My interview with Andy Weir appeared on the New Books Network and LitHub

Andy Weir on the Problem of Interstellar Travel
In Conversation with Rob Wolf on the New Books Network Podcast
June 18, 2021

A story about an alien invasion typically revolves around diplomacy, military strategy, technological one-upmanship, and brinksmanship. But the invaders in Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary are anything but typical.

Rather than a scheming sentient enemy, Weir gives readers Astrophage, an opponent who is mindless—and microscopic. Astrophage lives on—and taps energy from—the surface of stars. When its spores reach the sun, they begin a cycle that in a few short decades will starve Earth of sunlight.

An unlikely antagonist deserves an unlikely hero. Enter Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher, who long ago authored a scientific paper that declared water isn’t a prerequisite for life. This once-ridiculed thesis draws the attention of the woman mustering the worldwide response to Astrophage. Eventually, Ryland finds himself waking from a years-long coma without remembering how or why he got there 12 light years from Earth, where he must figure out how to cure our sun of its infection.

While Astrophage is a deadly invader, another extraterrestrial plays a collaborative role. Thanks to the friendship that emerges between Ryland and Rocky, a hard-shelled, spider-like sentient creature with blood of mercury who breathes ammonia and hails from a planet with 29 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth, Project Hail Mary is as much a story about cross-cultural and cross-species exchange as it is a story of science, problem-solving, and heroism.

From the episode:

Rob Wolf: Can you tell our listeners about the existential threat at the heart of Project Hail Mary?

Andy Weir: The core problem is an alien microbe called Astrophage—that’s what the human scientists call it. It is an interstellar mold or algae. It grows and lives on the surface of stars and, like mold or algae, spores outward randomly in all directions. Sometimes one of the spores will find another star. It collects large amounts of energy off the star and uses that energy to travel through space to a nearby planet to get the elements it needs to reproduce by mitosis. Then it and the daughter cell return to the star, and that’s its life cycle.

It’s not intelligent in any way, doesn’t care about us. But it gets to the point where there is so much of it on our sun that the sun is starting to lose luminance. It’s getting dimmer. And even a four or five percent dimming of the sun would be fatal to life on Earth. The sun is remarkably constant in its output, and Earth’s life did not evolve to have a lot of variance in that. The Earth would go into a new ice age. Food chains would collapse. It would be a mass extinction event.

RW: Let’s talk about the mission at the heart of the book. Humanity is putting all their eggs into one Hail Mary basket by sending a spaceship with three astronauts to a nearby star.

AW: Astronomers noticed that our sun is not the only one affected by Astrophage. All of the stars in our local neighborhood are dimming—all of the stars, that is, except for Tau Ceti, which is about 12 light years away. For whatever reason, Tau Ceti is not affected. It’s not dimming at all. They think, OK, if we can send people to Tau Ceti and find out what is special about that system, maybe we can reproduce it here in our solar system and save all of humanity. So they create a ship called the Hail Mary because this is a Hail Mary, a last ditch attempt.

By the way, this takes place now, modern day. And you may have noticed that we don’t have anything remotely like the technology needed to do an interstellar space mission. But it turns out that the main thing we don’t have is enough fuel to get us to Tau Ceti in any reasonable amount of time. But that’s where Astrophage comes in. It’s both a curse and a blessing in that it’s causing these problems, but it also stores energy. Each Astrophage is a little spaceship basically capable of doing interstellar travel. So they farm and breed massive amounts of Astrophage. And then they make a propulsion system that basically tricks the Astrophage into thrusting and pushing the ship forward.

Andy Weir has done it again!

I am obsessed with The Martian. Book and movie. It's hilarious. Mark Watney is the best. Matt Damon playing him was amazing. Just...love.

So when I heard Andy Weir had a new one coming out, I knew I needed it. Another journey into space? A potentially hilarious character? A mission that seems impossible? Sold.

I absolutely loved the character development we got with Ryland Grace. I was not anticipating them having to drug him and hold him hostage to go on this mission. Did I expect him to be a coward and not go? Oh yes. But the lengths Stratt took to not only make sure he went but also make sure that he didn't remember for quite some time...not expecting that. And then for him to turn around and sacrifice the rest of his Earth life for Rocky's existence? Just love it.

Rocky was so cool! Definitely my favorite character. And I especially loved that Weir didn't go with the stereotypical "this is what an alien looks like" and went his own creation. I love that we imagine him as a spider but that is only the size of a small dog. I really loved that he brought the humor into it.

There was quite a bit of science in this one. Now this science major loved that, but I can see where that is a turnoff to someone who isn't into all of that. Ryland was also kind of corny. Not funny and loveable like Mark but I thought he was pretty decent.

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. 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.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir pulled me out of a serious reading slump. I don't want to spoil this book for anyone, but it's so hard to talk about the things I loved without spoiling anything! I'm going to make myself be vague. I found myself drawn into this story immediately and once Ryland met his "unexpected ally" Rocky I couldn't stop thinking about this book until I finished it. I loved the themes of unexpected friendship and finding ways to communicate and cooperate. There were a couple of small things I didn't love in this book and I think there was maybe one too many catastrophes shoved into this story, but overall I absolutely loved Project Hail Mary! Rocky is one of my favorite characters I've encountered recently and I adored getting to read Ryland and Rocky's story!

This is a great sci-fi book that's perfect for folks who kind of want a space opera feel without the burden of 800+ pages to read. That being said, there's a LOT of technical and science stuff being thrown around that may put off readers, but I found the premise and overall story engaging enough that I could keep with it without falling asleep. Overall a great book that's a huge step forward after Artemis!

I almost didn’t read Project Hail Mary. I enjoyed Weir’s Artemis, but had no interest in The Martian, and a lot of reviewers commented that it was a return to the style of The Martian. But, I had a copy from NetGalley and I have a friend who will definitely be reading it, so . . . Turns out, I actually enjoyed it. It’s smart and funny and accessible. There was a lot of science and some of it got a little boring, but I never felt like I was lost in the details.

Alien microorganisms, astrophage, are consuming the sun’s energy, which will sooner rather than later make Earth colder and lead to another ice age. Ryland Grace, our narrator, is an 8th-grade teacher is a scientist who becomes involved in researching this phenomenon. He wakes up on the Hail Mary, part of a suicide mission to find a way to save Earth. The book shows two timelines, Ryland in space and, through flashbacks, the discovery of the astrophage and the planning stages of Project Hail Mary.

I am pretty good at overlooking things in novels, about letting issues slide. This is one of those books that require it, and the issues aren’t really minor. Ryland is on a space mission, and wakes up with no memory. Turns out there’s a good reason for that, but that’s beside the point. Thankfully, he’s clever and can figure stuff out. But think how much easier it would have been with a checklist of some kind. Or an AI system that could actually provide information, not make you search for it. Or you know, any of the safeguards that could help if something unexpected happened. And he’s an incredibly intelligent guy, but makes some really simple mistakes that seemed needless, just there to let him show off more problem-solving skills. I had to just let it go and enjoy the book.

And it really is a fun book. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Ryland meets an alien life form. Rocky is a fabulous character and I loved the friendship that forms between the two. A lot of their interactions made me smile. I think Ryland being a teacher worked out well here. He cares about people/other beings and is curious and willing to share information freely. The two of them, talking and hanging out and learning things together is the highlight of the book.

There were a few times I was worried about how it would all turn out. There should be, this type of book needs some tension. But I liked the ending, even if it was maybe a little too pat.

Do you need to love sci-fi to read Project Hail Mary? No. It flows easy, the main characters are likeable, and it’s a hopeful book. On the other hand, if you’re going to be bored by the science details, I’m sure it’ll be a movie sooner or later.

I went into this book knowing nothing and was so glad I did. Everything was a surprise which made it a fantastic read for me. A lot of the science was beyond my understanding, but that didn't take anything away from the heartfelt and funny aspects of the story. I recommend going into this book blind and just enjoying the ride!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thank you Ballantine and Netgalley for the gifted copy of this book.

WOW. What a book. Scifi is not my normal genre, but I LOVED The Martian (the book and the movie), so I was excited about the synopsis of this one. Let me tell you, it was better than I anticipated.

Yes, there was a lot of science but a) it was well explained and b) it wasn't all SUPER necessary to understand. You could still get the point of what was going on even if you didn't "get" all of the super science "stuff" that was going on.

I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but Dr. Grace's story was so intriguing and fascinating. I was sucked in from the very first page, and binged this book while at the beach. The alternating timelines between Dr. Grace on the ship, and all of the events leading up to that point worked perfectly. The characters were great, and the tension was palpable.

This better be turned into a movie or tv series. I would watch it in a SECOND.

“War, famine, pestilence and death. Astrophage is literally the apocalypse. The Hail Mary is all we have now.”

High school teacher Ryland Grace wakes up alone in a white room. There are robotic arms hovering over him. Grace has no idea where he is or why. As he begins to piece things together, he finds himself “...in a small lab, wearing a bedsheet toga, with no idea who I am, and no help other than a mindless computer and two mummified roommates.” He doesn’t even know that he is Ryland Grace, but it turns out that he is on a space ship called the Hail Mary and he is the man we are counting on to save the world.

This book was a much fun as “The Martian” as Grace goes from crisis to crisis. Part of the book is set on Earth and explains the threat to Earth and how Grace wound up on the Hail Mary. Most of the book is set in space. As in “The Martian”, there is a lot of math and physics involved. Grace is constantly calculating something or other. Fortunately, he is not completely alone. Rocky is a terrific character and friend, although he sometimes finds Grace frustrating. “Grumpy. Angry. Stupid. How long since last sleep, question?” This will make a great buddy movie, with an extremely satisfying ending.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Andy Weir needs to step away from the math. Where The Martian had understandable connections between the science and the drama, Project Hail Mary includes so much unnecessary math and science that it threw off the balance of plot, character development, and pacing. A book about saving the earth somehow lacked any real urgency or intensity once the main character makes it into space. It is a disappointment because the idea for the story is compelling, but it was executed poorly.

Andy Weir has done it again and has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The movie, The Martian, was awesome, but as usual, the book was better. I hope they make Project Hail Mary into a movie, too!

This book grabs you from the very first page!

Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship light years from Earth. The problem is he doesn't remember who he is or what he's supposed to do. But whatever it is, it must be important, or he wouldn't have been sent on this mission with two other astronauts. Unfortunately, neither of them survived the journey, so he is all alone. And he is Earth's last hope for survival.

We go from there to flashbacks on earth as he starts to remember what happened and why he is there. There is a lot of action in this book as well as a lot of science and math, but don't let the science and math scare you away. The story is so worth it. I loved this story and was very happy with how it ended. I don't want to say more, because I don't want to spoil anything, but this is a great, heartwarming space story about bravery and friendship.

What an absolutely amazing book. This jumps between "current day" for Dr Grace, as well as the preparation for the mission to save planet Earth.

I wanted to love this as much as The Martian, but I didn't. By the end of the book, though, I was fully hooked. The plethora of scientific information at the beginning was just overwhelming to me. I know that's my problem. It took nearly half the story to get me engaged - with the story and with the characters. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because the second half of the story was worth it.

The gist of the story is that something is eating our sun. Its energy is depleting so quickly that earth will cease to support life in a short time. Scientists gear up to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it (this is the heavy science part). In a "hail mary" effort, they send a crew into space to find a solution and save the world. Ryland Grace is a last minute, unwilling part of the crew.

The story begins when he wakes up on the ship, not knowing where he is, or why, and discovers the rest of the crew dead and mummified. He is alone with no memory. The narrative goes back and forth from the past to the present as Ryland gradually remembers his mission.

I can't say much more without spoilers, just that it becomes an engaging, interesting, and fun read from this point.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC. My apologies that it took so long to review.

This was just such a fun book! Which seems odd to say, because I'm not a science fiction fan, but I loved The Martian, so it was natural for me to grab this one as well. It's not The Martian, let me make that perfectly clear. But it's a perfectly acceptable, thoroughly entertaining book, with the same threads of humor and personality that sold me on The Martian. I adored Ryland Grace's character - he was funny, humble, relatable, sympathetic; a "real" guy. I'm not usually a fan of constant flashbacks throughout a book, but it worked here, worked really well, in fact, and was done in a manner that made sense and did cause me to wonder exactly what time frame I was reading about. I'm a bit on the fence about Rocky - I love the idea of Grace meeting and joining forces with a life form from another planet, but something about the whole thing just didn't quite hit me right. There were some great moments between Grace and Rocky, and much of the storyline hinged on their relationship. There's just some unknown something that made Rocky less than apealing to me. In reading other reviews, I'm pretty much overrulled here; most people loved Rocky's character, and I'm okay with that.

I was also deeply appreciative that the "climate change" premise was done in a way that wasn't preachy or tried to make an activist out of me. It was interesting and informative, and honestly thought-provoking, without being soap-boxy or scolding. So bonus points from me on that.

Overall, a fabulously entertaining read; one I would recommend to non-science fiction people who just want to enjoy a great book!

Andy Weir's latest novel, "Project Hail Mary" gives "The Martian" a run for its money. It's a thriller, a buddy comedy, and science fiction book all rolled in to one. You won't be able to set this book down.

Fantastic! Really enjoyed this story of a junior high science teacher left in a position to save earth. The story has the math and science we all loved from THE MARTIAN with an added element that is truly creative and fun. Highly recommend!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

What a joy this was to read, and for me the best book yet by this talented storyteller. Lots of interesting science and great plot twists. The backstory of how our protagonist ended up on this spaceship is told well throughout the book by a series of backflashes as he recovers old memories. And you can't help but chuckle at the Sylvester Stallone references the author makes.

When Ryland Grace wakes up and finds himself on a spaceship with 2 dead roommates and no memory of who he is, why he’s there, or how he got there, he certainly never expected to find out he’s on a mission to save the earth. As his memory falteringly returns and he discovers he may not be as alone as he thought, he will tax his abilities—both physical and mental—and his ship to give humanity a fighting chance.

I haven’t been as captivated by a book as I was by this one in a long time. I read it in 2 days, which is at least half the time I’d normally read a book of this length, because I was so enthralled and just kept wanting to come back to it. The story was creative, the characters were engaging, and the math and science were…well, they were math and science. I zoned out a few times when it got a little over my head and scanned the text for the spot where the point would be made. Those moments didn’t bother me, though—I just nodded and moved on.

The story tends to go back and forth between the present time on the ship and the recent past back on Earth. The past scenes serve to show both us and Grace why he’s way out in space. Even when the reader thinks they know everything necessary from that time (or at least thinks they can infer it), there’s a little more to know. Personally, I liked the past scenes as much as the present. It was interesting to see Weir’s take on what could happen if catastrophe were looming and humanity was forced to work together or be wiped out.

Understandably, there are not a whole lot of characters in this book, especially those that are given much “screen” time. There’s Grace, of course, who may know more than seems reasonable for his past, but I enjoyed the book enough to not be bothered by it. He’s got a cheesy sense of humor and a determination that doesn’t preclude him from having moments of doubt. Fortunately, he has a counterpart through much of the book who spurs him on when he’s ready to give up, and vice versa. Rocky, along with the friendship that develops between Rocky and Grace, is certainly a highlight of the book. There’s not a whole lot more I can say without giving at least minor spoilers (though odds are pretty good if you read other reviews you’ll be spoiled anyway, as many people don’t see the explanation of Rocky as a spoiler…and maybe it’s not, but I’d rather be cautious). There are so many times when the interactions between Grace and Rocky made me laugh out loud. It’s so great! Also, the ending—never saw it coming!

The question that seems to be on most people’s minds is whether or not this book is too similar to Weir’s first book, The Martian. There are certainly some similarities, but the plot is very different. Whatney’s main conflict is simply survival, then if possible a return to Earth. Grace’s main conflict is to do the science to figure out how to save Earth, and…well, for a while, at least, that’s pretty much it. They’re really only similar in that they’re both one man working alone in space. Some will say that Grace is a copy of Whatney. I have read The Martian once and seen the movie twice, so I don’t think I know it enough to speak to that. They approach problems and science the same way, so I guess there’s that. I also want to mention, for those who are curious, that there is way less language in this book than there was in The Martian. Grace himself only uses “fake” swear words, so the only real language comes from the past scenes, and it’s considerably light. Some might be interested to know, however, that this book takes an evolution-as-fact approach to the universe, evolution being a very heavy topic in the latter half or so of the book. It’s very common for sci-fi to be written with that worldview, but it is pushed pretty heavily. Overall, though, I highly recommend this book to anyone who even remotely enjoys sci-fi books.

I had my doubts for this book since I wasn't a fan of his last book but this one was much better! I loved reading this one and couldn't put it down!

Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no memories and two dead crewmates for company. He doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t know what he’s doing there, and he doesn’t know what happened to him. Orbiting an unknown planet, he struggles to figure it all out.

What he eventually discovers is that Earth is facing an apocalypse like none it has ever known – one that will extinguish all life on it! Faced with solving this impossible dilemma, he must figure out how to save Earth before it’s too late. Can one man with no memories accomplish this task?

I don’t want to reveal anything more about the plot, as it would be a big spoiler to say what the threat was and how Ryland attempts to solve it. However, the threat is not something one would typically expect in a science fiction novel. It’s a threat unlike any other yet is scientifically plausible. What this threat does is place the Earth in a bind, where the clock is ticking down and as time passes, the chaos and eventual extinction on Earth becomes starkly clearer and ever direr.

Also, there is a very specific gamechanger that completely shifts the story in an unexpected direction. This gamechanger is so important, without it, Grace might not be able to solve this difficult conundrum. These changes introduce a new dimension to the storytelling. It’s a delightful addition that spotlights Ryland’s prowess with science and challenges his problem-solving abilities like never before.

It all comes together and leads into a finale that is monumental, powerful, and moving. It placed a firm exclamation point on this entire endeavor by bringing Ryland’s story full circle and completing his journey, both literally and metaphorically, in a highly satisfying way.

As Ryland slowly recovers his memories that are spurred by his efforts to save the planet, they occur in the form of flashbacks. Through these recollections, the mystery of the threat facing Earth is slowly revealed. From Ryland’s personality, his former profession, and his current scientific specialties, each event leads him to slowly unravel the puzzle of this situation.

This premise sets up much of the intrigue surrounding this entire novel. As this novel is told directly from Ryland’s point of view, the reader experiences everything as Ryland discovers it. This makes the reading much more personal and placed me firmly inside the character’s mind. From page one all the way through the end, I became this astronaut stranded in a distant galaxy with no idea where I am or why.

I felt his terror at not knowing what is going on, the burden it placed upon my lone shoulders, and the disappointments of failed scientific experiments gone awry. But I also experienced the victories, large and small, of each win he achieved and reveled in the enthusiasm of a scientific mind applying all his growing knowledge to the task at hand.

By the time I got to the end of the book, I fully understood Ryland and his journey, both mental and physical. It is the final recollections that truly illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of his character as a human being. This gives Ryland extra depth as a character and places his actions, both from the past and the present, into a realistic light. It also fully demonstrates what happened to him and why, placing everything before it in a new context.

We also get to meet other characters in these flashbacks, such as other scientists from across the world. Some of them are astronaut candidates, others from different scientific specialties necessary to make this project successfully work.

But none of them is as important as Eva Stratt, head of the Petrova Taskforce. She is the lynchpin under which all the Earth’s resources are combined. Appointed by the United Nations to spearhead this crucial effort, she is the primary decision-maker. Her ability to cut through all the red tape, the politics, and her willingness to consider what would be considered outlandish ideas and marshal resources is uncanny.

Her no-nonsense personality, blunt statements, and boundless authority are frequently hilarious and always purposeful, keeping an eye on the larger goal and not tolerating fools. What she wants for Project Hail Mary, she gets, and heaven help anyone who tries to get in her way.

Science is a big character in this novel. The story is grounded in the hard sciences, such as microbiology, chemistry, physics and so many more. Without it, this novel probably wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. But the author, as he has done before, smoothly integrates it into the narrative.

Even the more speculative science utilized in the things Ryland encounters is still grounded in reality. It’s effortlessly blended into the novel and explained so that even the novice reader can understand what’s going on. In that way, a reader can easily follow the science to see how it importantly contributes to this novel and comprehend how it works.

The use of science and how much Ryland appreciates and understands is awe-inspiring. Ryland’s sense of amazement and wonder at what he encounters out there in the depths of space never gets old. It infuses the story with a high level of enthusiasm and optimism, no matter what is happening. That feeling is completely infectious and it propels the novel at a pace that makes it highly difficult to put down.

Even though the fate of the entire Earth is threatened by this event, it’s not surprising to see all its countries team up to solve this problem using that can-do spirit and positivity. They’re united under one banner and one common interest: self-preservation of the planet at any cost.

Even with the same purpose, some countries and corporations see these efforts as a way to play politics and try to gain an advantage for themselves instead of selflessly champion this mutual cause. It’s sad to know that this kind of infighting could potentially hamper these efforts if this novel were to happen in real life.

But this novel also shows how deftly one shared cause can benefit the planet, coming together and sharing resources without politics or governments getting in the way. With scientists working together from across the globe, they demonstrate to the world that the path to success is to play nicely and find common ground in the process. Rising above petty selfish needs in service to humanity, scientists lead the way. It’s heartwarming and beautiful to see this in the way the story unfurls, infusing this story with hope against desperate odds. As in so many scenarios, scientists are the real heroes here.

There are also some innovative ideas at play in this novel that would be considered outlandish if they were tried in the real world. But, as Stratt states, everything is on the table in service to the common cause. These ideas are still grounded in real science, though. For example, ideas such as utilizing the Sahara Desert to harness solar power for one of many projects critical to this endeavor’s success.

This story takes place in the near future, like “The Martian” and “Artemis”. Like those, it talks place in a plausible time to come, built upon what we already know and projects forward in time. It retains many aspects of what we experience currently and develops a future that we can see and imagine. But it’s not so far off in the future that we can’t recognize it and find it to be so dissimilar from our own lives.

There are inevitable comparisons to “The Martian”, the author’s first blockbuster novel. There are even some commonalities between that phenomenal novel and this one. A man alone, with deep knowledge of science to help him survive against the great unknown. A hopeless situation and sarcastic wit and humor that is revealed along the way. But that’s where the comparisons end.

Like his other novels “The Martian” and “Artemis”, it’s grounded in hard science fiction while also adroitly integrating the science seamlessly into the novel. Like another hard science fiction author I enjoy, Peter Cawdron, the science only enhances the story and made me appreciate it that much more.

This novel is as good as “The Martian” and superior to that novel in many aspects. It represents a maturation of the author’s abilities here. He successfully builds upon his already burgeoning skill set to craft a compelling story and expand his range to include other elements he hasn’t used before. With intriguing characters, a riveting storyline, real science, and a hero to root for, the end result is the author’s best novel to date.