Cover of Project Hail Mary

Book · 2021 · hard science-fiction

Project Hail Mary

A Novel

by Andy Weir · Recommended by 17 people on 12 podcasts

#134 of 16,787 books, ranked by how many different people bring it up on podcasts

mentions
33
people
17
podcasts
12
episodes
17
critical mentions
0

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From The Martian to Project Hail Mary, his stories are built on real physics, real constraints, and clever problem solving.
Neil deGrasse Tyson · StarTalk Radio · Apr 2026 Listen at 15:37

What they say about it

Grouped from 33 mentions
  • Connection to The Martian“the guy who wrote The Martian”
    6
  • Discusses the author Andy Weir“Andy Weir's latest book”
    5

The best things said about it

6 of 33 · every mention
Recommended
Project Hail Mary oh yeah I think I read it on your recommendation that's right can vouch very good I think it's the best fiction I've ever read definitely the best sci-fi I've ever read I think it's the best fiction I've ever read.
Ben Gilbert Acquired · Dec 2022
Recommended
But you know what? I actually think people should read science fiction and putting out there, but it was one of my favorite books I read this year in my newborns. It's Project Hail Mary uh by Andy Weir. He's a guy who wrote The Martian. It was one of the most plausible first contact theories.
Emily Jashinsky Breaking Points · Feb 2026
Recommended
I really like the martian and the follow-up to that project hail mary came out from andy weir i just bought it that's my holiday reading it's uh it's great i really enjoyed it.
Jason Calacanis This Week in Startups · Dec 2021
Recommended
There's a group called Gravity Labs that's looking at making real a technology that was described in Hail Mary, Andy Weir's latest book.
On the show StarTalk Radio · Apr 2023
Discussed
So, that was my course correction in Project Hail Mary was, "Okay, you can't have a you can't have the protagonist be unlikable.
Andy Weir The Book Review · Mar 2026
Discussed
I've been reading because I never read it the Andy Wear Project Hail Mary book. Yeah. It's awesome. So good.
On the show All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg · Aug 2025

Where and when it comes up

Mentions per year

Counted mentions by episode date. Our archive is deeper for recent years; 2026 so far.

How it comes up

Recommended means the speaker tells listeners to read it.

Most mentions, by podcast

Top 9 of 12 shows

17 people who brought it up

Most recommendations first

Also: Chris Williamson · David Perell · Dwight Garner · Ian Crossland · Shaan Puri

Why people recommend it

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel about an astronaut who wakes up with amnesia on a desperate interstellar mission to save Earth from an extinction-level solar threat. Emily Jashinsky recommended the novel on Breaking Points as one of her favorite recent reads, praising its plausible first-contact scenario. Orin Cass suggested the audiobook version on The Ezra Klein Show, highlighting the author's previous science fiction success. On StarTalk Radio, Ariel Ekblaw discussed real-world technology developments inspired by the novel in collaboration with Gravity Labs. Lex Fridman enthusiastically recommended the book to Tim Dodd on the Lex Fridman Podcast, assuring him that he would love it. Ben Gilbert called the title the best fiction and science fiction he had ever read during an Acquired holiday special, echoing David Rosenthal who had previously featured it as a carve-out recommendation. Jason Calacanis shared on This Week in Startups that he purchased the novel for holiday reading and thoroughly enjoyed the follow-up to The Martian. David Friedberg also discussed the book on All-In, asking fellow hosts if they had experienced the gripping space survival story.

Every mention

33 counted mentions · 9 passing or ad reads below
Ben Gilbert project Hail Mary oh yeah I think I read it on your recommendation that's right can vouch very good I think… 1
Recommended
“project Hail Mary oh yeah I think I read it on your recommendation that's right can vouch very good I think it's the best fiction I've ever read definitely the best sci-fi I've ever read I think it's the best fiction I've ever read”
Chamath Palihapitiya anybody read Andy Weir's Hail Mary yet the guy who did the Martian he's a science fiction author it's reall… 1
Recommended
“anybody read Andy Weir's Hail Mary yet the guy who did the Martian he's a science fiction author it's really great”
David Friedberg Has anybody read Andy Weir's Hail Mary yet? The guy who did The Martian? 1
Recommended
“Has anybody read Andy Weir's Hail Mary yet? The guy who did The Martian?”
David Rosenthal my carve out is a book i'm about halfway through that i started reading because i saw you tweeting about it… 1
Recommended
“my carve out is a book i'm about halfway through that i started reading because i saw you tweeting about it while you were in hawaii project hail mary anywhere”
Emily Jashinsky But you know what? I actually think people should read science fiction and putting out there, but it was on… 1
Recommended
“But you know what? I actually think people should read science fiction and putting out there, but it was one of my favorite books I read this year in my newborns. It's Project Hail Mary uh by Andy Weir. He's a guy who wrote The Martian. It was one of the most plausible first contact theories.”
Jason Calacanis i really like the martian and the follow-up to that project hail mary came out from andy weir i just bought… 1
Recommended
“i really like the martian and the follow-up to that project hail mary came out from andy weir i just bought it that's my holiday reading it's uh it's great i really enjoyed it”
Lex Fridman have you read Andy we's project Hail Mary I have not no you're going to love it 1
Recommended
“have you read Andy we's project Hail Mary I have not no you're going to love it”
Orin Cass I would recommend project Hail Mary by and Weir he's the guy who wrote The Martian which became the movie w… 1
Recommended
“I would recommend project Hail Mary by and Weir he's the guy who wrote The Martian which became the movie with Matt Damon stranded on Mars”
Gilbert Cruz Several years later, Andy scored another hit with his book Project Hail Mary, which has now also been adapt… 8
Discussed
“Several years later, Andy scored another hit with his book Project Hail Mary, which has now also been adapted for the big screen, this time starring Ryan Gosling.”
Discussed
“You seem to have a sense that readers were not as satisfied with Artemis as they were with The Martian or as they were with Project Hail Mary.”
Discussed
“When we come back, Andy Weir answers your questions about his book Project Hail Mary.”
Discussed
“And I know you have talked about isolation appearing in The Martian and Project Hail Mary.”
Discussed
“I have a a question here from Tabitha, who's from Sandy, Utah. And Tabitha wants to know um you know, do you think the the movie sort of visually portrays Rocky, who becomes a main character in this book...”
Discussed
“We We had a lot of readers who wanted to know how you came up with Rocky in the first place. Not you know, not necessarily how he looked already, but just the fact that you invented a new species and had to come up with... all the things that we learn about by reading the book.”
Discussed
“They want to know about the end of the book. They want to know about the choice that you made at the end of Project Hail Mary.”
Discussed
“Andy Weir, thank you so much for on the book review to talk about Project Hail Mary.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson Project Hail Mary. Yeah. Another best-selling book. It's still on the shelves. I see it wherever I go. 5
Discussed
“Project Hail Mary. Yeah. Another best-selling book. It's still on the shelves. I see it wherever I go.”
Discussed
“From The Martian to Project Hail Mary, his stories are built on real physics, real constraints, and clever problem solving.”
Discussed
“let me go straight to my first clip with andy weir the title of his book is project hail mary”
Discussed
“Let me go straight to my first clip with andy weir the title of his book is project hail mary”
Discussed
“and we're featuring my interview with andy weir author of the martian book he wrote six seven years ago uh we all most of us saw the film but it has a latest book called project hail mary”
Andy Weir So then for book three, for Project Hail Mary, I I've still got to keep trying to grow as an author here. 4
Discussed
“So then for book three, for Project Hail Mary, I I've still got to keep trying to grow as an author here.”
Discussed
“So, that was my course correction in Project Hail Mary was, "Okay, you can't have a you can't have the protagonist be unlikable.”
Discussed
“When I look at Project Hail Mary, I think we did a really good job on this.”
Discussed
“Um I have ideas for sequels for PHM, but I I just don't have a good enough one yet.”
Ariel Ekblaw making real a technology that is described in Hail Mary, Andy Weir's latest book. We love Andy Weir. He's a… 1
Discussed
“making real a technology that is described in Hail Mary, Andy Weir's latest book. We love Andy Weir. He's a friend of StarTalk.”
Chris Williamson i don't know if you know the book by andy weir the the hail mary yes yeah where he has that creature 1
Discussed
“i don't know if you know the book by andy weir the the hail mary yes yeah where he has that creature”
David Perell I want to hear about how you think about the premise of a science fiction book. Let's start with Project Ha… 1
Discussed
“I want to hear about how you think about the premise of a science fiction book. Let's start with Project Hail Mary, but I want to see if there's any patterns that we can draw between your different books.”
Dwight Garner Oh, uh Project Hail Mary. Mary. He loves that writer. Is it Andy Weir. Andy Weir. 1
Discussed
“Oh, uh Project Hail Mary. Mary. He loves that writer. Is it Andy Weir. Andy Weir.”
Ian Crossland Well, is that the new Project Hail Mary movie where they try to rope him in, he says no. So, then they just… 1
Discussed
“Well, is that the new Project Hail Mary movie where they try to rope him in, he says no. So, then they just like inject him with a serum and knock him.”
Shaan Puri The audio books for those things are really good though. Like Project Hill Mary audiobook was was one of th… 1
Discussed
“The audio books for those things are really good though. Like Project Hill Mary audiobook was was one of the best audio books I've ever heard. Puts me right to sleep. If that's what you mean by good.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker2
Discussed
“I've been reading because I never read it the Andy Wear Project Hail Mary book. Yeah. It's awesome. So good.”
Recommended
“And a quick fun recent update: there's a group called Gravity Labs that's looking at making real a technology that was described in Hail Mary, Andy Weir's latest book. We love Andy Weir; he's a friend!”

Also mentioned in the same episodes

Other mentions (9: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“Andy Weir's on the show today who's famous for books like Project Hail Mary and The Martian.”
Ad read
“I've been listening to Project Hail Mary, and that's the kind of audio book that really works in this format.”
Ad read
“I've been listening to Project Hail Mary, and that's the kind of audio book that really works in this format.”
Passing
“In the category of Best Little Creature, the nominees are Grogu, hamsters nonviolent, Rocky, Project Hail Mary, Toad, Mario, and the Miniature Wife on Peacock.”
Passing
“In the category of best space excellence in outer space, the nominees are Project Hail Mary, Gravity by Sandra Bullock, Ham, the outer space chimp.”
Passing
“That was Project Hail Mary. Nice. Full of grace. Yeah. The Lord was with me.”
Passing
“Hi, it's Gilbert. Before we start the show, I want to let you know that we are going to be talking with the author of Project Hail Mary in an upcoming episode.”
Passing
“and I read a um uh uh project Hail Mary a while ago and it got me on a science fiction kick so I'm reading this”
Passing
“and I read a um uh uh project Hail Mary a while ago and it got me on a science fiction kick”

Portraits from Wikimedia Commons: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Norwegian University of Science and Technology / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0); Jason Calacanis, Christopher Michel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0); Andy Weir, Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0); Chamath Palihapitiya, Christopher Michel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); David Friedberg, The Production Board / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); Lex Fridman, lexfridman / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).