Title: Project Hail Mary 

Author: Andy Weir

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: 
Ballantine Books
Publication Date: 
2021
Format: Paperback

Length:  476 pages

Read if you like: scientific problem solving, sacrifice and responsibility, first contact and unexpected ally, a reluctant hero, humorous narration, friendship 

Rating:

I’ve been hearing good things about Andy Weir and his writing for years. While I hadn’t read anything by him yet, I have watched The Martian at least five times and as a result, was fairly confident I was going to enjoy his writing. I’m happy to report that my predictions were correct.

Project Hail Mary made a seemingly complex topic wound with lots of science wildly entertaining. The premise was unique and devastating, but Weir’s delivery, which was distinctly coloured with a heavy dose of wit and humour, helped offset what could have been an endlessly heavy story. There were enough twists and turns that the plot kept me guessing right up to the end, and the characters were so endlessly loveable that I was sad to leave them behind.

I am admittedly weak when it comes to knowledge of topics like astrophysics, so this entire book could be utter garabge from a factual perspective and I wouldn’t know, but Weir’s writing made it feel understandable and logical and ultimately had me invested in ways I wouldn’t have thought could be possible given the subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will definitely be reading more from him in the future.

The Book Synopsis: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

A LONE ASTRONAUT.

AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION.

AN ALLY HE NEVER IMAGINED.

RYLAND GRACE is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

The Review

Well this was a fun book! And that’s not something I ever expected to say about a plot centered around astrophysics.

In Project Hail Mary, Weir was a real master of weaving together humour, genuinely likeable characters, and a science-based setting that was thoroughly understandable. The situation, which was that Earth was on a trajectory towards the apocalypse unless a scientist could solve a complex problem related to an organism dimming the sun, was dire and stressful, but it was always offset by the quirkiness of the characters and the grit they showed to persevere. There was a lot of science throughout, but it was all presented in a very easy to understand way that added value to the reading experience. I can’t say if any of it was correct – I am not, in any way, a scientist – but, I think that speaks even more strongly to Weir’s capacity as a storyteller, that this narrative was still so compelling to me even without necessarily understanding the ins and outs of the science that underpinned it.

Nonlinear narratives are one of my favourite literary devices so I loved the way that Grace’s memories unfolded through flashbacks. It balanced the sometimes silliness of his interactions with Rocky with the gravity of the situation on earth nicely, and I felt like it helped the stakes climb consistently until you were completely hooked. The pacing of the novel was impeccable in my opinion, and I think the rotating perspective of Grace across time helped to drive that momentum forward.

I also appreciated that there were a few twists in this one that I genuinely did not see coming. Because of Grace’s easygoing, good natured demeanor, you feel like the plot is going to unfold in a fairly predictable fashion, with him ultimately taking on the mantle of reluctant hero and leaning into it in the way that humanity needs. The reality of the situation is much more complex though, and understandably so. His response to the situation and his role in it felt entirely authentic and I thoroughly enjoyed watching how he had to force himself to grapple with it over time and often, against his will.

Overall, this was a super enjoyable book, even for a mostly non-science background and non-sci fi reader. I’ve dabbled in this genre a lot over the years but don’t tend to spend a ton of time with it, but Project Hail Mary made me instantly want to add more sci fi to my TBR. This is a book I’ll definitely be recommending.