“But I have to save humanity first. Stupid humanity. Getting in the way of my hobbies.”

What can I say except I love reluctant heroes, and Ryland Grace is one of the best!

Once again, Andy Weir has written a story with a limited cast and still managed to blow it completely out of the water, taking the concept of a “man alone in space” and reinventing it with heart, humor, and some serious science. This book somehow sat in my Audible library for quite some time gathering digital dust, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. Never in a million years would I have thought a sentient spider-robot would have me weeping, but… I’m getting ahead of myself here.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is by far one of the best books I’ve read. It’s hilarious and touching and has an ending that still makes me tear up just thinking about it. Ryland Grace, the main character, is one of three astronaut-trained scientists sent to save the Earth from certain doom, but unfortunately, Grace doesn’t know that, not at first anyway. Talk about some high stakes.

“Self-ambulation detected,” says the computer. “What’s your name?”
“I am Emperor Comatose. Kneel before me.”
“Incorrect.”

In the beginning, the only other cast members are fragments from Grace’s memory as he explores the ship (when he’s finally allowed to ‘advance’ to the next section), trying to understand everything from why he’s in space with two dead crewmates to his own name. The story starts in the thick of it and never lets up.

“Time to get to know my fellow patients. I don’t know who I am or why I’m here, but at least I’m not alone–aaaand they’re dead.”

There are no battles, no evil alien invasions, or a true bad guy to speak of, and yet, just as with Mark Watney in The Martian, Weir puts his characters (and his readers) through an emotional ringer. Grace deals with amnesia, isolation, the complexities of interstellar travel, being stranded in space, and star-eating amoebas, all with a good dose of self-deprecation and humor.

“I decide on a more tactile approach: I’m gonna start pushing buttons! Hopefully, there’s no “Blow Up the Ship” button.”

I won’t give away the ending, but the roller coaster of “will he, won’t he” survive concludes with a finale you won’t believe. If you like science, if you like space, and clever characters with a dark sense of humor, you have to give this book a read. And for an even more immersive experience, do yourself a favor and check it out on Audible. Ray Porter’s narration is phenomenal. He pulls you in and allows you to feel every high and low right along with Ryland Grace.

“Do you believe in God? I know it’s a personal question. I do. And I think He was pretty awesome to make relativity a thing, don’t you? The faster you go, the less time you experience. It’s like He’s inviting us to explore the universe, you know?”

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, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?