The first thing you realize about Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is that it does everything possible to remind you that this is not The Martian. Ryland Grace is the anti-Mark Watney. The most obvious differing characteristics which separate the two are the fact that Ryland is a microbiologist and a teacher, as well as a coward, and he doesn't swear. At all. Whereas Mark used curse words to perfectly indicate his emotions, Ryland sounds exactly like what he is - a teacher who won't say anything that might harm a child's innocence. While he provides some semblance of entertainment, once Rocky enters the picture, Ryland becomes the sidekick. Rocky is hands-down the best part of the story, and their friendship makes you believe humanity is pretty damn good. As is true of most of Mr. Weir's novels, there is more scientific discussion than plot, and it can get pretty esoteric and theoretical. Still, not understanding astrophysics won't prevent anyone from enjoying this survival story.

This book took me far too long to read!! I think not really knowing how long it was (electronic) was part of it. I really liked The Martian and still haven't read Artemis but Project Hail Mary was a good intro back into Andy Weir! The science is overwhelming but honestly, I don't need to understand the nitty gritty to enjoy the book. lol. Project Hail Mary went somewhere I wasn't expecting compared to The Martian and I was afraid it was going to get really corny but Weir pulled it off.

Thanks for the free book, Penguin Random House International @prhinternational #sponsored

I really loved The Martian but Project Hail Mary was everything! The premise seemed somewhat similar to me, however, I did not expect to find something very different and it really exceeded my expectations.

Ryland Grace wakes up in what seems to be a spaceship, only he does not remember who he is and what he is doing there. The only thing he can hear is a computer asking him insistently what’s two plus two. Through flashbacks, Ryland will remember his name, who he really is and the important mission that lead him to be there. He is alone, however, accompanied only by two mummified corpses that appear to have died during the journey, and their identities are unknown since he cannot remember them.

The book is written in different timelines that will make us discover along with the main character, the circumstances that led him to the situation and place in which he is.

I was already impressed by Weir’s The Martian, initially I thought that this book would be something similar but, although there are topics that could be related, it is a totally different book.

Regarding the scientific subject, the book presents scientific theories that, although possibly complex, the author has managed to explain them in a simple and familiar way so that anyone could understand them.

Regarding the scenario, Weir places us from the beginning in an uncertain and claustrophobic scenario, similar to that part in a book or movie when you reach a braking point and say “how are they going to solve this situation?”, which makes this book compelling from the first page, and it just gets better and better.

One of the things that I liked the most about this book was how friendship and empathy is shown. I can’t say much about this without spoiling part of the story, but I can say that this is what makes this book different from previous author’s works. Great chemistry!

I’m sure this book will be one of my best reads of the year and everybody should read it. I will be looking forward to the movie!

5+ Stars

So this is by the same author who wrote The Martian, which was a huge hit movie starring Matt Damon back in 2015. It has a similar premise – an astronaut drifting alone is space - but totally different outcome. Some have called it a space opera. In the book, Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except when we meet Ryland in the beginning of the book, he doesn't know that – or anything. He has amnesia, even worse SPACE amnesia and can’t 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. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
I don’t typically gravitate (see what I did there) toward sci fi, but this is an immersive a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

OK. I'll be honest: I am not the typical reader for the sci-fi genre. Give me YA, give me rom-com, *heck!* give me dark and twisty drama, but sci-fi-alien-meets-human-to-save-the-world-epic??

hahaha!! Oh, OK. I guess I'll bite. ;)

Having loved Andy Weir's first novel, "The Martin," I was immediately drawn to "Project Hail Mary." There is something about an authors' ability to draw me in to a genre I wouldn't normally traverse that I can't help but bite at. And, I can say with confidence, Weir accomplished that feat once again!! From end of the world conflict, to interplanetary travel, to lovable aliens, to Weir's quintissential humor ... "Project Hail Mary" proved to be the perfect addition to his collection of loveable interstellar reads!

I would recommend this book to any reader willing to traverse the world of technical science language for the sake of encountering a delightful story. I did get stalled at times by the mass amounts of science — since many of the concepts and terminology unfamiliar to me — but the plot and characterization won out for me in the end. Who wouldn't be enamored by the story of two unlikely friends and their self-sacrificing efforts to save their home planets??

All-in-all "Project Hail Mary" is a solid 4.5 stars from me!! I look forward to checking out Weir's other book, "Artemis" and — of course — his books of the future!

Really good book. I loved the characters. Weir does an amazing job of developing an alien race (several of them, I guess you'd say) and it shows through the character Rocky in a huge way. This book would have already been good without the alien life, but holy cow is it amazing with it.

I also love that the teacher doesn't cuss, but almost does several times. I think this is how I must look when I'm at home and not on my ship. Anyway, that was cool too.

The only bad-ish part about this book is that once or twice I think he goes just a little too deep into the weeds. I'm sure all the engineers and biologists who read this book love it, and I liked it a lot, but at some point, it was a bit much.

That last point certainly wasn't enough to kill the mood though. This book is amazing and, while I won't give away any spoilers, the end is going to blow your mind.

Project Hail Mary has such an interesting premise and Andy Weir delivers the plot in such satisfying increments that keep you hooked the entire way.

Why did I picture wall-e while reading this book so much?? Idk but I liked it!
Some of the math went waaaaaaaayyy over my head and made me slug through reading at times. I still enjoyed it though. Also, that ending... sweet but I wanted so much more.

This was a fun ride from start to finish! Extremely reminiscent of The Martian (which I loved). The content is heavy, but the humorous tone and laid back attitude of the protagonist balance it out. Pleasantly surprised by the main supporting character - this was a nice new take on an old trope!

A fun ride- Andy Weir does it again. Math and science, of which I am not expert, becomes fascinating and the basis of a love story between a man and his 'friend". Sweet and fun

Amazing! Andy Weir hits another one out of the ballpark!! I thoroughly enjoyed this science-packed, humanity driven story about an extinction event for Earth. #projecthailmary is full of science, drama, space travel, and an interesting twists throughout. I can’t wait for the next book from Mr Weir. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ebook to read and review.

Great sci-fi! Very believable story-line.
Interaction with alien very believable too.
Like The Martian, very technical.
Good character development.
Highly recommend.

Andy Weir has proven over and over again that he is one of the best writers out there. Ryland is a fun, interesting character. Even though The Martian has much fanfare, I found this book even better. I'll definitely be recommending this one to others.

My husband loved this book and he read it in a day! Andy Weir just writes extremely solid books. Easily a 5 star read for anyone!

Excellent story! I am not a huge sci-fi reader, but this story was captivating! Looking forward to ready more by this author!

Probably my favorite read from 2021 so far. I cannot believe how much I loved this book and how long the characters have stuck with me. I am not what I'd consider a sci-fi reader, and yet, even with all the physics and science terminology, I just could not put this book down. Utterly loved.

I was a little slow to get going with Project Hail Mary, partly because I switched to the audiobook and I wasn’t sold on the narrator’s performance… but by certain plot points later in the book (no spoilers) I realized how beneficial the audio was to the experience. It took some getting used to but I became a fan.

Now, on to the story. A lot of adventure, a lot of science, a lot of heart. And it’s the heart that gets you. Weir has a talent with slowly injecting the humanity into the science-fiction until the characters are so real. Of course that goes part and parcel with the excellent way he maps out the science of the plot, making everything believable. It’s brilliant.

The interwoven story and timeline jumps were great. I love an amnesiac story to begin with because I love when the reader discovers and learns completely alongside the main character. And this one was executed incredibly well. Little interjections that became bigger remembrances as we carried on. They were well balanced with the real-time trials.

Rhyland Grace was that hilarious mix of unassuming teacher and scientific leader. Funny but flawed and overall, likeable. Add in several other memorable characters throughout and it was a great read. Overall, I was emotional by the end and didn’t want to say goodbye. Wished it could have gone on and on.

Andy Weir knows how to write a compelling and well crafted novel. It was the perfect balance of science, plot, and narrative voice. Ryland, our fantastic narrator, leads this complex and thrilling read, with a splash of dark humor to keep us hooked. He’s is alone in space, without his memories, without a crew, and as the last chance for Earth’s survival. How is he going to pull that off? Project Hail Mary has it all and it keeps you on edge for the entire ride.

SO GOOD. Andy Weir's novels are always so detailed and well-researched. Did I know what was going on with the math and science? Absolutely not. However, this book was incredible!

The ending was new, and it was a quick read. It kept you engaged, and I just could not put it down. I would definitely recommend to anyone who's a fan of sci-fi.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I requested this ARC because I previously read "The Martian" and really enjoyed it. I found the beginning of this book to be very interesting and was enjoying it but at around 20% I realized it felt like a re-tread of "The Martian" just with less personality and humor. I felt like I'd been reading forever and was only at 20%. I didn't find it believable that a science teacher would be tasked to save the world. There was a lot of scientific explanation which is to be expected from this author. This time around it just felt very repetitive and dull. I could not stay engaged. I DNF at 20%. If you liked "The Martian" you may like this one. Just be prepared that it may seem a little like deja vu.