I Can’t Stop Recommending the Project Hail Mary Audiobook

I have reached the point where if you tell me you like audiobooks, science fiction, Andy Weir, space, or honestly just books in general, there is a very good chance I’m going to tell you to listen to Project Hail Mary. And I do mean listen.

Andy Weir has written three full-length novels—The Martian, Artemis, and Project Hail Mary—and somehow managed to come out of the gate writing books people couldn’t stop talking about. Two have become major motion pictures, and I’ll save my feelings about Artemis for another day because that’s another book I can’t stop recommending. But today we’re talking about Project Hail Mary.

Why I Recommend the Audiobook

If you’ve read Andy Weir before, you know there is science. A lot of science. I love his stories, but when I’m physically reading one of his books, there are moments when my brain sees a wall of science and basically says, Okay, we’re just going to trust Andy on this one. The audiobook completely changes that for me. Having the science explained to me instead of trying to work my way through it on the page makes it so much easier for me to follow. I don’t get nearly as bogged down in the details, and I can just enjoy the story.

And then there’s Ray Porter. There’s a reason this audiobook won awards. The performance is fantastic. But even that isn’t the reason I tell everyone to listen instead of read.

And Then There’s Rocky

I am going to be VERY careful here because this is one of those books that’s better when you don’t know too much going in. So I will simply say:

That’s it. That’s all you’re getting from me. Once we got to Rocky in the audiobook, I remember thinking: This is the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. I must now tell everyone I know, don’t know, or plan to know about this book. There is something the audiobook does with Rocky that you simply cannot experience the same way on the page. Don’t Google it. Don’t look for clips. Don’t read spoilers. Just listen. You’ll understand.

It Even Made Me Forget One of My Biggest Book Pet Peeves

This book jumps backward in time quite a bit. Normally? Deal breaker. I don’t love books that continually bounce between the past and present. And now that I think about it, Andy Weir does this in his other novels too, so apparently I continue allowing this man to break my rules. I pushed through it because I already knew I loved his writing. I’m so glad I did. The past and present eventually work together so well that I stopped being bothered by the time jumps entirely. Instead of feeling like interruptions, they became part of what made the story work. That is a BIG compliment coming from me.

Don’t Just Take My Word for It

Project Hail Mary is narrated by Ray Porter, and the audiobook won Audiobook of the Year AND the Science Fiction category at the 2022 Audie Awards. So apparently I’m not the only one yelling about how good it is.

Speaking of Andy Weir…

I’m currently planning a trip to BookCon, and one of the things that put it firmly on my radar was seeing that Andy Weir was there last year. Do I know if he’ll be there when I go? Nope. Am I already doing entirely too much research about the trip anyway? Obviously. If books and a trip to New York sound like a good combination to you too, you can follow along with my BookCon planning here →

My Recommendation

If you’ve already read Project Hail Mary in print, I still think the audiobook is worth experiencing. If you’ve never read it? Get the audiobook. Go in knowing as little as possible. Give the time jumps a chance. Wait for Rocky. And then come find me when you’re done because I am going to need you to understand why I’ve been telling everyone to listen to this book.

Listen to Project Hail Mary →