Project Hail Mary
2021 novel by Andy Weir
Project Hail Mary is a 2021 hard science fiction novel by American writer Andy Weir. It centers on science teacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up aboard a spacecraft, afflicted with amnesia.
Project Hail Mary received generally positive reviews and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The unabridged audiobook was read by Ray Porter and won the 2022 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year.
The book was adapted into a film of the same name starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and James Ortiz (as the voice of, and one of the five puppeteers for, Rocky), with Drew Goddard writing (his second Andy Weir adaptation) and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directing. It was released in theaters on March 20, 2026.
As of the week ending July 11, 2026, the book has been featured on the New York Times' best-seller list for 57 weeks in total.
Plot
In the near future, scientists observe the Sun dimming at an exponential rate, coinciding with the formation of a dim infrared line from the Sun to Venus (dubbed the Petrova line after its first observer, Dr Irina Petrova). As the dimming will cause a catastrophic ice age within thirty years, the world's governments appoint former European Space Agency administrator Eva Stratt to lead a task force to solve the problem, giving her almost unilateral authority. A space probe is sent to Venus to investigate the makeup of the Petrova line.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Project Hail Mary” is 2021 novel by Andy Weir. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Project, Hail and Mary, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “2021 novel by Andy Weir” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q106852836. VIAF identifies the subject as 3803162422744232460002. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021, 2022 and 2026.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Project Hail Mary”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Project Hail Mary primary sources, Project Hail Mary archive and Project research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Project Hail Mary”?
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- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Project Hail Mary” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.