This is a fun book that chronicles the growing up of a 30something manchild while on a space expedition. I have no idea if the science is good, but there's a lot of it. The characters, both in and out of space are interesting. (Looking at you Rocky.) The twists and turns really kept my interest and surprised me. Highly recommended for a fun space read.

Project Hail Mary is destined to be a classic of first contact books, up there with "Rendezvous with Rama" and "The Mote in God's Eye" (it's actually better than those books). You might be thinking 'yeah, but reviewers are always hyperbolic in their claims'. I feel compelled to mention that I've never called a book an 'instant classic' before, and I'm not making this statement lightly. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. The rate at which discoveries unfold is perfect, the irreverent tone is extremely readable, and the science is fascinating.

Andy Weir took everything great about The Martian, refined it, and used it to create a vastly more interesting world. The familiar elements are there, all well-executed: a lone joke-cracking scientist (this time with an alien compatriot!), fun survival problems that need to be solved by the hyper-competent protagonists, and teams working together toward a common goal. In addition to the familiar elements, Weir adds some immensely fun world-building which feels just as polished as the rest of the story.

There are some plausibility issues, but they're the best kind -- things like "here is a mysterious material that has these shocking properties, what could we do with this if it existed?"

I think that this book is best enjoyed without knowing too much about it up-front, so I'm not going to give a plot overview. I'll just conclude by saying that it's the best book I've read in years, and I give it my highest recommendation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to have an eArc.

I'm going to be upfront and explain that I am only 32% done with this book. However, it is the book birthday and I feel obligated to explain how much I'm loving the book so far. A lot of what worked in the Martian works in this book. The being alone, the mental thoughts as dialogue, and being able to work out problems on their own. I think the writing is fantastic and I will update with more complete thoughts when I do finish the book.

The thing is - I suspect this is due to the fact that I do not read enough in this genre - the book is dense. There's a lot of slow action going on with high action as well but this is not a book that you binge in a day. This is a book more like a glass of wine. You're going to want to swirl it around, nose it, and slowly sip at it. I want to know what happens as well as figuring out where the plot is going (you know what I know if you've read up to chapter 8). So, it's a good book. I highly recommend it. I'm just not done with it yet.

When I saw the email come through from @netgalley & @randomhouse that I had gotten approved for the ARC of Project Hail Mary I screamed. I never thought I'd get approved and requesting the ARC was kind of my hail mary (get it?).

The Martian is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't reread books often but The Martian has made that cut twice. (Twice!) That's how much I love it. So to get approved for Andy Weir's latest was a dream come true.

Project Hail Mary is similar to Weir's other books in that it focuses on one unlikely person solving a major problem. Whether that be living on Mars, solving crime on the moon, or trying to save humanity from a deadly space algae, as is portrayed in Project Hail Mary, you've got one scrappy hero/ine to save the day.

In Project Hail Mary that unlikely hero is Dr. Ryland Grace, microbiologist turned Junior high science teacher, who finds himself as the leading expert on a space algae that is consuming the sun and rapidly leading to Earth's demise. He somehow winds up on the spaceship, Hail Mary, with two dead crewmates, as it heads toward a distant solar system in search of a cure.

I would give you more of a synopsis but then it would give away too much of the story. However, I will tell you that this is such a cute story! In the beginning it felt like it dragged a little but as it got going and the story unfolded it's really a story of unlikely friendships and the lengths we'll go to for the people we love. I may or may not have cried happy tears at the end.

It's also a story of celebrating differences. Just because someone is different from you, looks different, speaks a different language, etc. Doesn't mean you can't be friends. 🧡

This book was a little different from Weir's other works as it featured an alternating timeline. You get the back story on the project and ship as flashbacks into Grace's memory. I'd love to see Weir's next book do multiple POV or something with multiple main characters.

Project Hail Mary also contains all the space lingo and science we're used to seeing in Weir's works, so if you've read The Martian, Artemis or any other space-related work you'll be familiar with the lingo. On that note, don't let the science lingo scare you off from reading this! It may seem like a lot but it all gets explained really well and shouldn't be a deterrent to the story. Pick this one up today!

The first time I read The Martian, I devoured it in a single day and once I turned the last page, I immediately started over at the beginning. That was my first experience reading Andy Weir, and it left me with sky high expectations for him going forward. I read Artemis as soon as it was released and really enjoyed it, even if it didn’t quite live up to my admittedly very high hopes. I went in to Project Hail Mary slightly more cautious. Was I about to read a new favorite book? Or merely a solid piece of sci-fi? Well as it turns out, this one has met and exceeded all my hopes while managing undermines every expectation I had going in.

I started reading Project Hail Mary and within the first few paragraphs I realized, Oh! This isn’t just a space adventure. It is also very definitely a bit of a horror story as well. We get memory loss! Severe isolation! An earth on the edge of catastrophic doom! What more could a story need?

After the year we’ve all just had, stories stories about isolation really just hit a little differently than they did before, but it is definitely something that Weir tackled with a fascinating level of skill (I wonder how it would feel to read The Martian for the first time here in a post-2020 world)

Captivating! Absurdly brilliant. I was really excited to receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I love Andy Weir and this novel did not disappoint. Buy it!

#MayThe4thBeWithYou
Also, it's PROJECT HAIL MARY's Book Birthday!
I celebrated by writing a #BookReview! But there is absolutely no chance that I will not write something, I can't be sure what, that will piss off some delicate fleur of a spoilerphobe. My entire review is herewith declared to be a SPOILER ZONE and you'll have to read it at my blog.

Okay, so what's it about? We're in media res with a man who has amnesia and, blessedly, is a scientist capable of working out that he's on a space ship. He isn't at all sure why he is where he is, has no idea who he is, and is in wherever this spaceship is with two dead people. That, my olds, is a fine, fine way to start a book.

The Earth is dying. Like, overnight the Earth is dying...and it isn't humanity's doing. The Sun is dimming. A lot. And really, really, really fast...in less time than it takes to raise a kid, the Sun will fall below the energy output needed to sustain the ecosystems we need to eat and breathe properly.

Quite the conundrum, no? And this is no way resembles the present climate-change crisis! Nay nay nay! This is science FICTION, y'all.

I really strongly encourage you to go and get this book even if you don't like science fiction or even science. If I can get past my allergy to handwavium applied by sentient aliens, you can set aside a little genre prejudice.

Whether at a bookery of your choosing or a library near you, get yourself this tale into your mind and let it make its story-pearls for your pleasure.

Brilliant idea, not-so-great execution.

The whole time I was reading this, I was thinking about what a great movie it’d make. I totally get why #TheMartian was so quickly developed into a film: Weir’s writing lends itself to cinema without being atmospheric. However, this also made for a difficult book to read. The novel is heavy on plot and light on character, and despite the fact that we really only spend time with one person the entire book, I came away thinking that anyone could be Ryland Grace. There was simply nothing distinctive about him.

And while I thought that it was great that Weir used his love for physics to make the book as scientifically accurate as possible, there were perhaps too many calculations for this math-averse reader. Half the book seems to go into calculations and explanations of scientific concepts, which was interesting at first but quickly got boring.

However, there’s really nothing that can replace Weir’s incredible imagination, something that is prevalent through every twist and turn in the book. I’ve never met another sci-fi writer who does as much research or puts as much thought into what really could be possible, and that’s something unique about Project Hail Mary.

My verdict? If you’re a hardcore science geek, this book is for you. If not, skip it and (dare I say it, bookstagram?) watch the movie instead. 3/5 stars

When Ryland Grace wakes he can't remember who he is or what he is supposed to be doing. He quickly discovers two bodies nearby and realizes that he is on a space ship. Slowly, he begins to recover his memory, realizing that he is on a mission to save humanity and unravel the mystery of substance that is quickly dimming the sun.

This book caught me from the very beginning. It was hard to put down and I found myself reading long into the night. Ryland was a fun dynamic character, and it was interesting to see the story unravel. Overall, highly recommended.

I reviewed this book for book and film globe. https://bookandfilmglobe.com/fiction/book-review-project-hail-mary/

An excellent new offering from the author of The Martian - another resourceful hero solving unsolveable problems. I enjoyed every bit of this, and look forward to more from him!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was immediately fascinated by the premise from the very first page. When some of the twists started rolling around, I literally couldn’t stop reading. I kept telling my husband, “This part is so funny but I can’t tell you about it because it’ll ruin the book” and HE IS GOING TO READ THIS BOOK. He has to. If you’re a fan of sci-do, YOU have to! I’m not too familiar with space travel as you might guess but from what I can tell Weir really did his homework on getting the science right or at least is fantastic at weaving a believable narrative with it. By the time I swiped through the last page, my eyes were full of tears and my heart was heavy that I could not read this book again for the first time. **4.5/5 Stars

At first impression, PROJECT HAIL MARY is the kind of book I'm always looking for - sci-fi in a space setting, character-focused, plenty of intrigue and thrill with a fascinating plot. For the most part, I enjoyed this read - all of the above qualities exist, which enabled me to stick with it all the way through. However, I had a few issues with it that prevented me from rating it very high. First of all, the main character.... is insufferably annoying. I've seen other people mention this in reviews, and while I didn't find him wholly unbearable, I do agree - the character's unaddressed commitment to never using "real" swear words in either his inner or outer voice (replacing them with "gosh", "darn", "heck", etc.) in an otherwise very adult, complex, gritty book is confusing at best and farcical at worst. This combined with his somewhat awkward narrative voice and overall bland/too shallow characterization made him difficult to connect/empathize with. I ended up feeling closer to the alien character! The other, more significant issue I found was the author's rampant racial and cultural stereotyping in the flashbacks (the only notable quality of the Russian character, for example, being her exaggerated love of vodka). All in all, this book disappointed me because the plot hooked me, but the characters and the writing were mediocre at best.

If you enjoyed The Martian and wouldn't mind more science fiction in your Andy Weir books, then I would pick this one up. I think it's great to go into this one blind because the main character wakes up in a situation where they don't know where they are, so you can literally find out everything along with them. It just adds to the thrill of the story.

The book is told like The Martian in that you're getting the inner monologue of the main character. It is very similar to Mark Watney's. The monologue has in-depth scientific breakdowns of the problem or situation with some occasional humor; you'll think think it's Mark Watney 2.0. I didn't mind this as I enjoyed The Martian and Mark's point-of-view a lot, but don't go into this expecting a completely brand new character here.

There are some points where I just had to suspend my disbelief. Again, it is like The Martian with a space survival scenario. The Martian works well because it does feel like a feasible mission that would happen in the real world. The science behind it all then feels really important and like something that will actually work.. This one is much less likely to happen in the real world, so some situations don't feel like they would actually play out in such a convenient way. Again, as long as you don't mind some more fiction in your science fiction, and you like Mr. Weir's first book, you will likely enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Following "The Martian" and "The Martian, but on the moon" (real title "Artemis"), Andy Weir is back with "The Martian, but in deep space!" If you were a fan of the previous two, the latest installment in this not-a-series will not disappoint. Weir knows how to write detailed, believable science and how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat as one space hazard after another reminds the protagonist of the ever-present dangers waiting outside Earth's atmosphere. After expanding his cast somewhat for "Artemis," "Project Hail Mary" largely returns to the man-versus-nature style of "The Martian," at least for the first half of the book--to say more would be to invite spoilers. Setting this book a little further from the present, and taking advantage of the unique circumstances that propel the plot, allow Weir to stretch the imagination more than he has in previous work, but he still manages to make the process of discovery and scientific advancement plausible and fun to follow. The non-linear plot also leaves room for a little mystery, which was interesting and gave a little more depth to the book without detracting from the wonderful science at its core. If you're in the mood for a tightly-plotted, always-moving space thriller full of details that will have you googling to see how much is real and how much is fiction, this is the book for you. Any fans of Randall Munroe's xkcd will surely enjoy.

Four and a half out of five stars, a great weekend read.

Spoilers for the entire book follow, so if you want to enjoy the tension, read no further! There are three big twists in this book, which is a good amount more than in either of Weir's two previous books. Two of them are central to the book--the arrival of Rocky, and Ryland's decision not to go back to Earth. The third--that Ryland did not volunteer for his suicide mission--adds depth to his final choice, but didn't quite land with the same weight. Weir is at his best when he sets his characters against the immovable obstacles of life in space, not against their past selves. Revealing that Ryland did not choose to join Project Hail Mary does not substantially change our understanding of him--in fact, even after the accident that left him as the sole remaining candidate, it seems reasonable for him to be a "volunteer" forced into his role by circumstance. Having seen Ryland make the best of his situation for two-thirds of the novel and even appear to make peace with it, to have it revealed that he did not join the mission by choice fails to erase all the good he has already done or undermine the reader's confidence that he will ultimately make the right choice. This being a Weir novel, the "good" outcome is not in doubt; it's telling that he shies away from showing the consequences of nearly three decades of unprecedented turmoil on Earth in favor of giving us closure with Ryland's arrival on Eridani. However, that underlying positivity is a core part of the appeal. There are more than enough dark and unhappy space dramas out there. It is good to have a sterling example where the possibilities of science and the goodwill of humanity are enough to save one man, and ultimately the world.

The biggest twist, though, and I think the most interesting part of the book (especially in comparison to Weir's previous two space adventures), is the arrival of Rocky. By including a genuine alien, Weir gets the chance to do two things. The first is to further push the bounds of technological possibility. Using Astrophage as a source of essentially limitless power gives us a novel propulsion system and all the interesting consequences that come with it, but Rocky's xenonite and sound-based senses open up a whole new range of possibilities. It's impressive that Weir is able to maintain realism and emphasize scientific techniques that we can recognize given the lack of real-world grounding for these new technologies, especially in contrast to his earlier near-future work. Rocky's surprising mode of perception gives rise to the second opportunity for Weir--the chance to write first contact. Having recently read Arkady Martine's take in "A Desolation Called Peace," also featuring aliens that communicate mainly through unintelligible sound, the contrast is particularly striking. "Project"'s human-alien interactions are about universal principles, but in a very different way than "Desolation." Where Martine focuses on language and culture, Weir follows the Voyager space probe's lead and has Ryland establish a communication protocol by referencing key scientific and mathematical concepts. It fits his world, and provides a unique angle on what the universal connections between spacefaring species might be. Weir's willingness to interrogate his preferred communication method--allowing the choice of transparent xenonite to arise by chance, having Rocky not understand "basic" concepts like radiation--is surprising and positive, showing a careful attention to both the real possibilities of communication-through-science and its flaws. It's amazing and entertaining to watch Ryland and Rocky come to understand each other and work together, an unlikely partnership forged by truly exigent circumstances. Rather than the knowledge and comfort of Mahit Dzmare and Three Seagrass in "Desolation," we are given two protagonists that we get to know at the same time as they get to know each other. Both the buddy-cop dynamic and first contact are classic stories that have their own rich mythologies, yet Weir pulls it off to perfection while never losing sight of his own trademark style and ideas.

Absolutely Brilliant. This was the most intriguing story I've ever read. I was captivated the whole way through. If you loved The Martian, you'll love Project Hail Mary.

Stunning, funny, awe-inspriring, well written and just overall, a fantastic story. This is my favorite Andy Weir novel.

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and this is 100% my honest opinion. This story is amazing!

Can Andy Weir capture what we loved about The Martian and recreate it for Project Hail Mary? Having read the novel, I think I can safely answer that question. Yes! This novel wrapped up all of my favorite parts of that narrative and bundled it into something new.

Ryland Grace has found himself all alone in the emptiness of space. He wasn't supposed to be alone, and now the fate of humanity rests on his lonely shoulders. He and his crew had a mission, and it must be completed, regardless of the cost or risks.

If Grace can't figure out how to work his ship solo and conduct the research necessary, it is all of humanity who will be paying the price. He's officially their last hope, so no pressure, right? Thankfully, a sudden twist is about to even out Grace's odds.

“I penetrated the outer cell membrane with a nanosyringe."
"You poked it with a stick?"
"No!" I said. "Well. Yes. But it was a scientific poke with a very scientific stick.”

If you're looking for a book that is full of science and humor, then you're about to hit the jackpot. Project Hail Mary is thrilling, hilarious, and literally bursting from all of the scientific information Weir managed to cram inside.

To be clear, all of those scientific elements were thematically appropriate. Much like the botany experiments, Mart Watney was forced to conduct. It all played a role in Ryland Grace's adventure, fleshing out the story and making it feel real. Horrifying real at times, if I'm being honest.

Ryland's story in Project Hail Mary unfolds over the course of the novel, with two different points in time taking the lead. There's the time before his mission, and then (naturally) his time aboard Project Hail Mary. I was actually surprised by how much intrigue the 'before' time brought with it. You'd think all of the suspense would come from his time spent exploring space. You'd be wrong.

“When I’m stressed out, I revert to imperial units. It’s hard to be an American, okay?”

Readers will probably notice that Grace and Watney have quite a lot in common. They're brilliant, clever, funny, and oh right – totally isolated for long periods in their novel. They face isolation and death in the middle of space, thousands of miles from the nearest human.

Naturally, you might think all of these similarities make Project Hail Mary feel a little dry. But that's not the case; I'm thankful to report. The premise of the novel is vastly different, for starters. Secondly, it felt like there's a lot more going on in this novel: more characters, different threats, the works.

One thing I will note: The Martian had some odd pacing, thanks to the way it was originally released (in serial format online). It had something dramatic happening at regular intervals to keep the readers invested. I feel like Project Hail Mary also had this effect, where there is SO MUCH happening. The guy never gets a break! Perhaps the novel could have ended sooner without some of those events. Though I'm not sure it would have led us to the same ending without those moments, so I'll happily take this novel as is.

Overall I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary. I'm already dreaming of how it would look on the big screen, and I hope it follows its older brother on that path. Fingers crossed! Until then, I'm just going to sit here and hope we'll get another book announced within the next year or two.

SPACE PUNS. SCIENCE PUNS. THE BEETLES IN SPACE! yes you read that right. That’s just a little taste of what is included in this wonderful space opera.

I don’t have a lot of irrational fears but this book discusses one of my biggest irrational fears! I’m not going to say what it is because it’s kind of a spoiler. But, if you have strange space related fears like I do proceed with caution when reading 🤣

However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was learning about space, IR wavelengths, the solar system, gravity, and relativity while reading a completely entertaining and funny book.

I hope this Andy Weir book also gets turned into a movie! It would be fantastic!

This latest book from Andy Weir, author of The Martian, tells another story about a stranded, solitary, but resourceful man, far away from Earth.

We meet our protagonist as he awakens to find himself on a spaceship, and suffering from amnesia. The rest of the crew is dead, and he doesn't remember his name or anything about the mission he is on, let alone what to do next. Right away we learn that he knows his science and math though, as he devises some clever ways to learn about his surroundings. Memories trickle in, and we flashback to different moments in time, leaving the reader to feel almost as confused as the protagonist. As he slowly regains his memory, he learns about his situation, and the supremely important mission he is on.

This book has quite a bit of scientific information, and I would imagine that some readers might not be familiar with all of the terminology and concepts used in the story. I don't think that this will detract from the enjoyment of the book though, as familiarity with the science isn't really crucial to understanding the general plot elements. If you ARE interested in the science, it only makes the story more interesting in my opinion, because many of the ideas discussed seem to have at least some basis in real theoretical astrophysics. There are a bunch of cool science tricks, that show that author really did his research.

Even though the book is fairly long, at about 500 pages in 30 Chapters; I ended up reading it pretty quickly because I was anxious to find out what would happen next. I was really absorbed in the struggle, and I found it so entertaining when the protagonist had to rely on someone else for help.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. There was plenty of suspense, some cool science-fiction technology, and even a few plot twists thrown in. If you liked The Martian, I think you will also be a fan of this story. It has some similarities, but I liked it even more because the protagonist had more depth, and the stakes were even higher.

I would first like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for granting me my wish to receive this book to review and NetGalley for providing me with a place to provide a fair and honest review.

What happens when a school science teacher is informed he has to help stop the newly-discovered microbe from taking the heat sources from the sun or else the earth's temperature will drop and kill millions of people? This story will tell you. Ryland Grace finds himself on a strange bed, in space, with little recognition of how he got there. The storyline is told through present times and flashbacks, which help explain Project Hail Mary's mission and Grace's role in it. When a 3-person one-way trip to space turns into a single man's job, Grace begins to become overwhelmed. However, he may not have to take down these microbes alone...

Andy Weir never disappoints. This book was face-paced and although the scientific explanations are a bit above me, the humor involved made it hard to put down. While it is comparable to The Martian, I enjoyed this one a lot more. There was wit, emotion, triumphs, and excitement. I don't want to spoil this book for anybody, but I encourage everyone to pick it up and read it ASAP! It will be in my top 10 books of the year, without a doubt.