

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.
hard science-fictionscience-fictionsci-fihard sci-fiNew York Times bestsellerNew York Times reviewedFiction, science fiction, action & adventureFiction, science fiction, hard science fictionEnd of the worldFictionAstronautsSpace flight
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Is it the best hard science-fiction book of its decade?
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Answered from the reviews and content notes on file, never made up. If nothing on file settles it, it says so.
Character
Contemporary, epic, earnest and classical in form.
- contemporarynostalgic
- intimateepic
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- character-ledplot-driven
Who loves it, who doesn't
12 profiled raters. Loved most by The Thrill Chasers; disliked most by The Provocateurs.
Reviews
- kofi_kThe Cartographer★★★★
Popcorn science fiction with a heart. Rocky is the best alien in decades because the book lets him be a friend, not a puzzle.
- omni_omarThe Comfort Seeker★★★★
Two scientists, one problem, a lot of maths, and a friendship I would die for. Read it before the film, and then read it again.
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
The Hunger Games 200863% alikeBoth contemporary, classical in form, earnest.
Dune 196550% alikeBoth epic, earnest, contemporary.
The Hobbit 193747% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, resolved; this one is more nostalgic.
Circe 201844% alikeBoth earnest, epic, classical in form; this one is more nostalgic.
The Left Hand of Darkness 196943% alikeBoth earnest, contemporary, classical in form; this one is more open-ended.
Pachinko 201738% alikeBoth earnest, epic, classical in form; this one is more nostalgic.
The Secret History 199225% alikeBoth earnest; this one is more intimate.
Blood Meridian 198523% alikeBoth epic, earnest; this one is more nostalgic.
Lazarus 202580% alikeSeries · Both contemporary, epic, earnest.
The Abyss 198978% alikeFilm · Both epic, earnest, contemporary.
