Project Hail Mary : a novel / Andy Weir.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Now a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this "propulsive" ( Entertainment Weekly ), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science--from the author of The Martian .

HUGO AWARD FINALIST * NEW YORK TIMES READER PICK: 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY * ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST BOOKS: Parade, Newsweek, New York Public Library, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal

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?

Hailed by USA Today as "an epic story of redemption, discovery, and cool speculative sci-fi," Project Hail Mary is an irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Chapter 1 "What's two plus two?" Something about the question irritates me. I'm tired. I drift back to sleep. A few minutes pass, then I hear it again. "What's two plus two?" The soft, feminine voice lacks emotion and the pronunciation is identical to the previous time she said it. It's a computer. A computer is hassling me. I'm even more irritated now. "Lrmln," I say. I'm surprised. I meant to say "Leave me alone"--a completely reasonable response in my opinion--­but I failed to speak. "Incorrect," says the computer. "What's two plus two?" Time for an experiment. I'll try to say hello. "Hlllch?" I say. "Incorrect. What's two plus two?" What's going on? I want to find out, but I don't have much to work with. I can't see. I can't hear anything other than the computer. I can't even feel. No, that's not true. I feel something. I'm lying down. I'm on something soft. A bed. I think my eyes are closed. That's not so bad. All I have to do is open them. I try, but nothing happens. Why can't I open my eyes? Open. Aaaand . . . open! Open, dang it! Ooh! I felt a wiggle that time. My eyelids moved. I felt it. Open! My eyelids creep up and blinding light sears my retinas. "Glunn!" I say. I keep my eyes open with sheer force of will. Everything is white with shades of pain. "Eye movement detected," my tormenter says. "What's two plus two?" The whiteness lessens. My eyes are adjusting. I start to see shapes, but nothing sensible yet. Let's see . . . can I move my hands? No. Feet? Also no. But I can move my mouth, right? I've been saying stuff. Not stuff that makes sense, but it's something. "Fffr." "Incorrect. What's two plus two?" The shapes start to make sense. I'm in a bed. It's kind of . . . oval-­shaped. LED lights shine down on me. Cameras in the ceiling watch my every move. Creepy though that is, I'm much more concerned about the robot arms. The two brushed-­steel armatures hang from the ceiling. Each has an assortment of disturbingly penetration-­looking tools where hands should be. Can't say I like the look of that. "Ffff . . . oooh . . . rrrr," I say. Will that do? "Incorrect. What's two plus two?" Dang it. I summon all my willpower and inner strength. Also, I'm starting to panic a little. Good. I use that too. "Fffoouurr," I finally say. "Correct." Thank God. I can talk. Sort of. I breathe a sigh of relief. Wait--­I just controlled my breathing. I take another breath. On purpose. My mouth is sore. My throat is sore. But it's my soreness. I have control. I'm wearing a breathing mask. It's tight to my face and connected to a hose that goes behind my head. Can I get up? No. But I can move my head a little. I look down at my body. I'm naked and connected to more tubes than I can count. There's one in each arm, one in each leg, one in my "gentlemen's equipment," and two that disappear under my thigh. I'm guessing one of them is up where the sun doesn't shine. That can't be good. Also, I'm covered with electrodes. The sensor-­type stickers like for an EKG, but they're all over the place. Well, at least they're only on my skin instead of jammed into me. "Wh--­" I wheeze. I try again. "Where . . . am . . . I?" "What's the cube root of eight?" the computer asks. "Where am I?" I say again. This time it's easier. "Incorrect. What's the cube root of eight?" I take a deep breath and speak slowly. "Two times e to the two-­i-­pi over three." "Incorrect. What's the cube root of eight?" But I wasn't incorrect. I just wanted to see how smart the computer was. Answer: not very. "Two," I say. "Correct." I listen for follow-­up questions, but the computer seems satisfied. I'm tired. I drift off to sleep again. I wake up. How long was I out? It must have been a while because I feel rested. I open my eyes without any effort. That's progress. I try to move my fingers. They wiggle as instructed. All right. Now we're getting somewhere. "Hand movement detected," says the computer. "Remain still." "What? Why--­" The robot arms come for me. They move fast. Before I know it, they've removed most of the tubes from my body. I didn't feel a thing. Though my skin is kind of numb anyway. Only three tubes remain: an IV in my arm, a tube up my butt, and a catheter. Those latter two are kind of the signature items I wanted removed, but okay. I raise my right arm and let it fall back to the bed. I do the same for my left. They feel heavy as heck. I repeat the process a few times. My arms are muscular. That doesn't make sense. I assume I've had some massive medical problem and been in this bed for a while. Otherwise, why would they have me hooked up to all the stuff? Shouldn't there be muscle atrophy? And shouldn't there be doctors? Or maybe the sounds of a hospital? And what's with this bed? It's not a rectangle, it's an oval and I think it's mounted to the wall instead of the floor. "Take . . ." I trail off. Still kind of tired. "Take the tubes out. . . ." The computer doesn't respond. I do a few more arm lifts. I wiggle my toes. I'm definitely getting better. I tilt my ankles back and forth. They're working. I raise my knees up. My legs are well toned too. Not bodybuilder thick, but still too healthy for someone on the verge of death. I'm not sure how thick they should be, though. I press my palms to the bed and push. My torso rises. I'm actually getting up! It takes all my strength but I soldier on. The bed rocks gently as I move. It's not a normal bed, that's for sure. As I raise my head higher up, I see the head and foot of the elliptical bed are attached to strong-­looking wall mounts. It's kind of a rigid hammock. Weird. Soon, I'm sitting on my butt tube. Not the most comfortable sensation, but when is a tube up your butt ever comfortable? I have a better view of things now. This is no ordinary hospital room. The walls look plastic and the whole room is round. Stark-­white light comes from ceiling-­mounted LED lights. There are two more hammock-­like beds mounted to the walls, each with their own patient. We are arranged in a triangle and the roof-­mounted Arms of Harassment are in the center of the ceiling. I guess they take care of all three of us. I can't see much of my compatriots--­they've sunken into their bedding like I had. There's no door. Just a ladder on the wall leading to . . . a hatch? It's round and has a wheel-­handle in the center. Yeah, it's got to be some kind of hatch. Like on a submarine. Maybe the three of us have a contagious disease? Maybe this is an airtight quarantine room? There are small vents here and there on the wall and I feel a little airflow. It could be a controlled environment. I slide one leg off over the edge of my bed, which makes it wobble. The robot arms rush ­toward me. I flinch, but they stop short and hover nearby. I think they're ready to grab me if I fall. "Full-­body motion detected," the computer says. "What's your name?" "Pfft, seriously?" I ask. "Incorrect. Attempt number two: What's your name?" I open my mouth to answer. "Uh . . ." "Incorrect. Attempt number three: What's your name?" Only now does it occur to me: I don't know who I am. I don't know what I do. I don't remember anything at all. "Um," I say. "Incorrect." A wave of fatigue grips me. It's kind of pleasant, actually. The computer must have sedated me through the IV line. ". . . waaaait . . ." I mumble. The robot arms lay me gently back down to the bed. Excerpted from Project Hail Mary: A Novel by Andy Weir All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Bestseller Weir (The Martian) delivers a suspenseful portrait of human ingenuity and resilience in this powerful narrative of a desperate effort to save Earth. Ryland Grace awakens from a coma with no memories of his identity or how he came to be alone on a spaceship. Weir creates instant engagement by toggling between Grace's efforts to make sense of his present circumstances and flashbacks that gradually paint an unsettling picture of his life before. Grace worked as a microbiologist until the negative response to his theory that water may not be required to sustain alien life drove him from his research to a job teaching middle school science. That career is disrupted, however, after astronomers discover that the sun is losing heat, imperiling the future of humanity. The cause seems to be a microscopic life-form that feeds on the star's energy, and Grace is drafted into the international team of scientists working to combat the impending catastrophe. Weir cleverly doles out pieces of Grace's backstory and information about the mission that landed him in space, tossing in curveballs and judiciously using humor to break the tension as the story builds to an unexpectedly moving ending. This is a winner. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary. (May)

Booklist Review

For those who found Artemis (2017) to be something of a letdown after his much-loved The Martian (2014), Weir returns with gusto. The sun is dying, abruptly and rapidly. Within decades, humanity is going to be wiped out. Survival of the species depends on a lone astronaut who is far from home, unsure of where he is or how to tackle the monumental task that lies before him. Weir's scientific and technical savvy lends the proceedings an air of authenticity, and his portrayal of an ordinary man full of fear and self-doubt thrust into the role of humanity's last hope strikes just the right note. In many ways, this is a thematic sequel to The Martian; both are stories of individuals battling for survival against extraordinary odds and dealing with loneliness and desperation. In Artemis, it seemed like Weir was trying too hard, but here his writing flows naturally, and his characters and dialogue crackle with energy. Weir is no longer the self-published wunderkind of The Martian; with this novel, he takes place as a genuine star in the mainstream sf world.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Weir returns to the style and themes of his mega-hit debut, The Martian.

Kirkus Book Review

Weir's latest is a page-turning interstellar thrill ride that follows a junior high school teacher--turned--reluctant astronaut at the center of a desperate mission to save humankind from a looming extinction event. Ryland Grace was a once-promising molecular biologist who wrote a controversial academic paper contesting the assumption that life requires liquid water. Now disgraced, he works as a junior high science teacher in San Francisco. His previous theories, however, make him the perfect researcher for a multinational task force that's trying to understand how and why the sun is suddenly dimming at an alarming rate. A barely detectable line of light that rises from the sun's north pole and curves toward Venus is inexplicably draining the star of power. According to scientists, an "instant ice age" is all but inevitable within a few decades. All the other stars in proximity to the sun seem to be suffering with the same affliction--except Tau Ceti. An unwilling last-minute replacement as part of a three-person mission heading to Tau Ceti in hopes of finding an answer, Ryland finds himself awakening from an induced coma on the spaceship with two dead crewmates and a spotty memory. With time running out for humankind, he discovers an alien spacecraft in the vicinity of his ship with a strange traveler on a similar quest. Although hard scientific speculation fuels the storyline, the real power lies in the many jaw-dropping plot twists, the relentless tension, and the extraordinary dynamic between Ryland and the alien (whom he nicknames Rocky because of its carapace of oxidized minerals and metallic alloy bones). Readers may find themselves consuming this emotionally intense and thematically profound novel in one stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed sitting. An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship--nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.