanding audiobook! Had I read the print edition, my eyes might have glazed over in an attempt to read and understand the scientific details Weir incorporates throughout the novel. But listening to Ray Porter, who does a superb job with the narration, kept me interested without requiring too much attention to those complex details. I took biology and chemistry in high school, but physics was not required. I loved biology, but loathed chemistry, so I decided I'd had enough of science. I don't know how much of Weir's science is based on fact, but he certainly includes A LOT in Project Hail Mary! Chemistry, molecular biology, astrobiology, relativistic physics, particle physics, astronomy, as well as engineering and complex math. And yet, the story doesn't get bogged down in the science. There's humor, which had me laughing out loud, especially with Ray Porter's narration. I don't remember listening to him on other audiobooks, but he was perfect for this novel. He sounds very much like Tom Hanks, and thus, I pictured Hanks in the role of Ryland Grace. Can't you just hear Hanks say this:

“I want to spend the rest of my life studying Eridian biology! But I have to save humanity first. Stupid humanity. Getting in the way of my hobbies.” 

Grace isn't the only one with humorous lines:

“Work fast."
"Yeah." I point at the screen. "First I have to wait for my computer to wake up."
"Hurry."
"Okay, I'll wait faster."
"Sarcasm.”

Several years ago, I tried to read The Martian, but couldn't get past all those pesky scientific details. Maybe I should try the audiobook, especially since Wil Wheaton (who narrated Ready Player One, which I loved) is the reader. And, it's been a long time since I watched the movie, so it won't feel too familiar. 

Speaking of movies, Project Hail Mary, due out in theaters on March 20, 2026, stars Ryan Gosling and James Ortiz. I haven't seen a movie in a theater in a very long time, but this one may be worth it.

Project Hail Mary will most definitely hit my Top Ten list for 2025. To quote a character from the book, "Yes. Yes. Yes. Amaze!"