“Amaze! Amaze amaze!” — Rocky
Chapters 1-5: Awakening and Discovery
Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher, wakes up aboard the spaceship Hail Mary with no memory of how he got there. His crewmates are dead, and the ship’s AI informs him he is humanity’s last hope. Flashbacks reveal he was recruited for a desperate mission to save Earth from the sun-dimming “Astrophage,” an alien microorganism threatening all life.
Chapters 6-10: First Contact
Grace discovers an alien ship nearby, inhabited by Rocky, a spider-like extraterrestrial from the planet Erid. Despite communication barriers, they collaborate using mathematics and sound-based language. Rocky’s species also faces extinction from Astrophage, and their shared goal unites them.
Chapters 11-15: Scientific Breakthroughs
Grace and Rocky analyze Astrophage, learning it consumes carbon dioxide and emits energy. They hypothesize that Tau Ceti, a nearby star unaffected by the microbe, holds the key. The duo devises a plan to breed “Taumoeba,” a predator organism that can destroy Astrophage.
Chapters 16-20: Trials and Sacrifices
Experiments with Taumoeba fail initially—it dies in Earth-like conditions. Grace modifies its genetics, succeeding just as the Hail Mary’s fuel runs critically low. Rocky’s ship is damaged, forcing Grace to choose between returning to Earth or helping Rocky’s species. He chooses the latter, sending Taumoeba samples back via a probe.
Chapters 21-25: Resolution
Grace accompanies Rocky to Erid, where they successfully deploy Taumoeba, saving both civilizations. In an epilogue, Grace—now a revered figure on Erid—receives a message: Earth survived thanks to his sacrifice. The story ends with him teaching Eridian children, content in his new home.
Key Ideas
- Humanity’s survival hinges on interstellar cooperation.
- Scientific ingenuity triumphs over existential threats.
- First-contact communication through universal principles like math.
- Sacrifice and altruism as defining human (and alien) virtues.
- Optimistic hard sci-fi grounded in real-world physics.
Who should read this book?
- Fans of hard science fiction with plausible tech.
- Readers who enjoy problem-solving narratives.
- Those intrigued by first-contact scenarios.
- Admirers of Andy Weir’s The Martian.