Project Hail Mary

Last updated

Project Hail Mary
Project Hail Mary, First Edition Cover (2021).jpg
Author Andy Weir
Audio read by Ray Porter
Cover artistWill Staehle
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
Publisher Ballantine Books
Publication date
May 4, 2021
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
Pages496
Awards2021 Dragon Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
ISBN 978-0-593-39556-1

Project Hail Mary is a 2021 science fiction novel by American novelist Andy Weir. Set in the near future, it centers on 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. [1]

Contents

It received generally positive reviews, and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel. [2] The unabridged audiobook is read by Ray Porter. [3] 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, in which actor Ryan Gosling plans to star as Grace. [4]

Plot

Narrative structure

The story follows two storylines, each told chronologically, starting with the story on board the spacecraft Hail Mary where Ryland Grace regains his memory in bursts. This story is frequently intercut with flashbacks revealing earlier events leading up to the launch of the Hail Mary.

Before launch

In the near future, a global dimming event is observed, coinciding with the formation of a bright line from the Sun to Venus. The exponential rate of dimming is calculated to result in a catastrophic ice age within 30 years. A space probe is used to discover that the line appears to contain alien microbes. The world's governments cooperate, giving former European Space Agency (ESA) administrator Eva Stratt unilateral authority and legal immunity to solve the problem.

Stratt nominates Ryland Grace, a junior high (middle) school teacher and former molecular biologist, as the first person to study a sample of the organism recovered from Venus, as she views him as expendable and his research as a molecular biologist had predicted the type of life the sample is suspected to be. He discovers that the single-celled organism consumes all forms of electromagnetic radiation and uses radiant energy to move. Since the organism consumes energy from the Sun, Grace names it "Astrophage" (Greek for "star eater"). Grace subsequently discovers that Astrophage reproduces by feeding on the heat of the Sun and carbon dioxide on Venus. Other scientists discover that Astrophage employs mass–energy conversion via neutrinos, and can be mass-bred for use as rocket fuel.

Astronomy data reveals that Astrophage has also infected and dimmed nearby stars, but one star, Tau Ceti, has unexpectedly resisted Astrophage infection. An Astrophage-fueled starship, the Hail Mary, is developed to travel to Tau Ceti to obtain knowledge of Astrophage resistance, and to return the findings to Earth with unmanned mini-ships ("beetles", with each named after their respective Beatle counterpart). Hail Mary can only be fueled and supplied for a one-way trip, making it a suicide mission.

Stratt orders the release of methane from Antarctica to reduce global cooling, but the threat of famine and wars over food on Earth remains for the 26 years that the Hail Mary mission is expected to take.

Since the crew of three astronauts will travel under a coma to avoid psychiatric issues, potential astronauts are restricted to people with coma-resistant genes, including Grace. Stratt tasks Grace to train the science experts for the mission, but the science experts are killed in an Astrophage-induced explosion shortly before launch. With no time to train a replacement, Stratt asks Grace to join the mission. When he declines, she forces him. Grace threatens sabotage, so a sedative is administered to him before launch, with a temporary amnesia-inducing drug set to be administered shortly before he awakens.

Aboard the Hail Mary

Ryland Grace emerges from his coma with no memory of his identity or situation. As the mission proceeds, Grace deduces his situation while his memory returns gradually. Grace finds that his crew members have died en route, and gives them a space burial.

Hail Mary soon reaches Tau Ceti, and is approached by an alien starship, which Grace names "Blip-A." The other ship indicates that its home system in 40 Eridani is also plagued by Astrophage infection. Blip-A docks with Hail Mary, and the two ships establish first contact. Grace develops a system to communicate with the spider-like five-legged alien, whom Grace names "Rocky" due to its stone-like exoskeleton. Rocky, a skilled engineer, has been in the Tau Ceti system for 46 years as the last survivor of his crew; Grace deduces that the others died from space radiation, an unknown concept to Eridians.

Also unfamiliar with the concept of relativity, the Eridians greatly overestimated the amount of fuel needed for a round-trip to Tau Ceti, and the Blip-A has enough Astrophage fuel for both ships to return to their planets. Grace realizes that what was once a suicide mission now may end with his returning to Earth. He fantasizes about confronting Stratt for coercing him to go.

Grace and Rocky discover the Astrophage's home planet in orbit around Tau Ceti, which Rocky names after his mate. Grace deciding on "Adrian" as the English translation, after Adrian Pennino, the wife of the fictional Rocky Balboa (i.e., the planet is now named for this other "Rocky's mate"). The planet's atmosphere is found to contain a natural predator of Astrophage. While collecting a sample from Adrian via a 10 kilometer-long chain, a hull breach occurs due to Astrophage-induced ionisation of Adrian's atmosphere and Grace and Rocky both risk their lives to save each other. Grace is severely burned when saving Rocky, who sustained severe injuries but eventually recovers. From the sample, the Astrophage predator is found to be a microbe which Grace names "Taumoeba."

After a Taumoeba outbreak on the Hail Mary, where all Astrophage in the ship's fuel tanks is consumed by the Taumoeba, Grace and Rocky are captured in a decaying orbit over Adrian. They escape by mounting the beetles on the ship's hull and using them as mini thrusters. Grace and Rocky then use selective breeding to produce Taumoeba that can survive in both their home solar systems.

Rocky refuels the Hail Mary, and they part ways. En route, Grace discovers that he has accidentally bred into the Taumoeba the ability to permeate and escape their containers, to avoid the toxic nitrogen that he is breeding them to resist. Although Grace fixes the problem on Hail Mary, he realizes that the Blip-A is made of the same material as those containers (xenonite, a xenon compound with extraordinary tensile strength and heat resistance), and that the Taumoeba would have consumed its fuel, leaving Rocky stranded.

Due to a limited food supply, Grace is forced to choose between personally returning to Earth as a hero but dooming the Eridians, or saving Rocky and the Eridians but then starving to death on Erid (the Eridians consume food with a similar chemical makeup, but interspersed with toxic heavy metals). Grace chooses the latter, sending the beetles back to Earth with the Taumoeba, while he locates the fuel-less Blip-A and reunites with Rocky three months after their departure. Rocky is overjoyed and points out the possibility that Grace could consume Taumoeba, giving him a chance at survival.

They return to Erid, fixing the Eridians' Astrophage problem. Using the digital archive of human knowledge given to Grace by Stratt, the Eridians build a system to enable Grace to live on Erid, where he becomes a teacher of Eridian young. Around 16 years later (the amount of time it takes for light from the Sun to travel to Erid), Rocky tells Grace that the Astrophage infection around the Sun has abated too, meaning Grace's mission was a success and that Earth's scientists figured out a solution after the return of the beetles. Knowing that humanity has survived on Earth, Grace considers returning to Earth, with the Hail Mary still operational and in orbit around Erid but decides against it since he has friends on Erid (especially Rocky) and he finds his new teaching career rewarding.

Characters

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 , about a substance that could absorb electromagnetic radiation and be used as a fuel for interstellar travel. He wrote 75,000 words before abandoning the project and beginning his novel Artemis (2017). 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. [6]

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." [7] 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." [8]

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 making his many errors in judgment. [9]

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." [10] 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." [11]

Project Hail Mary debuted at number 3 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction in May 2021. [12] By August 2021, the book had been on the NYT list for 9 weeks. [13] Project Hail Mary additionally achieved the #1 spot on the New York Times Audio Fiction Best Seller List for three weeks in February 2022. [14] [15]

The novel debuted at number 2 on the Los Angeles Times SoCal Bestsellers for Hardcover Fiction [16] and number 6 on The Wall Street Journal Bestselling Books List for Hardcover Fiction [17] during the same month. The book was still on the L.A. Times list in mid-August. [18]

In August 2021, Project Hail Mary debuted at number 1 on the Locus Bestsellers list for hardcovers [19] while remaining at the top position for five consecutive months [20] before dropping to a lower position while still remaining on the list for 11 consecutive months by June 2022. [21] As of August 2021, the novel remained on the above-mentioned bestseller lists.

Bill Gates and Barack Obama added the book to their respective 2021 book recommendations. [22] [23]

Awards

Film adaptation

Weir sold the book's film adaptation rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in early 2020 for $3 million. [28] Ryan Gosling signed on to star in and produce the project in March 2020, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signing on to direct the film in May and Drew Goddard, who previously adapted Weir's debut novel The Martian into a film, signing on to write the screenplay in July. [4] [29] [28] In May 2023, it was revealed the film would begin production in early 2024 in the United Kingdom. [30] In April 2024, Amazon MGM Studios, who acquired MGM in 2022, [31] announced a possible 2026 release window for the film. [32] Later that month, a release date of March 20, 2026, was set. [33] At the time of the announcement, the list of persons associated with this film as producers included Amy Pascal, Gosling, Lord, Miller, Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor and Weir. [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard science fiction</span> Science fiction with concern for scientific accuracy

Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's Islands of Space in the November issue of Astounding Science Fiction. The complementary term soft science fiction, formed by analogy to the popular distinction between the "hard" (natural) and "soft" (social) sciences, first appeared in the late 1970s. Though there are examples generally considered as "hard" science fiction such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, built on mathematical sociology, science fiction critic Gary Westfahl argues that while neither term is part of a rigorous taxonomy, they are approximate ways of characterizing stories that reviewers and commentators have found useful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tau Ceti</span> Single yellow-hued star in the constellation Cetus

Tau Ceti, Latinized from τ Ceti, is a single star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under 12 light-years from the Solar System, it is a relatively nearby star and the closest solitary G-class star. The star appears stable, with little stellar variation, and is metal-deficient relative to the Sun.

<i>Destination: Void</i> 1965 novel by Frank Herbert

Destination: Void is a science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, the first of four novels in the Pandora Sequence series. It first appeared in Galaxy Magazine—illustrated by John Giunta—in August 1965, under the title "Do I Wake or Dream?", but was published in book form as Destination: Void the following year. A revised edition, edited and updated by the author, was released in 1978. The book stands alone but the story is continued - and embellished with more details of the Moonbase project and the history of the clones - in Herbert's other novels The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect and The Ascension Factor, co-authored by Bill Ransom.

<i>Hyperion Cantos</i> Science fiction series by Dan Simmons

The Hyperion Cantos is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. The title was originally used for the collection of the first pair of books in the series, Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion, and later came to refer to the overall storyline, including Endymion, The Rise of Endymion, and a number of short stories. More narrowly, inside the fictional storyline, after the first volume, the Hyperion Cantos is an epic poem written by the character Martin Silenus covering in verse form the events of the first two books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First contact (science fiction)</span> Science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life

First contact is a common theme in science fiction about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient species' first encounter with another one, given they are from different planets or natural satellites. It is closely related to the anthropological idea of first contact

<i>Tau Ceti</i> (video game) 1985 video game

Tau Ceti is a video game published in 1985 by CRL for the ZX Spectrum and converted to the Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. It was designed and programmed by Pete Cooke. The world, set on Tau Ceti III orbiting Tau Ceti, is displayed using 3D graphics with shadow effects. The planet has a day and night cycle.

Stars outside of the Solar System have been featured as settings in works of fiction since at least the 1600s.

<i>Freehold</i> (novel) 2004 military science fiction novel by Michael Z. Williamson

Freehold is a military science fiction novel by Michael Z. Williamson, published in 2004 by Baen Books. The book tells the story of Kendra Pacelli, a young soldier who begins the book in the service of a world-dominant, authoritarian United Nations. Accused of a crime she did not commit, she flees Earth for the Freehold of Grainne where she struggles to adapt to the climate and culture of an ultra-libertarian planet. She eventually joins the Freehold military and fights in a war against a UN invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Colorful Character</span> Short story by Lyon Sprague de Camp

"The Colorful Character" is a science fiction short story by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, part of his Viagens Interplanetarias series. It was first published in the magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories in the issue for December, 1949. It first appeared in book form in the collection Sprague de Camp's New Anthology of Science Fiction, published simultaneously in hardcover by Hamilton and in paperback by Panther Books in 1953.

Space travel under constant acceleration is a hypothetical method of space travel that involves the use of a propulsion system that generates a constant acceleration rather than the short, impulsive thrusts produced by traditional chemical rockets. For the first half of the journey the propulsion system would constantly accelerate the spacecraft toward its destination, and for the second half of the journey it would constantly decelerate the spaceship. Constant acceleration could be used to achieve relativistic speeds, making it a potential means of achieving human interstellar travel. This mode of travel has yet to be used in practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gail Carriger</span> American archaeologist (as Borregaard) and fiction writer

Gail Carriger is an author of steampunk fiction and an American archaeologist. She was born in Bolinas, an unincorporated community in Marin County, California, and attended high school at Marin Academy. She received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College, a masters of science in archaeological materials at England's University of Nottingham in 2000, and a master of arts in anthropology at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2008. She is a 2010 recipient of the Alex Awards.

The 100 Year Starship project (100YSS) was a one-year joint U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) effort "to take the first step in the next era of space exploration—a journey between the stars". The study explored development of a viable and sustainable model for persistent, long-term, private-sector investment into the myriad of disciplines needed to make interstellar space travel practicable and feasible. The goal was to examine what it would take — organizationally, technically, sociologically and ethically — to develop the ability to send humans to another star within 100 years. The study culminated in a $500,000 grant awarded to a consortium under the lead of the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, which led to the creation of an independent organization inheriting the name 100 Year Starship from DARPA. Annual 100YSS symposia were organized from 2011 to 2015, and again in 2023.

<i>The Martian</i> (Weir novel) 2011 novel by Andy Weir

The Martian is a 2011 science fiction debut novel written by Andy Weir. The book was originally self-published on Weir's blog, in a serialized format. In 2014, the book was re-released after Crown Publishing Group purchased the exclusive publishing rights. The story follows an American astronaut, Mark Watney, as he becomes stranded alone on Mars in 2035 and must improvise in order to survive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Weir</span> American novelist (born 1972)

Andrew Taylor Weir is an American novelist. His 2011 novel The Martian was adapted into the 2015 film of the same name directed by Ridley Scott. He received the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2016 and his 2021 novel Project Hail Mary was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

<i>Aurora</i> (novel) 2015 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson

Aurora is a 2015 novel by American science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson. The novel concerns a generation ship built in the style of a Stanford torus traveling to Tau Ceti in order to begin a human colony. The novel's primary narrating voice is the starship's artificial intelligence. The novel was well received by critics.

<i>Artemis</i> (novel) 2017 science fiction novel by Andy Weir

Artemis is a 2017 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It takes place in the late 2080s in Artemis, the first and so far only city on the Moon. It follows the life of porter and smuggler Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara as she gets caught up in a conspiracy for control of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darcie Little Badger</span> American writer of speculative fiction (b. 1987)

Darcie Little Badger is an American novelist, short story writer, and Earth scientist.

<i>The Calculating Stars</i> 2018 science fiction novel by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Calculating Stars is a science fiction novel by American writer Mary Robinette Kowal. The book was published by Tor Books on July 3, 2018. It is the first book in the "Lady Astronaut" series and is a prequel to the 2012 short story "The Lady Astronaut of Mars".

Tau Ceti f is a confirmed exoplanet that is a potential super-Earth or mini-Neptune orbiting Tau Ceti that was discovered in 2012 by statistical analyses of the star's variations in radial velocity, based on data obtained using HIRES, AAPS, and HARPS. It is of interest because its orbit places it in Tau Ceti's extended habitable zone, but a 2015 study implies that there may not be a detectable biosignature because it has only been in the temperate zone for less than one billion years. In 2017, it was again recovered from radial-velocity data, along with Tau Ceti e.

References

  1. ↑ ""Andy Weir – Project Hail Mary"". AndyWeirAuthor.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ "2022 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. April 7, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - Audiobook - Audible.com. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021– via Audible.com.
  4. 1 2 McNary, Dave (March 27, 2020). "Ryan Gosling to Star in Astronaut Movie 'Project Hail Mary'". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ Kaplan (host), Mat (May 5, 2021). "Author Andy Weir and Project Hail Mary". Planetary Radio. Episode 1000. The Planetary Society. 16:00 minutes in. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ Alter, Alexandra (May 3, 2021). "Andy Weir's New Space Odyssey". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ Nevala-Lee, Alec (May 4, 2021). "Alone on a Spaceship, Trying to Save the World". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ "PROJECT HAIL MARY". Kirkus Reviews. February 10, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ Kowal, Mary Robinette (May 23, 2021). "Andy Weir's 'Project Hail Mary' is a bestseller. It also has some problems". The Washington Post .
  10. ↑ Martini, Adrienne (May 5, 2021). "Adrienne Martini Reviews The Only Living Girl on Earth by Charles Yu and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir". Locus Magazine .
  11. ↑ Harlan, Landry (May 13, 2021). "Science lessons in 'Project Hail Mary'". The Boston Globe .
  12. ↑ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction – Best Sellers – Books". The New York Times . May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Combined Print & E-Book Fiction – Best Sellers – Books". The New York Times . August 1, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Feb. 6, 2022 - The New York Times". The New York Times. February 6, 2022. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Audio Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Feb. 27, 2022 - The New York Times". The New York Times. February 27, 2022. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Bestsellers List Sunday, May 16". Los Angeles Times . May 12, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Bestselling Books Week Ended May 8". The Wall Street Journal . May 13, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Bestsellers List Sunday, August 22". Los Angeles Times . August 18, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Locus Bestsellers, August 2021". Locus Magazine . August 18, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Locus Bestsellers, December 2021". Locus Magazine . December 22, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Locus Bestsellers, June 2022". Locus Magazine . June 20, 2022.
  22. ↑ Gates, Bill (November 22, 2021). "5 books I loved reading this year". GatesNotes: The Blog of Bill Gates.
  23. ↑ Kranc, Lauren (July 9, 2021). "Barack Obama Has Shared His Annual Summer Reading List". Esquire. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  24. ↑ "2021 Recipients – The Dragon Award". Dragon Con . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Best Science Fiction". Goodreads . December 2021. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021.
  26. 1 2 "2022 Audie Awards® - APA (en-US)". Audio Publishers Association . Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  27. ↑ 2022年 第53回星雲賞 [2022 53rd Nebula Award] (in Japanese). Science Fiction Fan Groups' Association of Nippon. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  28. 1 2 Kit, Borys (June 18, 2020). "Lord & Miller's 'Project Hail Mary' Enlisting 'The Martian' Scribe Drew Goddard (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  29. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 15, 2020). "Phil Lord and Chris Miller to Direct Ryan Gosling Astronaut Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  30. ↑ Couch, Aaron (May 25, 2023). "The Widening Web of Phil Lord and Chris Miller". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  31. ↑ Maas, Jennifer (March 17, 2022). "Amazon Closes $8.5 Billion Acquisition of MGM". Variety. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  32. ↑ Schreur, Brandon (April 10, 2024). "Project Hail Mary: Lord and Miller's Sci-Fi Movie With Ryan Gosling Gets Release Window". ComingSoon.net.
  33. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 18, 2024). "Ryan Gosling, Lord & Miller Amazon MGM Studios Space Adventure 'Project Hail Mary' Sets Launch For Spring 2026". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.