Grace’s mission? Travel 12 light-years to the Tau Ceti solar system, figure out why that sun isn’t being eaten, and save humanity.
Let’s just call him “Rocky.” You will fall in love with Rocky.
Our hero (eventually known as Ryland Grace) is a brilliant but reluctant middle-school science teacher. He wakes up with amnesia in a lab on a spacecraft called the Hail Mary . As his memories slowly return, the horrifying truth hits: Earth is in trouble. A microscopic alien life form called Astrophage is eating our sun, dimming it, and sending Earth into a new ice age.
Grace discovers he isn’t alone.
The first 50 pages are a frantic, white-knuckle race as Grace (and you, the reader) piece together the clues. Weir uses his signature style here: real science, explained simply, driving the plot. You will learn about centripetal acceleration, neutrino detectors, and the specific heat of xenon—and you will love it.
Let’s be honest: When you hear the premise of Project Hail Mary , it sounds terrifying.
It sounds like the setup for a grim, two-hour horror movie. But Andy Weir—the genius behind The Martian —doesn’t do grim. He does nerdy, optimistic, heart-wrenching problem-solving . And in Project Hail Mary , he delivers a masterpiece. Proyecto Hail Mary
A man wakes up alone on a spaceship. He has no memory of who he is or why he’s there. Two dead crewmates lie in their bunks. He is millions of miles from Earth, and the sun is dying.
Alone on a Spaceship (With a Friend): Why Project Hail Mary is the Smartest, Warmest Sci-Fi You’ll Read This Year
And then saving the world with a friend. Grace’s mission
If you liked The Martian , you will love this. If you were intimidated by the hard sci-fi of The Three-Body Problem , you will prefer this. If you just want a fun, smart, gripping adventure about two very different beings trying to get home? This is for you.
Project Hail Mary is proof that the best sci-fi isn’t about cold machines or dystopian futures. It’s about hope. It’s about collaboration. It’s about looking at an impossible problem and saying, “Okay, let’s do the math.”
I won’t say more than that, but I will say this: the relationship that develops in the second half of this book is one of the most touching, hilarious, and genuinely moving partnerships in all of science fiction. It involves a lot of nodding, a lot of drawing in the dirt, and a surprising amount of musical cues. Our hero (eventually known as Ryland Grace) is
5/5 stars. Recommended for: Fans of The Martian , Arrival , and anyone who has ever wondered if you could be friends with a spider. Have you read Project Hail Mary ? Did you cry at “Fist my bump”? Let me know in the comments!