hardcover, 496 pages
English language
Published May 4, 2021 by Ballantine Books.
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, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Part scientific mystery, …
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, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, 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.
A great read, especially for those interested in science and space travel.
As with The Martian, this book is over the top with the heroic solutions to unsolvable problems, but it was still fantastic.
Another enjoyable journey into Andy Weir's speculative science fiction. Perhaps even more implausible overall but still fun to consider details.
Couldn't put it down =)
Disappointing after all the hype. Kind of cartoonish, like a prepubescent male space fantasy (very very minor spoilers): “and then this GREAT BIG PROBLEM came from space, and these mysterious Secret World Government people came and kidnapped me to work on it, and I became SUPER IMPORTANT, and I got to go to SPACE to SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD and I'm the ONLY ONE who can do it, and I get to have ADVENTURES and SOLVE PROBLEMS with my knowledge of junior-high physics and then MORE REALLY COOL STUFF, and then uh-oh the whole mission is in DANGER, and did I mention that only I can save the WORLD?” All it’s missing is SPACE LASERS, PEW PEW PEW. There’s even sex, or at least acknowledgment of the existence thereof in a way that seems cringeworthy to anyone over the age of twelve.
The science itself was surprisingly sloppy. I won’t …
Disappointing after all the hype. Kind of cartoonish, like a prepubescent male space fantasy (very very minor spoilers): “and then this GREAT BIG PROBLEM came from space, and these mysterious Secret World Government people came and kidnapped me to work on it, and I became SUPER IMPORTANT, and I got to go to SPACE to SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD and I'm the ONLY ONE who can do it, and I get to have ADVENTURES and SOLVE PROBLEMS with my knowledge of junior-high physics and then MORE REALLY COOL STUFF, and then uh-oh the whole mission is in DANGER, and did I mention that only I can save the WORLD?” All it’s missing is SPACE LASERS, PEW PEW PEW. There’s even sex, or at least acknowledgment of the existence thereof in a way that seems cringeworthy to anyone over the age of twelve.
The science itself was surprisingly sloppy. I won’t go into details because therein be spoilers, but sheesh. I was expecting much better from the author of [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg|21825181]. Each of the many mistakes were elementary, and should have been caught in the earliest drafts.
That said, it was fun in a bubblegum sort of way: thrilling space adventures, and problem-solving, and Valuable Lessons on the Importance of Paying Attention In School Because You Never Know When You Might Have to Save the Planet. Worth reading, but be prepared for some serious suspension of disbelief—no, not the space stuff, I mean the part where all the countries and peoples on Earth unite to fight a grave threat. No deniers, no republicans claiming fake news. That was a little hard to swallow... but damn, what a sweet fantasy.
El libro ha estado muy bien es una historia muy interesante que creo que me ha aportado bastanate
I don't understand the hype. My main gripes with this book:
- The characters are one-dimensional
- The constant snark is off-putting, especially in the Audible version of this book.
- It was obvious that Grace should be the one to go. His refusal to go willingly was unbelievable. Sure, he did not want to die, but the prospect of a failed mission should have been just as dreadful.
- The mission was about studying Astrophage – why wasn't there an option to at least try to refuel? Astophage has a doubling time of 8 days, so there would be twice as much fuel available if they'd went a week later. It makes no sense to not make it into a round trip. It seems as if the writer created a forced plot point to make it a suicide mission to add some drama, to make it believable for Grace …
I don't understand the hype. My main gripes with this book:
- The characters are one-dimensional
- The constant snark is off-putting, especially in the Audible version of this book.
- It was obvious that Grace should be the one to go. His refusal to go willingly was unbelievable. Sure, he did not want to die, but the prospect of a failed mission should have been just as dreadful.
- The mission was about studying Astrophage – why wasn't there an option to at least try to refuel? Astophage has a doubling time of 8 days, so there would be twice as much fuel available if they'd went a week later. It makes no sense to not make it into a round trip. It seems as if the writer created a forced plot point to make it a suicide mission to add some drama, to make it believable for Grace to not want to go. Still failed to make that believable, which pretty much ruins the character. He only remembers his initial unwillingness late in the mission, whereas he previously considered himself to be such a good human being for doing the mission. Wow, conflict! A potential for internal struggle! But it's not being put to use. It doesn't seem to weigh into his decision not to return home (he apparently does not feel shame, because he thinks he will be regarded as a hero).
- I found the speed with which Grace and Rocky learned to communicate by simply pointing at things and recording 1:1 translations of words and taking it from there within a day to be insultingly unbelievable, right from the start up to the point where Rocky effortlessly incorporates sarcasm and irony.
- There were also many missed opportunities. Look, when you're on a mission trying to defend your solar system from an invasive alien species that is on the verge of wiping out humanity, and you encounter another alien life form that is intelligent, breathes ammonia, looks like a giant spider with amazing engineering prowess, superior mental abilities and capable of interstellar flight, and the spider wants you to point out the exact location of your home planet on a model of your part of the galaxy, maybe you should have second thoughts about this? That would be not only believable, but trust issues would create much-needed tension and drama. Grace and Rocky hit it off from the start, are always kind and understanding and just work out a bunch of engineering challenges until they accomplish their goals. That was just boring.
- Everything about language, history and the nature of intelligence was unscientific and ill-informed. It utilizes an anthropocentric, essentialist conceptualization of 'intelligence' that betrays a misunderstanding of intelligence and natural selection. The whole tangent about intelligence being a function of the amount of gravity was utterly nonsensical.
That's why I'm only awarding two stars. The story lacked drama, the characters were one-dimensional and lacked development, the writing was bad; but the one quality that could have been redeemable – the science – was bad itself, which also made the rest worse. It's just a bad book.
This is another epic journey facilitated by remarkable problem solving skills by Andy Weir. I especially enjoyed the protagonist's relationships in this one. I also liked the ending.
Most authors would dream of putting out something as fantastic as [b: The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413706054l/18007564.SY75.jpg|21825181] just once in their careers. Somehow, Weir has done it again, with a very different story that nevertheless captures the same charming manner of making scientific minutiae feel fascinating. Mark Watney is probably my favorite character over Ryland Grace, but the emotional punch that’s delivered as Grace’s adventure unfolds is unlike anything else. (I just wish there were any way to prevent them from making a movie version.)
Espectacular
This is less of a novel and more of a fourteen hour cool war story told over beers on a Friday. If you know a scientist, software developer or engineer who hasn't read this and doesn't read much give them a copy. It is somewhat US centric but a fun read in anyway.
Como escritor me parece regulero, los personajes principales de sus 3 novelas tienen la misma personalidad y están cortados por los mismos patrones, y aún con estos defectos te mantiene enganchado totalmente con sus explicaciones científicas y su historia.
A fascinating book that, like "The Martian", contains a few specific 'hand wavy' parts, but for the rest, strictly follows the rules of physics as we know it, and features a protagonist (or two) that can science (and engineer) the heck out of things to solve problems.
The book starts with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, along with fellow dead crew members. As he explores the ship and his memory of recent events starts to return, we learn that Earth is in trouble. A lifeform that is literally breeding on the energy of the sun has been discovered. As it multiplies (exponential growth), the sun gets dimmer, with catastrophic consequences for the Earth. Ryland learns that other nearby stars are also dimming, except for one: Tau Ceti. And he's on a mission to that star to discover why it's not …
A fascinating book that, like "The Martian", contains a few specific 'hand wavy' parts, but for the rest, strictly follows the rules of physics as we know it, and features a protagonist (or two) that can science (and engineer) the heck out of things to solve problems.
The book starts with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, along with fellow dead crew members. As he explores the ship and his memory of recent events starts to return, we learn that Earth is in trouble. A lifeform that is literally breeding on the energy of the sun has been discovered. As it multiplies (exponential growth), the sun gets dimmer, with catastrophic consequences for the Earth. Ryland learns that other nearby stars are also dimming, except for one: Tau Ceti. And he's on a mission to that star to discover why it's not affected before it is too late for Earth to survive.
At that star, he will make a voyage of discovery as he uses his wits and scientific knowledge to make deductions and test them by making experiments. He will encounter problems and solve them with intellect and skill, only to move on to the next one. But by the end of the story, just when you thought all the problems have been solved, one final one is presented that will require him to make a decision that may well end his life, for the sake of friendship.
This is a story of solving problems with science and engineering, yet not forgetting that you sometimes have to put them aside to do what seems to be the right thing.
This was a flawed book, but I still liked it. I definitely understand why Andy Weir wrote very few characters for The Martian. The quality of the book definitely dipped in the sections with a bigger cast.
A good one from the author of "The Martian" that I read in just 3 days! The story didn't get boring but be warned, this is not hard sci-fi. Certain liberties are taken, but the overall plot works well.
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
Purchasable
https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://bookshop.org/p/books/project-hail-mary-andy-weir/18644162.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.https://www.ebooks.com/en-nl/book/210098299/project-hail-mary/andy-weir/.https://www.litalist.com/book/9780593135204.