Project Hail Mary

by Andy Weir

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The only hope for humanity rests with Dr. Ryland Grace — if only he could remember his mission. Andy Weir, the bestselling author of The Martian, delivers another perfect science-based thriller with Project Hail Mary, a tale of impending catastrophe, survival and interstellar adventure.

#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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593135204
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	1,257
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

Andy Weir built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in California.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

“What’s two plus two?”

Something about the question irritates me. I’m tired. I drift back to sleep.

A few minutes pass, then I hear it again.

“What’s two plus two?”

The soft, feminine voice lacks emotion and the pronunciation is identical to the previous time she said it. It’s a computer. A computer is hassling me. I’m even more irritated now.

“Lrmln,” I say. I’m surprised. I meant to say “Leave me alone”—a completely reasonable response in my opinion—but I failed to speak.

“Incorrect,” says the computer. “What’s two plus two?”

Time for an experiment. I’ll try to say hello.

“Hlllch?” I say.

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

What’s going on? I want to find out, but I don’t have much to work with. I can’t see. I can’t hear anything other than the computer. I can’t even feel. No, that’s not true. I feel something. I’m lying down. I’m on something soft. A bed.

I think my eyes are closed. That’s not so bad. All I have to do is open them. I try, but nothing happens.

Why can’t I open my eyes?

Open.

Aaaand . . . open!

Open, dang it!

Ooh! I felt a wiggle that time. My eyelids moved. I felt it.

Open!

My eyelids creep up and blinding light sears my retinas.

“Glunn!” I say. I keep my eyes open with sheer force of will. Everything is white with shades of pain.

“Eye movement detected,” my tormenter says. “What’s two plus two?”

The whiteness lessens. My eyes are adjusting. I start to see shapes, but nothing sensible yet. Let’s see . . . can I move my hands? No.

Feet? Also no.

But I can move my mouth, right? I’ve been saying stuff. Not stuff that makes sense, but it’s something.

“Fffr.”

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

The shapes start to make sense. I’m in a bed. It’s kind of . . . oval-­shaped.

LED lights shine down on me. Cameras in the ceiling watch my every move. Creepy though that is, I’m much more concerned about the robot arms.

The two brushed-­steel armatures hang from the ceiling. Each has an assortment of disturbingly penetration-­looking tools where hands should be. Can’t say I like the look of that.

“Ffff . . . oooh . . . rrrr,” I say. Will that do?

“Incorrect. What’s two plus two?”

Dang it. I summon all my willpower and inner strength. Also, I’m starting to panic a little. Good. I use that too.

“Fffoouurr,” I finally say.

“Correct.”

Thank God. I can talk. Sort of.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Wait—I just controlled my breathing. I take another breath. On purpose. My mouth is sore. My throat is sore. But it’s my soreness. I have control.

I’m wearing a breathing mask. It’s tight to my face and connected to a hose that goes behind my head.

Can I get up?

No. But I can move my head a little. I look down at my body. I’m naked and connected to more tubes than I can count. There’s one in each arm, one in each leg, one in my “gentlemen’s equipment,” and two that disappear under my thigh. I’m guessing one of them is up where the sun doesn’t shine.

That can’t be good.

Also, I’m covered with electrodes. The sensor-­type stickers like for an EKG, but they’re all over the place. Well, at least they’re only on my skin instead of jammed into me.

“Wh—” I wheeze. I try again. “Where . . . am . . . I?”

“What’s the cube root of eight?” the computer asks.

“Where am I?” I say again. This time it’s easier.

“Incorrect. What’s the cube root of eight?”

I take a deep breath and speak slowly. “Two times e to the two-­i-­pi over three.”

“Incorrect. What’s the cube root of eight?”

But I wasn’t incorrect. I just wanted to see how smart the computer was. Answer: not very.

“Two,” I say.

“Correct.”

I listen for follow-­up questions, but the computer seems satisfied.

I’m tired. I drift off to sleep again.

I wake up. How long was I out? It must have been a while because I feel rested. I open my eyes without any effort. That’s progress.

I try to move my fingers. They wiggle as instructed. All right. Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Hand movement detected,” says the computer. “Remain still.”

“What? Why—”

The robot arms come for me. They move fast. Before I know it, they’ve removed most of the tubes from my body. I didn’t feel a thing. Though my skin is kind of numb anyway.

Only three tubes remain: an IV in my arm, a tube up my butt, and a catheter. Those latter two are kind of the signature items I wanted removed, but okay.

I raise my right arm and let it fall back to the bed. I do the same for my left. They feel heavy as heck. I repeat the process a few times. My arms are muscular. That doesn’t make sense. I assume I’ve had some massive medical problem and been in this bed for a while. Otherwise, why would they have me hooked up to all the stuff? Shouldn’t there be muscle atrophy?

And shouldn’t there be doctors? Or maybe the sounds of a hospital? And what’s with this bed? It’s not a rectangle, it’s an oval and I think it’s mounted to the wall instead of the floor.

“Take . . .” I trail off. Still kind of tired. “Take the tubes out. . . .”

The computer doesn’t respond.

I do a few more arm lifts. I wiggle my toes. I’m definitely getting better.

I tilt my ankles back and forth. They’re working. I raise my knees up. My legs are well toned too. Not bodybuilder thick, but still too healthy for someone on the verge of death. I’m not sure how thick they should be, though.

I press my palms to the bed and push. My torso rises. I’m actually getting up! It takes all my strength but I soldier on. The bed rocks gently as I move. It’s not a normal bed, that’s for sure. As I raise my head higher up, I see the head and foot of the elliptical bed are attached to strong-­looking wall mounts. It’s kind of a rigid hammock. Weird.

Soon, I’m sitting on my butt tube. Not the most comfortable sensation, but when is a tube up your butt ever comfortable?

I have a better view of things now. This is no ordinary hospital room. The walls look plastic and the whole room is round. Stark-­white light comes from ceiling-­mounted LED lights.

There are two more hammock-­like beds mounted to the walls, each with their own patient. We are arranged in a triangle and the roof-­mounted Arms of Harassment are in the center of the ceiling. I guess they take care of all three of us. I can’t see much of my compatriots—they’ve sunken into their bedding like I had.

There’s no door. Just a ladder on the wall leading to . . . a hatch? It’s round and has a wheel-­handle in the center. Yeah, it’s got to be some kind of hatch. Like on a submarine. Maybe the three of us have a contagious disease? Maybe this is an airtight quarantine room? There are small vents here and there on the wall and I feel a little airflow. It could be a controlled environment.

I slide one leg off over the edge of my bed, which makes it wobble. The robot arms rush ­toward me. I flinch, but they stop short and hover nearby. I think they’re ready to grab me if I fall.

“Full-­body motion detected,” the computer says. “What’s your name?”

“Pfft, seriously?” I ask.

“Incorrect. Attempt number two: What’s your name?”

I open my mouth to answer.

“Uh . . .”

“Incorrect. Attempt number three: What’s your name?”

Only now does it occur to me: I don’t know who I am. I don’t know what I do. I don’t remember anything at all.

“Um,” I say.

“Incorrect.”

A wave of fatigue grips me. It’s kind of pleasant, actually. The computer must have sedated me through the IV line.

“. . . waaaait . . .” I mumble.

The robot arms lay me gently back down to the bed.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/22/2021

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. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/16/2021

Waking up and not knowing where you are, but knowing that you have been asleep for a long time, would be challenging to anyone. Waking up with all of that, plus two dead people and no idea who you are? Even worse. But Ryland Grace will slowly gain his memory back and realize that he may be the last chance for Earth and humanity to survive. Now years and galaxies away from home, he will need to use everything at his disposal in his small ship to find a way to reverse the planet's looming extinction all by himself. Then he discovers he's not the only one looking for a solution. The book's witty narrator, hard science, and flashbacks all blend into a high-stakes adventure of galactic proportions, while presenting some exciting twists and strong themes of collaboration and friendship. VERDICT Weir brings back the pace, intelligence, and humor of The Martian and increases it exponentially. Scientific mysteries and survival instincts abound in this compelling and exciting novel.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Library Journal

★ 2021-02-10
Weir’s latest is a page-turning interstellar thrill ride that follows a junior high school teacher–turned–reluctant astronaut at the center of a desperate mission to save humankind from a looming extinction event.

Ryland Grace was a once-promising molecular biologist who wrote a controversial academic paper contesting the assumption that life requires liquid water. Now disgraced, he works as a junior high science teacher in San Francisco. His previous theories, however, make him the perfect researcher for a multinational task force that's trying to understand how and why the sun is suddenly dimming at an alarming rate. A barely detectable line of light that rises from the sun’s north pole and curves toward Venus is inexplicably draining the star of power. According to scientists, an “instant ice age” is all but inevitable within a few decades. All the other stars in proximity to the sun seem to be suffering with the same affliction—except Tau Ceti. An unwilling last-minute replacement as part of a three-person mission heading to Tau Ceti in hopes of finding an answer, Ryland finds himself awakening from an induced coma on the spaceship with two dead crewmates and a spotty memory. With time running out for humankind, he discovers an alien spacecraft in the vicinity of his ship with a strange traveler on a similar quest. Although hard scientific speculation fuels the storyline, the real power lies in the many jaw-dropping plot twists, the relentless tension, and the extraordinary dynamic between Ryland and the alien (whom he nicknames Rocky because of its carapace of oxidized minerals and metallic alloy bones). Readers may find themselves consuming this emotionally intense and thematically profound novel in one stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed sitting.

An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship—nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork.

Kirkus Reviews

A crowd-pleaser on the grandest scale.”—The Boston Globe

“An engaging space odyssey.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Dazzling.”—Vulture

“Funny, well plotted, and full of surprises.”—The Guardian

“A joy to read.”—Locus

“The ultimate page-turner.”—Daily Mail

“Weir spins a space yarn in a way only he can. Fans of his earlier works won’t be disappointed.”—Newsweek

“Andy Weir proves once again that he is a singular talent. Project Hail Mary is so fascinating and propulsive that it’s downright addictive. From the first page as Ryland wakes up not knowing who or where he is, I was hooked.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six

“Reading Project Hail Mary is like going on a field trip to outer space with the best science teacher you’ve ever had—and your class assignment is to save the world. This is one of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I’ve ever taken.”—Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One

“Two worlds in peril, a competent (but flawed and human) man, a competent alien, unending scientific puzzles to unravel, with humanity itself at risk, this one has everything fans of old school SF (like me) love. If you like a lot of science in your science fiction, Andy Weir is the writer for you.”—George R. R. Martin, New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones

“I loved The Martian, but I actually find Project Hail Mary to be Mr. Weir’s finest work to date. It’s somehow both exciting, yet also personal. I’m constantly amazed by how well Mr. Weir continues to write wonderfully accessible science fiction without compromising either the science or the fiction.”—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Stormlight Archive series

“Brilliantly funny and enjoyable . . . one of the most plausible science fiction books I’ve ever read.”—Tim Peake, ESA astronaut and internationally bestselling author of Limitless

“Thrilling doesn’t even begin to describe Project Hail Mary, which is undisputedly the best book I’ve read in a very, very long time . . . I cheered, I laughed (a lot), I cried, and when the twist arrived and the book revealed its true target, my jaw hit the floor. Mark my words: Project Hail Mary is destined to become a classic.”—Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Recursion and Dark Matter

“Readers may find themselves consuming this emotionally intense and thematically profound novel in one stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed sitting. An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship—nothing short of a science fiction masterwork.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher