Andy Weir

media release: In 2014, Andy Weir published his brilliant debut novel The Martian. Hailed by critics and fans alike as a new science fiction classic, the book spent a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list (including nineteen weeks at number one), sold millions of copies in North America alone, and was adapted into the hit Matt Damon/Ridley Scott film of the same name. With his second novel, the New York Times bestselling Artemis (2017), Weir crafted a near-future crime caper that USA Today called “an action-packed techno-thriller of the first order,” and of which the Wall Street Journal raved, “Weir revitalizes the lunar-colony scenario.”

With PROJECT HAIL MARY (Ballantine Books; Now in Paperback October 4, 2022), Weir stormed back on the scene; the book spent more than four months on the New York Times bestseller lists, receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike and appearing on numerous “best of the year” lists.

As the book opens, our hero Ryland Grace awakens to find himself on a spaceship, with his memories missing and nothing but two corpses for company. He soon discovers that he is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish.

Millions of miles from home, 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 now up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species…except that he might not be as alone as he thought.

PROJECT HAIL MARY brilliantly delivers exactly what Weir’s fans crave—a thrilling tale of an astronaut “sciencing” his way past impossible problems and terrifying odds, with the future of humanity at stake—even as it takes us to places The Martian never dreamed of going. Among its many surprises is a certain unforgettable character who hundreds of thousands of readers have already fallen for—and who you’ll find yourself rooting for in ways you never imagined possible.

Packed with big ideas, smart scientific speculation, and delightful plot twists—and with Weir’s signature sense of humor animating every page—PROJECT HAIL MARY is at once irresistible fun from start-to-finish, and a triumph of science fiction from a new master.

Sharing our excitement is movie star Ryan Gosling, who is set to star in the adaptation. MGM snapped up the film rights on his behalf, with Phil Lord & Chris Miller (of Lego Movie fame) onboard to direct, Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard returning to adapt the script, and a producing team that includes Amy Pascal, former head of Sony studios.

About the Author

Andy Weir built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full-time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in Illinois.