Why it's essential
Andy Weir and narrator Ray Porter have created something truly special here, the kind of fun, smart, immensely entertaining production that reminds us why we love listening.
Featured in 100 Audible Essentials.
What is Project Hail Mary about?
The fate of the world is in the hands of a lone astronaut on a last-ditch, one-way mission to understand and stop a threat to the human race (no pressure). He’ll need to use every bit of his scientific knowledge and resourcefulness to piece together a solution—but luckily, he won’t have to do it alone, after all.
Editor's review
An unabashed nerd, Sam Danis can’t get enough of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror—but she likes to dabble in thrillers and memoirs as well.
Andy Weir’s debut novel The Martian was such a resounding hit, not only among genre fans but also the reading and listening public at large, that it seemed unlikely if not impossible for Weir to top himself. He’d already achieved what so many authors strive for their whole career. So when Project Hail Mary was first pitched as very much in the same vein as The Martian, I approached the title with both excitement (I’ll listen to anything by Andy) and a healthy dose of skepticism. I knew I’d likely enjoy it immensely, as I did with Artemis, but how could any listen compare?
But then, with a plot like this—a lone astronaut on a seemingly doomed mission—and a narrator like Ray Porter, it did seem promising. I wasn’t prepared for the reality that this listen might (dare I say it?) be even better than The Martian. Ryland Grace is an entirely different type of character for Weir—a bit of a "Boy Scout," as Weir put it when I interviewed him back in 2021, earnest to a fault and lacking the self-assured swagger of Watney. But this is precisely what makes him relatable. As listeners, we admired Watney; we identify with Grace.
As with most new titles at Audible, I got my hands on the manuscript before I had a chance to listen. This is always a bit of a catch-22 for an editor. I want so badly to dive into the book, but I’d much prefer to hear it, especially with Ray Porter—one of the all-time greats in sci-fi & fantasy—at the helm. I ended up starting the story in print, just long enough to discover that a key element of the story was sound-based (hint: alien language), and that’s when I immediately stopped and determined that I had to hear it for the full effect. Ray Porter is as amazing as ever in this performance. What I love about Ray is his range—he’s got snark, sarcasm, and comedic timing down to a science, but that means he can also catch you off guard with his skill for emotional intensity. This being a rather high-stakes story, that deftness of performance makes all the difference.
What makes this listen most special, to me, is that it’s really a tale of friendship. The story has all the thrills and scientific detective-work that have defined Weir’s brand, but the relationship at the center of it—that between Grace and (spoiler!) the extraterrestrial Rocky—is what gives it heart. Weir himself describes it as both buddy story and bromance. Listeners, you may cry. More than once. But I promise, it’s oh so worth it to get to know these two. Rocky may well become one of your favorite ETs in fiction, as he has for me. Who doesn’t need a tale about two very unlikely allies coming together, despite their physical, social, and communication differences, to collectively save their two species?
No matter how you experience it, I believe you’ll love Project Hail Mary—but you’d be missing out to not hear this truly special audio production and Ray Porter’s equally exciting and endearing rendition.
Did you know?
Both Project Hail Mary and Artemis emerged from another scrapped project called Zhek. Much like Mark Watney and Ryland Grace, Weir knows how to be scrappy and resourceful.
The extraterrestrial character Rocky has a unique language comprised of notes and chords. In audio, this is accomplished by having Ray Porter speak over these chords. If you listen carefully, you can hear the music getting softer and Ray’s voice taking the lead throughout the story, as Ryland begins to comprehend more of the language.
The novel is being adapted into a movie, with Ryan Gosling set to star as Ryland Grace.
What listeners said
"Hey Andy! Fist My Bump ... I just can’t imagine my life without this story now! Highly enjoyable! I experienced all ranges of emotions through the journey of The Hail Mary Mission and beyond. I truly appreciated the many voices and accents of narration, as well. I’m an artist and this story has inspired several paintings and sketches! Lighting up my brain!" —Brandi, Audible listener
"Wow. AMAZE. AMAZE. AMAZE. I rarely write reviews but had to this time. This was the best and most fun I’ve had listening to an audiobook ever. Perfect mix of science fiction and humor and just overall amazing. The narrator is so talented! Highly highly highly recommend." —Ellen, Audible listener
"This book has it all. It's got hard science fiction, lovable characters, comedy, tension, character development, and intrigue. The universe Weir sets up here is truly awesome. Almost all of the science, while definitely out there, is believable. The journey is thrilling and mysterious, but at the same time, the book never takes itself too seriously ... For 16 hours straight, I was having constant fun. The narrator is fantastic, having a voice that I never got tired of (despite hearing him speak in first person for 16 hours), with enough range to cover a variety of characters with different accents. The audio effects are rare but very well done. I recommend this book to anyone who loves hard science fiction. Andy Weir did not disappoint." —Steven, Audible listener
Quotes from Project Hail Mary
"Human beings have a remarkable ability to accept the abnormal and make it normal."
"Evolution can be insanely effective when you leave it alone for a few billion years."
"Another day, another staff meeting. Who would have thought saving the world could be so boring?"
"When stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas."
"What’s the point of even having a world if you’re not going to pass it on to the next generation?"
"The hardest part about working with aliens and saving humanity from extinction is constantly having to come up with names for stuff."
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.
About the performer
Ray Porter has more than 400 narrated titles available on Audible. He has won several Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and the 2022 Audie Award for Best Audiobook of the Year for his performance of Project Hail Mary. In addition to narration, he has performed in multiple theatrical productions and appeared in various films and TV shows. He can be heard as the voice of Darkseid in the director’s cut of the 2017 film, Justice League.
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