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| Author | Andy Weir |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Ray Porter |
| Cover artist | Will Staehle |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
Publication date | May 4, 2021 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print,ebook,audiobook |
| Pages | 496 |
| Awards | 2021Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-39556-1 |
Project Hail Mary is a 2021hard science fiction novel by American writerAndy Weir. It centers on school teacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up aboard a spacecraft afflicted withamnesia.
Project Hail Mary received generally good reviews, and it was a finalist for the 2022Hugo Award for Best Novel.[1] The unabridgedaudiobook was read byRay Porter and won the 2022Audie Award forAudiobook of the Year.[2]
The book wasadapted into a film starringRyan Gosling andSandra Hüller, withDrew Goddard writing (his second Andy Weir adaptation) andPhil Lord and Christopher Miller directing.[3] It is scheduled for release on March 20, 2026.[4]
As of January 2026, the book has been featured on theNew York Times'best-seller list for 28 weeks in a row.[5]
In the near future, scientists observe the Sun dimming, coinciding with the formation of a bright infrared line from theSun toVenus. As the dimming will cause a catastrophic ice age within 30 years, the world's governments appoint formerEuropean Space Agency administrator Eva Stratt to lead a task force to solve the problem. Aspace probe, sent to investigate Venus, discovers that alien microbes were generating the light.
Stratt appoints Ryland Grace, ajunior high school teacher and infamous formermolecular biologist, to study a sample of microbes. He discovers that the single-celled organism consumeselectromagnetic radiation, naming it "Astrophage." After his discovery, Stratt sends him back to his job, but he insists on coming back to continue his research on Astrophage after considering his students' futures. He determines that Astrophage breed by absorbing energy from the Sun and carbon dioxide from Venus.
Astrophage has also infected and dimmed nearby stars; one star,Tau Ceti, has resisted the infection. Other scientists design an engine that uses Astrophage asrocket fuel. An Astrophage-fueledstarship, theHail Mary, is created to travel to Tau Ceti to investigate its Astrophage resistance. There is only enough time to breed enough Astrophage for a one-way trip, so the mission will return its findings to Earth using unmanned mini-ships called "beetles." Grace trains the science experts for the mission, but they are killed in an accident shortly before launch. With no time to train a comparably-skilled replacement, Stratt forces an unwilling Grace to join the suicide mission. Grace threatens sabotage, so a sedative is administered to him before launch, along with a temporary amnesia-inducing drug.
Years later, Ryland Grace emerges from his coma aboard theHail Mary withno memory of his identity or situation. Grace finds that his crew members have died en route and gives them aspace burial.Hail Mary reaches Tau Ceti and is approached by an alien starship, which Grace names "Blip-A." The other ship indicates, via a star-map sculpture, that it came from40 Eridani. The ships dock, and Grace develops a system to communicate with the eyeless, spider-like five-legged alien, whom he names "Rocky." Rocky, a skilled engineer, has been in the Tau Ceti system for 46 Earth-years and is the last survivor of his crew, with the rest having died ofradiation sickness. As Eridani is also under threat from Astrophage, Grace and Rocky agree to cooperate.
Grace learns that the Eridians did not know aboutrelativity andBlip-A has more than enough Astrophage fuel for both ships to return to their planets. Grace and Rocky discover that one of Tau Ceti's planets is Astrophage's home planet, where some force is keeping the Astrophage population in check. They hypothesize that the planet's atmosphere contains a natural predator of Astrophage. Grace and Rocky construct a 10-kilometer chain made of xenonite, an Eridian super-material, in order to collect a sample. During collection, ahull breach occurs; Grace and Rocky risk their lives to save each other. From the sample, they identify the predator and name it "Taumoeba."
Grace and Rocky useselective breeding to produce Taumoeba that can survive on Venus and Eridani's analogue. Rocky repairs and refuels theHail Mary and they part ways. En route to Earth, Grace discovers that he has accidentally bred into the Taumoeba the ability to penetrate their xenonite containers. Although Grace fixes the problem onHail Mary, he realizes that theBlip-A is made almost entirely of xenonite and that the Taumoeba would have consumedBlip-A's Astrophage fuel, leaving Rocky stranded.
Grace is forced to choose between returning to Earth but dooming the Eridians, or saving the Eridians while facing his own starvation on Erid, where the food is toxic to humans. Grace sends the beetles back to Earth with Taumoeba farms and instructions to save the Sun. Grace locates theBlip-A and rescues Rocky. Rocky is overjoyed and points out the possibility that Grace could consume Taumoeba, giving him a chance at survival.
Sixteen years later, Grace is living on Erid, now rid of its Astrophage infection. Using a digital archive of human knowledge, the Eridians have built Grace a comfortable environment and synthetic food. Rocky tells Grace that Earth’s Sun has returned to its originalluminance, meaning Grace's mission was a success. Knowing that humanity has survived on Earth, Grace contemplates returning to his home planet before returning to work teaching a classroom of young Eridians about science.
In a profile inThe New York Times, Weir says that after completingThe Martian, he began a multi-volumespace opera calledZhek, about a substance that could absorbelectromagnetic radiation and be used as a fuel forinterstellar travel. He wrote 75,000 words before abandoning the project and beginning his novelArtemis (2017). Several elements fromZhek were brought over toProject Hail Mary, including a ruthless bureaucrat character and an energy-absorbing substance used as starship fuel.[6]
Project Hail Mary was released on May 4, 2021, byBallantine Books. The audiobook narrated byRay Porter uses melodic sound effects in the background whenever "Rocky" speaks.[7]
Writing forThe New York Times, sci-fi authorAlec Nevala-Lee wrote "For readers who can forgive its shortcomings, the result is an engaging space odyssey."[8]Kirkus Reviews gave the book astarred review, describing it as "An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship—nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork."[9]
In writing her review forThe Washington Post,SFWA president and science fiction writerMary Robinette Kowal states that the book has several appealing qualities, such as Grace's infectious enthusiasm for science. However, Kowal writes that some of the problems that Grace encounters could have been avoided with common sense and the use ofchecklists, which are widely used in spaceflight to reduce human error.[10]
A reviewer forLocus Magazine wrote, "Project Hail Mary, however, isn’t a simple rehash ofThe Martian. Instead, it’s a celebration of Weir’s voice... Weir’s jaunty blend of science and fiction inProject Hail Mary is a return to the work that got him where he is."[11] The reviewer forThe Boston Globe wrote that "Project Hail Mary is still a suspenseful space yarn that zigs and zags — sometimes literally — in ingenious directions."[12]
Project Hail Mary debuted at number three onThe New York Times Best Seller list for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction in May 2021.[13] By August 2021, the book had been on theNYT list for nine weeks.[14] The book reappeared on the list at the number 2 spot during the month of July 2025.[15]Project Hail Mary additionally achieved the #1 spot on the New York Times Audio Fiction Best Seller List for three weeks in February 2022.[16][17] The audio book briefly returned to the top spot in August 2025.[18]
The novel debuted at number two on theLos Angeles Times SoCal Bestsellers for Hardcover Fiction[19] and number 6 onThe Wall Street Journal Bestselling Books List for Hardcover Fiction[20] during the same month. The book was still on theL.A. Times list in mid-August.[21]
In August 2021,Project Hail Mary debuted at number one on the Locus Bestsellers list for hardcovers[22] while remaining at the top position for five consecutive months[23] before dropping to a lower position while still remaining on the list for 11 consecutive months by June 2022.[24]
Bill Gates andBarack Obama added the book to their respective 2021 book recommendations.[25][26]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dragon Award | Best Science Fiction Novel | Won | [27] |
| Goodreads Choice Awards | Best Science Fiction Novel | Won | [28] | |
| 2022 | Audie Award | Audiobook of the Year | Won | [29] |
| Science Fiction | Won | [29] | ||
| Canopus Award | Published Long-Form Fiction | Finalist | [30] | |
| Hugo Award | Best Novel | Finalist | [31] | |
| Seiun Award | Best Translated Long Work | Won | [32] | |
| Xingyun Award | Best Translated Fiction | Finalist | [33] | |
| 2024 | Premio Italia | International Science Fiction Novel | Finalist | [34] |
Weir sold the book'sfilm adaptation rights toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer in early 2020 for $3 million.[35]Ryan Gosling signed on to star in and produce the project in March 2020, withPhil Lord and Christopher Miller signing on to direct the film in May andDrew Goddard, who previously adapted Weir's debut novelThe Martian intoa film, signing on to write the screenplay in July.[3][36][35] In May 2023, it was revealed the film would begin production in early 2024 in theUnited Kingdom.[37] In April 2024,Amazon MGM Studios, who acquired MGM in 2022,[38] announced a possible 2026 release window for the film.[39] Later that month, a release date of March 20, 2026, was set.[40] At the time of the announcement, the list of people who are associated with this film as producers includedAmy Pascal, Gosling, Lord, Miller, Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor and Weir.[40]Sandra Hüller was added to the cast as Eva Stratt in May 2024.[41]
Author's Noteshttps://galactanet.com/eridian/eridian.docx
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