This is a fun space romp, as can be expected from Andy Weir. This novel follows Dr. Grace through the traumas of finding out about the incoming extinction of the sun by an alien organism and then to the subsequent research and travel to attempt to take care of the problem. Seriously this book is really enjoyable. The science is there and explained, but it never felt like too much. The pace is great. The characters are AMAZING. I highly recommend this book and am super thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review it.

Ryland Grace wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with a robot caring for him, not remembering his name, not remembering how he got here, not even remembering what 'here' is. Over the next several days, weeks, and months, his memory gradually comes back to him, but for now, he very soon he realizes he is in Space approaching the sun. But on closer look at the sun (and a lot of math calculations), he realizes this isn't the sun but rather a completely different system. A brief panic ensues and in the process he vaguely recalls that Earth was headed towards doom and he is on a mission to find a way to save Earth. Now, if he could only remember what doom that was and what his mission in, then he could very well get on with it.

Having loved Andy Weirs' The Martian and enjoyed Artemis, albeit a little less, I've been looking forward to reading Project Hail Mary. The premise seemed to promise a return to everything I liked about The Martian and now that I've finished the book, I'll say that it is way too similar to The Martian. Ryland Grace is mostly the same character as Mart Watney - overly confident and extremely sarcastic, with an apparent knowledge of almost all scientific facts and trivia (the author's reasoning this time is that junior high school science teachers know a lot of things about everything). The plot also follows a very similar trajectory - starting from a point of impending doom, followed by several opportunities to use science in innovative and household ways to solve difficult problems, and then a curveball at the end.

So yeah, if you don't mind reading The Martian again with almost-the-same protagonist and the same arc, but with a different mission and problems, then you will enjoy Project Hail Mary.

I did enjoy it. Everything I said above bothered me but the plot was extremely engaging that it didn't matter.

As with The Martian, what I enjoyed the most is Grace's ability to solve big problems with simple answers. Even if you don't get all the science-talk, and some of it went over my head too, despite my science background, I couldn't help appreciate the problem-solving abilities on display here. It's exciting to see that happen - all within a spaceship that does see its fair share of disasters. It can take you on an appreciation of all things nerdy.

That said, this book is an extremely alpha-male, cisgendered oriented fiction, probably worse than The Martian was. As Earth slowly begins to learn about the upcoming apocalypse, a grandiose project is put together to help save humanity. Using the rationale that this is a save-the-earth mission, no expense is spared and no concessions are made for any purpose. And so, there is no good diversity representation among the characters. I would have sighed annoyingly and moved on if this wasn't actually made fun of in the book. Every region and character is stereotyped to the hilt and the head of the project (yes, this is a woman) goes on to say she was not in favor of representation, because she wants the best of the best, which, in her opinion, are usually white males. Research has shown that the reason women are not represented well at the top is not due to a lack of talent or intelligence but several social and economic factors. So other than making fun of this problem, the book does nothing to explore that idea. And that is what frustrated me. Why introduce a theme and then not dive into it? Especially one that does need a lot of context shared.

The writing in Project Hail Mary is also somewhat immature - our protagonist exclaims and sighs and panics a lot and the writing over-expresses this. But reading it as a thriller, it didn't matter. Ultimately, this was a very exciting, somewhat poorly written, poorly represented thriller with a great plot.

There is a HUGE spoiler in the book though - I don't know how much of it has come out. When that actually happened, I couldn't put the book down and wanted to see where it went. I have so much to write about this spoiler because it actually is almost three-quarters of the book. I am glad it took that direction, especially since I was reading this book after months of watching Star Trek episodes every evening. But if you plan to read the book and haven't heard of the spoiler yet, I don't want to spoil it for you. All I'll say is, Rocky is the best. (Now, don't you google that.)

Brilliantly written, Project Hail Mary is the follow up that Artemis should have been. Witty dialogue, ingenious plot and Weir's own brand of humor make this another must read for fans of The Martian.

This book was a disappointment. I loved The Martian and so put this at the top of my to-read list, but wish I hadn't. It relies on a combination of overused and sometimes illogical plot devices and white-man-savior story arcs and overall felt like a remake of The Martian, but let's make him unlikeable and give him an alien sidekick.

Absolute blast! All the stars!! (Get it :p)
Serious fun with this book. I geeked right out with all the chemistry, physics, and science in general, but it is not over technical and complete understanding of the science is not necessary.
The story unfolds alternating the present and the past so the mystery does not unravel all at once. It compels you to read more and find out what will happen but it is one of those books that you do not want to end because it is so engaging.
You want to read this book NOW. This is one of those stories that people need to talk about. There is so much happening and it is such an exciting ride as you follow Ryland on his adventure.

This was such a wild ride! Like The Martian, Andy Weir's new novel follows another astronaut, this time as he navigates solving a potential apocalypse-causing interstellar phenomenon in space.

It is a long journey, both for Ryland Grace and the reader, as the book is almost 500 pages, but worth every second. There are, of course, a lot of scientific details throughout the whole book, but as long as you don't get too bogged down in the weeds, there is so much fun to be had. The same sarcastic voice is present in Project Hail Mary, which makes everything more fun as you travel through space with Dr. Grace.

If possible I'd recommend combining audio with the print book, as that really enhanced my reading experience, hearing the inflection of the humor and also getting to read all of the science alongside.

This novel is told in two timelines, as Dr. Grace works to save Earth and humanity from the Project Hail Mary spaceship, and before he left Earth, and they are both equally interesting.

Definitely recommend to fans of The Martian, but also to those brand new to the genre!

The title and author can reveal a lot about the story in this book. Andy Weir is the author of The Martian, which was made into a movie starring Matt Damon. So you can safely assume that the story involves outer space and a last chance mission to save the earth and mankind.

The book opens with Ryland Grace awakening from a medically induced coma aboard a spaceship with two other members of the crew who are dead. Grace must not only remember who he is but what is the purpose of his mission. Without remembering the objective, the mission is sure to fail.

Ryland’s memory slowly returns and the reader learns along with him, mostly through flashbacks about astrophage, a microbe that will destroy our sun and as a result, all living beings. He soon meets Rocky, another being who is faced with the same demise of his planet and people. Both have travelled to Tau Ceti because this is the only star that resists astrophage and they need to,learn the whys and hows. When they do meet that goal Ryland is equipped with “beetles” that will send the information back to earth. He only had enough fuel to get him there so it is a suicide mission.

Both of the main characters are richly drawn and we get to know them well, shortcomings and all. Their relationship is fascinating as each learns about the other’s planet, culture, language and more. Whereas Ryland is a scientist, Rocky is more of an engineer so their skills complement one another. Their budding friendship feels very genuine and real with occasional tense and monumental circumstances to deal with.

The stakes are high for both protagonists and their collaboration is at the heart of this book. There is a bit of science sprinkled throughout the story and it is always explained sufficiently. I am really hoping Project Hail Mary is made into a movie because it has compelling characters with good chemistry and a fascinating storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Technically I would have rated this a 4.5, but I rounded up. Loved this book! Andy Weir has such a specific voice when he writes, and I love that. I choose to read his books because his main characters are all relatable while being 1000 times smarter than your average adult. This book has all the elements of an epic race against space and time to save the Earth. The Sun is losing its power, and it’s up to scientists and astronauts to figure out why, and how to stop it. The world and all of Earths leaders have no choice but to come together to fix the only planet we have. I do not want to spoil anything in this book, so I am keeping my details to a minimum here. But I will say I was very happy that our main character wasn’t “alone” the whole time. This book had such a sweet element of friendship, albeit a strange friendship, and it had me hooked. Sometimes Andy Weirs books get so technical I space out (pun intended) a bit. This one was no different. I do think some of the technical aspects could either be left out entirely, or glossed over a bit more for us non-science folks. I did find myself skimming a bit because Lord knows I’m never going to actually understand most of these terms and scientific explanations. I will say, the one thing I was a teeny bit disappointed in was the ending. I loved how it ended, but would have loved more details about how things happened on Earth. I would have liked more current Earth details throughout the book as well, because I’m an avid lover of books that are apocalyptic and show the breakdown of society during world ending situations. There wasn’t much of that in this book, just pure speculation as to what was happening. I understand that it was probably because Grace had absolutely no communication with Earth, so Weir wanted us to also lack a connection as to what was happening. But having once character like Stratt for example, who created and implemented the entire Hail Mary mission narrate what was happening as the years went by on Earth would have been amazing. I guarantee this would have been as equally interesting to us readers as all of the mayhem occurring in space. It would have kept the tension and intensity of the mission and the high stakes at the forefront of our minds if we got constant reminders as to how bad things on Earth were getting. Just my two cents! Great book nonetheless.

PS: I hear Ryan Gosling is producing the film adaptation as well as starring in it. I hope this happens!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm not much of a science fiction fan but this book is so exciting and fun to read. Ryland Grace waked up in space. He has no idea why or how he got there. In fact, he doesn't even remember his name. I do not want to give away any more information because how it unfolds is what makes this book such a page turner. It is a bit heavy on the science and math which didn't make me feel very smart, but it does give you the sense this could actually happen. Loved the relationships built throughout the book. If you enjoyed The Martian, I think you will love this as well. 5 stars. I will read anything Andy Weir writes.

This book is available now. Thanks NetGalley and Ballentine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

YOU GUYS. This is probably one of my top favorite books every. I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time! I could not stop reading this and it has not left my brain ever since it was over. I will preface this and say that I am a science teacher by trade, so my emotions about this book may way heavier than others. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if the science in this goes over your head – and with that I say no! While there is a lot of science in the novel, Andy does a great job at explaining it for someone who may not understand it as much. Honestly, go into this book blind. Don’t read a lot about it. I did just that, and was blown away at 30% in the book and continued to be on the edge of my seat. This one is already in the works to become a movie too, so you will most definitely want to read it beforehand. All the stars! Check out my rant I shared on Instagram below!

I want to tell this book, “it wasn’t you, it was me”. The story is a complex one, layered in scientific jargon and reasoning that is was beyond my basic comprehension. I felt like I was reading one part history book, one part astronomy textbook. There was still Weir’s wit littered amongst in the pages in the form of a heroic, if not naive science professor turned astronaut superhero, but I was hopelessly lost for the majority of the story. I enjoyed the flashbacks detailing the puzzle of who this mystery character is and why he is the sole survivor of an alleged space mission, but during the present, when he’s figuring out how to get back to earth, I was confused, adrift and uninterested in the scientific backed reasoning for x y and z. I just wanted to be entertained and this story took a little more brainpower than I bargained.

This book was great, plain and simple. The premise seems so unbelievable, but it is written so well that you get sucked in and believe every word as it goes along. For anyone that is an Andy Weir fan or a fan of Sci-Fi will love this.

Project Hail Mary is a juggernaut of a space odyssey. Weir brings a solar systems worth of human emotions to a story that for the majority of it contains only one human. This book is heavy on the science but I found that interesting and better able to place the reader on the ship with Ryland Grace.
You feel the overwhelming pressure of the task at hand along with him. The story jumps from memories back on Earth to present day keeping you on your toes and moving along at a fast pace. Rocky whom Ryland meets along the way is one of the most endearing literary characters I have had the pleasure to meet. This story and these characters continue to linger and stay with me days after I finished and I imagine will for some time to come. This book was outside of my comfort genres but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it and honestly could not put it down.

I enjoyed The Martian, and I had high hopes for this one, but it just failed to hit the mark for me. The story was intriguing, but there was so much high-level math & science I had a hard time getting through without skimming.

The story kept going back and forth in time as the main character, Dr. Ryland Grace, regained his memories. I found the 'before' chapters to be far more interesting than the 'after' chapters. I just feel like it's trying too hard to be groundbreaking, but not really hitting the mark.

Overall, an interesting book but I would not recommend.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This reminds me of the Andy Weir of the Martian. Yes it is science and math heavy and I did skim through some of that, but I know there are people who will definitely appreciate it. The Sun is under attack from microscopic "beings" and the human race actually comes together to figure a solution out. And oh what a solution. Increase global warming, a ship that's also a centrifuge, genetically pre-disposed to comas scientists, and that's before they even get into space! This was such a fun Andy Weir book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

This is a story about our last hope, and I’m happy to report that he has good coffee for the trip.

I loved, loved, loved this. This was science fiction at its best- funny, frightening & inventive. I don’t want to include spoilers, but I was so happy with the unexpected element & I loved the end.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Random House for this e-Arc 💙

Ryland Grace, off to save the Earth from a catastrophic solar event meets alien in same situation. Can they work together to save both of their planets?
3 1/2 ⭐️
First off, this is my personal feelings on this book. I never want to discourage anyone from reading a particular book. Ever!! How you see a book and I could differ. Now, that being said, this book did not work for me! I am a huge fan of Andy Weir and was excited to be chosen to read an advanced copy of his new book! His other books had me hooked and I breezed right through them. I’m not sure where the disconnect was. The book seemed extremely slow. The back and forth in timelines seemed monotonous. And the ending just wasn’t satisfying. The only enjoyable part, for me, was the alien, Rocky and he was even a bit annoying. Now, this wouldn’t stop me from reading any future AW books. Still a major fan.

** spoiler alert ** Wow, this book was so different from what I expected, but in the best way. It jumps back and forth between timelines, but in a clean way so it is not confusing.

I was expecting a bit of a space opera with multiple characters and tension, but it turned out to be a rather sweet and incredibly educational tale of an unlikely hero and his alien friend.

Truly, Weir took a likeable but goofy science teacher and turned him into a reluctant savior. I love him for it. I was rooting for Grace the entire way, and his bad puns only solidified my love for him. Toss in a spider like ride or die and you really have the only two characters you need in a story like this. Top it off with that twist at the end, and cherry on top, it was a great read! I hope it gets optioned, I would love to see in movie form!

I could not put this book down. I really enjoyed it, I think maybe more than The Martian, which is saying a lot. Ryland and Rocky were so interesting to follow and I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book. Great read and highly recommended.