Project Hail Mary
- 16 hrs 10 min
- Audie Audiobook of the Year, 2022
- 4.7 ★ on Audible (286k ratings)
Peter’s Verdict
A lone astronaut, a mystery he has to solve, and a narrator who nails both the humor and the heart. It’s funny, tense and more emotional than you’d expect, and it’s one of my top picks for science fiction on audio.
Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship with no idea who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns in pieces, he learns his mission: stop a threat that could end life on Earth. That’s all I’ll say, because working out what’s going on is half the fun.
This is a book about solving problems with science, and Ray Porter makes the science fun. His comic timing suits Ryland, an earnest and slightly nervous hero who is quite different from the sarcastic Mark Watney in Andy Weir’s The Martian. The jokes land, and the explanations stay clear and easy to follow.
The production is a highlight too. A few subtle sound effects add to the story without getting in the way, and they make some of the book’s key moments even better in audio.
You’ll realize it’s midnight and you’ve been listening for four hours straight.
Porter is just as good when the story turns emotional, and it does, more than you’d expect from a book about physics. This Audible Studios production won the 2022 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, and it also took the Science Fiction category.
Want more? See our best sci-fi audiobooks of all time.
Listen if…
- You like science problem-solving with a lot of humor
- You enjoyed The Martian
- You’ve seen the movie and want the full story
Skip it if…
- You prefer slow, literary science fiction: this one is fast and plot-driven
- You don’t enjoy science talk: there’s a lot of problem-solving
Where to listen to Project Hail Mary
This is an Audible Studios production, so Audible is the place to hear it.
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