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 crew-mates 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.
Audiobook, 16 hours, 10 minutes
First published May 4, 2021
by Amazon Audio
5/5
I’m not a sci-fi reader, I picked up the audio-book after seeing a reel by the narrator, Ray Porter. He explained that he doesn’t do a pre-read before narrating, he goes in cold, meaning he has no idea where the story is going. Because of that, all the tense, funny and witty moments felt completely genuine.
There was also a bit of FOMO when it came to the movie and all its hype, so yes I watched it the day after finishing the audio-book.
I won’t give away spoilers, but at its core the story follows Ryland Grace as he tries to save the world. The narrative shifts between the present day (on the spaceship) and the past, showing how he got there. These timelines are woven together seamlessly and kept me hooked at every opportunity. At roughly 16 hours long, I finished in just a few days, listening whenever I could.
Did the movie live up to the hype? Absolutely. A five-star read and a five-star movie. I can easily see myself rewatching it and relistening. My advice: watch it on the big screen for the full experience.
I’m now curious to read The Martian also by Andy Weir, though I was a little disappointed to learn it has a different narrator. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more books narrated by Ray Porter.
My audiobook was obtained through a trial subscription to Amazon Music. It’s currently an Audible exclusive, so it’s only available through Audible or Amazon Music, which is a bit disappointing for those without subscriptions.