Andy Weir Quote
Hail Mary Project -or Project Hail Mary, in English—is a hard science fiction novel published in 2021. The work was written by American author and former computer programmer Andy Weir. Reviews from the press and readers were mostly positive. Likewise, the book was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Awards for best novel.
As with Weir's debut book —The Martian (2014) -, the film rights to the play were acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Similarly, Drew Goddard will be the person behind the direction of the adaptation of Hail Mary Project. According to official statements from the film house, Ryan Gosling will give life to the protagonist of the film.
Synopsis of Hail Mary Project
About the plot context
Planet Earth exists in the not too distant future. Nevertheless, the survival of the world hangs by a thread: a group of scientists realized that some strange black spots run across the Petrova line from the star king to the planet venus. These unusual points are capable of storing large charges of energy inside. This fact results in a daunting drawback.
It seems that the energy that the mysterious black dots store comes from the sun. Later in the plot, these dark spots are known as astrophages. These elements reproduce with such rapidity that its energetic effects could threaten all life within the earth. To solve the catastrophe, another group of scientists created the Hail Mary Project.
What is the Hail Mary Project?
The three greatest experts on the planet travel in a ship to the Tau Ceti solar system. This is located 12 light years from the starting point of departure. The crew's mission is to reverse the solar darkness that promises to destroy what exists on the blue planet. However, the trio's mission is jeopardized when the ship fails, causing only one of them to wake up from the coma imposed for the trip.
Es here where the real protagonist enters of this story, ryland grace. Upon awakening, the subject can't remember his name, what he should do or why he finds himself in a place like that, and, furthermore, surrounded by two sleeping people. In this sense, The fate of humanity depends on a man with a severe case of amnesia.
Construction of the argument
This is a novel full of mysteries and easter eggs waiting for an attentive reader to discover them. To start, only the name of the work contains an interesting fact. It could be assumed that Hail Mary —Ave María, in Spanish— refers to a religious figure. However, this is neither as simple nor as straightforward as it seems.
Actually, Hail Mary is the name given to a strategy used in American football. Es a desperate measure which takes place during the last minutes of a game. What could a famous sport have to do with a space mission? It's very simple: Hail Mary speaks of the desperation of human beings to reverse the odds and emerge victorious from an apparent catastrophic end.
About the structure of the work
Hail Mary Project is a contemporary science fiction novel. This means that, despite being hard and explaining physical and mathematical data during the plot, its chapters are short, and do not focus on the oppressive blackness of space solitude. In addition, the author uses an understandable literary language.
Performer
Ryland Grace is a figure who stand out in the novel, and not only because it is the leading role, but because he is a very human character. This amnesiac scientist finds himself surrounded by the fears and doubts that earn him his position as the sole conscious crew member on a ship headed for disaster. On the other hand, Grace can also be a coward.
Still, this is not a person who sits by and watches terrible events take place. Despite his misgivings and hesitations he stands up and faces himself to get ahead. Ryland Grace and his team are exposed to enormous danger, and this fills the protagonist with uncertainty. However, contradictorily, it is precisely for this reason that he maintains a strong sense of humor and exceptional spirit.
amnesia
A curious fact within Weir's narrative is that he decided to create his protagonist within an amnesiac outbreak. That is to say: the hero of the story is on a suicide mission and can't remember. However, this formula is excellent for introducing characters, landscapes, concepts and problems within the book.
Ryland Grace is a reliable storyteller. He really rediscovers everything around him, which in turn makes the reader rediscover it too. During the first few pages, the work can be slow and seem to explain things too much. However, as Grace remembers who she is, the action becomes much more constant.
About the author, Andrew Taylor Weir
Andy Weir
Andrew Taylor Weir was born in 1972, in Davis, California, United States. He is about an American novelist and programmer whose success has not gone unnoticed. Weir studied programming at the University of San Diego, but did not graduate. His father was a physicist, and his mother, an electrical engineer. With these references, the author grew up surrounded by technology.
From very early on he was a great fan of works by science fiction classics by authors such as Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke. These and other writers inspired him to begin drawing works within the fantastic genre and science fiction. Andy Weir has received several literary accoladesand Goodreads Choice Award for the best science fiction or the John W. Campbell Award to the best new writer.
Other titles by Andy Weir
- The Egg — The egg (2009);
- Theft of Pride — pride robbery (2010);
- The Martian — El marciano (2014);
- Sagebrush (2017);
- James moriarty (2017)