Project Hail Mary

By: Andy Weir

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2022 Audie Awards' Audiobook of the Year

Number-One Audible and New York Times Audio Best Seller

More than one million audiobooks sold

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Martian.

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.

PLEASE NOTE: To accommodate this audio edition, some changes to the original text have been made with the approval of author Andy Weir.

©2021 Andy Weir (P)2021 Audible Studios

best book I've listened to in years

If anything, this tops The Martian.
The performance is wonderful of course, but combined with the writing, I haven't cared this much about a main character in a really long time.

This is a MUST LISTEN title.

(Oh, and I kicked myself at the ten hour mark when I finally noticed the Hail Mary full of Grace joke the author left out in plain sight.)

Amaze!

Can only describe this book as, “Amaze”.
You’ll see what I mean, way more than expected.

Wonderfully Surprising

The most pleasantly surprising book I have read in a great many years. What do I mean by this exactly? The story is amazing. And without venturing into spoiler territory, I can safely say that while the story was everything I was expecting it was also so, so, so much more.

Excellent narration and effects from Ray Porter as well.

I cannot stress my recommendation for either reading or listening to this book enough!

4.9/5.0 With Over 53000 Reviews! Yep.

This is a great listen. It's a scientific and science-fiction book with depth of characters and a large dose of humanity. The author and narrator did a great job with flashbacks so you have a thorough understanding of how and why the main character ended up far from Earth on an advanced spacecraft. I've never encountered a "perfect ending" before but this ending is as close as it gets. This ending is phenomenal with its blend of simplicity and humanity.

Better than The Martian

This book was fantastic.

I was a little hesitant because while I really enjoyed The Martian, his other book Artemis, was a solid pass. (I started it but I didn't even finish it because I disliked it that much.) However, I felt like living dangerously so I threw a credit at Project Hail Mary and I am not mad at all. It was good. REALLY good. Like, sitting on the edge of my seat in the car, late for work and I don't even care because I NEED to know what happens next, good.

I don't want to say much about the actual plot because I don't want to spoil anything but I will say that there were a few times when I wanted to hear more of the personal story and less of the science. That said it was not enough of a complaint to make me deduct a star.

I did deduct a point from the narration because his accents were... pretty bad. Has he ever met a Dutch person? Or a Russian? Or seen one on T.V.? Also, ALL of the women sounded the same so that was a little confusing.

Please don't let any of that detract you though. I know it sounds cliché but if you enjoyed The Martian I think you'll love this one.

It's not about space, it's about humankind

Andy Weir is at it again with humor-filled things-gone-wrong-in-space stories.

It's charming, very down to earth, funny, and… educational! Listening to this book didn't feel like a class, it felt like learning on-the-job from the world's renowned scientists.

Addiction: There isn't one chapter where something doesn't happen. The odds are always against our characters, and you can't look away.

Storytelling: the narrator is amazing. Great pacing, voices, accents, emotion, it's all there. Then, the sound mixing and SFX are expertly used, but not abused, so you'll feel like it's an audio book and not a picturless TV show.

I feel there were a couple of unresolved science questions, but the biggest ones were answered during the book.

Man, I love this book.

So good!

This narration is amazing. Loved listening to this story. It was captivating and entertaining. An easy to listen to read but also a great story. It is very engaging and suspenseful.

Imperial / Shmimperial

This is for the science or sci-fi nerd out there. I loved the splice of possibility and humor and danger this novel put out there. Weir does a masterful job in this environment the same way he did with The Martian. Ray Porter masterfully navigates the voices like Andy Weir does the words. And I love Rocky. I want one.

He scienced the hell out it!

OK, I enjoy fantasy, but I LOVE science fiction. This one is, like "The Martian" a story where a man has to think himself to a solution. No magic swords or spells, but brain power. I'm sure that Mr. Weir has taken a few liberties with the science, but as a whole, it holds together and fits within the accepted physics of our universe (which is what it's set in!). A thoroughly engaging and enjoyable listen. I also bought the book so I can read it again and absorb it at a slow pace.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME‽!

I CANNOT overstate how incredible the performance was. Yes, the story was amazing too. I just can’t get over how much I enjoyed Ray Porter’s delivery. He sounds and acts like a cross between Tom Hanks and Wil Wheaton.

Andy Weir did it again. BRAVO. I can’t wait for this to be adapted to a movie as well. I’m so pleased. It had humor, emotion, and a boatload of science. Congrats to everyone involved.

Ok, now I’m off to look for more Ray Porter performances.