Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary is a 2021 science fiction novel by American novelist Andy Weir. Set in the near future, the novel centers on junior high (middle) school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity. "Project Hail Mary" is Weir's third novel, after "The Martian" in 2011 and "Artemis" in 2017. The unabridged audiobook is  read by Ray Porter. The film rights have been purchased by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Drew Goddard (who adapted "The Martian", Weir's traditional publishing debut, into a 2015 film) is slated to adapt the book into a film. Actor Ryan Gosling plans to star as Grace in the film adaptation. Plot. Narrative structure. The story is told using a combination of two narrative techniques. Events leading up to the launch of the "Hail Mary" are revealed through Ryland Grace's flashbacks. The story on board the spacecraft unfolds as a more standard linear narrative. The two perspectives are frequently intercut , with the narration swapping between ongoing events and Grace's memories as the travelers return. Before launch. In the near future, a global dimming event is observed, due to something obstructing sunlight. A probe is sent to the planet Venus, where a single-celled organism is discovered. The organism is reproducing uncontrollably. At its rate of growth, it is projected that the organism will induce a catastrophic ice age within thirty years. Ryland Grace, a former molecular biologist, is tasked to study a sample of the organism recovered from Venus, which he names "Astrophage" (Greek for "star eater".) He discovers  it consumes carbon dioxide, and uses radiant energy to migrate between the Sun and Venus. Observance of the Local Group reveals that Tau Ceti, a nearby star, has resisted Astrophage infection. A starship, the "Hail Mary", is developed to travel to Tau Ceti, study it, and return the findings to Earth with a probe. Enough Astrophage fuel and supplies can only be supplied for a one-way trip, making it a suicide mission. A team of three astronauts are chosen for the mission. Grace is tasked to train the backup crew. However, shortly before the launch date, an explosion at  the Baikonur Cosmodrome kills a crew member and his backup. Since Grace had trained the backup, and another one can't be trained on time, he is ordered to join the crew. He refuses, and promises he will sabotage the mission, so he is administered an amnesia-inducing drug before launch. Aboard "Hail Mary". Ryland Grace wakes up with no memory of his name or where he is. He finds the bodies of the other two crew members, having died en route. His cognition slowly returns after a few days, and remembers he's aboard the "Hail Mary". After gaining  access to the ship's control room and airlock, he gives the other crew members a space burial. The "Hail Mary" is in a stable orbit around Tau Ceti. Grace detects another starship, which he names "Blip-A". The other ship reports that it is also in the system to study Astrophage, and has come from the 40 Eridani system. "Blip-A" docks with "Hail Mary," and its single crew member comes to meet Grace. Grace develops a system to communicate with the alien, whom Grace names "Rocky" due to its stone-like exoskeleton. Rocky explains that he has been  orbitting Tau Ceti for 40 years, and is the last survivor of his crew. Together, Rocky and Grace discover a planet in Tau Ceti's system with a carbon dioxide atmosphere. The Astrophage population is controlled by a natural predator, a microbe which Grace names "Taumoeba." They collect a sample of Taumoeba, and after a mishap where the sample escapes and consumes "Hail Mary"'s Astrophage fuel, Grace's findings are placed on the probe and sent to Earth. The "Blip-A" has enough fuel for both ships to return to their planets, so Rocky refuels the "Hail Mary," and  they part ways. However, shortly before leaving the system, Grace discovers that the "Blip-A"'s hull is permeable to Taumoeba, which will eat the ship's Astrophage fuel, crippling the ship. Knowing the "Hail Mary" will exhaust its fuel to catch up to the "Blip-A," Grace turns the ship around, reunites with Rocky, and saves his life. Rocky offers to bring Grace back to his planet. As its atmosphere can't support human life, an enclosure is built for Grace. Some time after he arrives, Rocky says the Astrophage infection around the sun has abated, meaning Grace's  mission was a success, and Earth has survived. The "Hail Mary" is kept in orbit around Rocky's planet, if Grace ever wants to return home. Production. In a profile in the "New York Times", Weir says that after completing "The Martian", he began a multi-volume space opera called "Zhek", which was about a substance that could absorb electromagnetic radiation and use it as a fuel for interstellar travel. He wrote 75,000 words before abandoning the project and beginning on "Artemis". Several elements from "Zhek" were brought over to "Project Hail Mary", including a ruthless bureaucrat character, and an  energy-absorbing substance used as starship fuel. Publication. "Project Hail Mary" was released on May 4, 2021, by Ballantine Books. It is available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats. The audiobook narrated by Ray Porter uses melodic sound effects in the background, whenever "Rocky" speaks. Reception. "Project Hail Mary" has received generally positive reviews. Writing for "The New York Times", sci-fi author Alec Nevala-Lee wrote "For readers who can forgive its shortcomings, the result is an engaging space odyssey." "Kirkus Reviews" gave the book a starred review, describing it as "An unforgettable story of survival and the  power of friendship—nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork." In writing her review for the "Washington Post", SFWA president and science fiction writer Mary Robinette Kowal mentions that there are plenty of things to love about this book, such as Grace's infectious enthusiasm for science. At the same time, Kowal mentions some of the many flaws in the novel, such as the lack of the use of checklists, which are very important in the fields of aviation, astronautics, and medicine in reducing human-induced errors which Grace seems to ignore and could have prevented him from creating his  many errors in judgment. A reviewer for "Locus Magazine" wrote, ""Project Hail Mary", however, isn’t a simple rehash of "The Martian". Instead, it’s a celebration of Weir’s voice... Weir’s jaunty blend of science and fiction in Project Hail Mary is a return to the work that got him where he is." The reviewer for the "Boston Globe" wrote that ""Project Hail Mary" is still a suspenseful space yarn that zigs and zags — sometimes literally — in ingenious directions." "Project Hail Mary" debuted at number 3 on "The New York Times" Best Seller list for Combined Print & E -Book Fiction in May 2021. By August 2021, the book had been on the "NYT" list for 9 weeks. The novel debuted at number 2 on the "Los Angeles Times" SoCal Bestsellers for Hardcover Fiction and number 6 on the "Wall Street Journal" Bestselling Books List for Hardcover Fiction during the same month. The book was still on the "L.A. Times" list in mid-August. In August 2021, "Project Hail Mary" debuted at number 1 on the Locus Bestsellers list for hardcovers. , the novel remained on the above-mentioned bestseller lists. Bill Gates added the book to his 2021 book  recommendations. Film adaptation. Weir sold the book's film adaptation rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in early 2020 for $3 million. Actor Ryan Gosling plans to produce and star as Ryland Grace. It will be directed by filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Its screenwriter will be Drew Goddard, and Ken Kao will produce it.