A Novel
by Andy Weir
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Royal Navy officer and politician (1758-1834)
Recommended by 12 notable people, including Bill Gates and Stewart Brand
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See customer reviews on Amazon →Project Hail Mary opens with an amnesiac astronaut waking on a spaceship, and the fun is watching him piece together his identity and apocalyptic mission. The book is driven by scientific puzzles—every crisis met with experimentation and calculation—but it’s buoyed by a warmth that arrives with an unexpected alien ally. What works best is a clever, can’t-put-it-down plot laced with optimism. The limitation: for some readers, the frequent, detailed science asides will feel like lectures that stall the momentum.
This summary and audience guidance are AI-generated from the book's description and its recommendation history, last updated May 2026. Recommendations, quotes and sources elsewhere on this page come from published material and are not generated.
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE MARTIAN • Soon to be 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. HUGO AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE YEAR’S BEST BOOKS: Bill Gates, GatesNotes, New York Public Library, Parade, Newsweek, Polygon, Shelf Awareness, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal • New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century “An epic story of redemption, discovery and cool speculative sci-fi.”—USA…
Difficulty:hard
Length:497 pages (Long)
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View available editions on AmazonWhy recommended
Recommended by 20 sources and appears in Books Recommended by Bill Gates, Books Recommended by Founders, and Books Recommended by Writers.
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Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
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Consider Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Recommended by 101 sources.
“A sweeping narrative history of Homo sapiens from the Cognitive Revolution to the present. Harari argues that what makes humans dominate the planet is not physical strength but collective myths: shared fictions like money, religion, and nations that allow millions of strangers to cooperate. The book moves fast through 70,000 years, making big, debatable claims about agriculture, empire, capitalism, and happiness. It is less a history textbook than a provocative essay in chronological form, and best read as an argument rather than a reference.”
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
