⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - All The Stars in the Universe!

I loved The Martian , in fact it made my top 5 the year it was published, and Andy Weir has captured that same magic for me again in Project Hail Mary.

Ryland Grace wakes up in a room with no recollection of how he got there and what he is supposed to be doing. All he knows is the computer isn't very smart and keeps knocking him out when he answers a question wrong. He has got to figure out where he is, what he is supposed to be doing, why things feel off and why there are two other people in beds that have been dead awhile. He is a lone man figuring out what he needs to do to survive and to do that he will need to science the crap out of stuff.

The world is doomed, but at least this time it isn't due humans. We can blame some space algae feeding on our sun for this calamity. In a long shot to save humanity, all of the earths resources are combined to put the best people through a space voyage to figure out why another system with the same space algae isn't dying like ours and a few others are. Grace has boldly gone where no man has gone before. What he finds there is so unexpected, the scientist in him just might have squeeded like a little girl.

Grace thought he was going to have to save the world all alone. He thought he was going to have to endure all of the hardships by himself. He did not expect another ship to be there waiting trying to figure out the same mystery. Alien life has been found and it is not like any I've seen before. I applaud Weir's direction and imagination here in the best intergalactic bromance since Enemy Mine (I might be showing my age with that reference) or more widely known Han and Chewy.
"Forty-six years?! i gasp, "Earth years?!"
"I am here forty-six Earth years yes."
He's been stuck in this system for longer than I've been alive.
"How...how long do Eridians live?"
He wiggled a claw. "Average is six hundred eighty-nine years."
"Earth Years?"
"Yes," he says a little sharply, "Always Earth units, You are bad at math, so always Earth units."

This is a fantastic story told in both Present and Past as Grace tries to figure out how he even ended up on this suicide mission. Along with his new bff, they will try to figure out how to save two solar systems and possibly make it back home. There are plenty of obstacles stacked against them and they will need to solve some huge problems and do a few very dangerous things.

I loved the format of this story. It really added to the suspense to try and see what happened in the past to put a junior high teacher on a spaceship towards certain death. Stratt, the woman who put everything in play and made sure the mission happened was fantastic and exactly what humanity needed to cut through all the red tape and keep everyone on target. She was an administrative super hero. Giving Grace an alien bff to talk was fantastic as well. Rocky is unexpected and perfectly named really. He adds both someone for Grace to interact with and an interesting look at a different possible evolutionary track.

If you enjoyed the Martian, then Project Hail Mary should scratch your Sci-Fi reading itch. The blend of survival story and science as Grace MacGyvers it all up is a really fun read for someone like me. I personally loved this book and can see it making my top 10 this year, also I'd love to see this in a limit season or movie format so I hope that is a possibility.

What can I say that hasn't been said? This is a terrific read that transcends genre. And don't worry if you, like me, get lost in the science and therefore decide to skip around it- the novel works just fine that way because of the humanity that Weir brings to his tale. Ryland Grace, who finds himself in an impossible situation, is a wonderful character as is Rocky (I know, I know). Thanks to netgalley fo the ARC. I suspect many will pick this up because of the Martian and might put it down again when confronted with the aforementioned science. If they don't pick it up again, they'll be missing a great story. Highly recommend.

This was my first Andy Weir book. I really need to go back and read the others. You would think that a book that spends a good deal of time with one character alone in space working out problems in great detail in his head would be pretty boring and hard to get into. The internal voice of Dr. Grace is witty and engaging enough to make it really fun and interesting to read. I'm afraid that if I were ever stuck in a space ship that my confidence would be way higher than it should be after reading this book. Grace faces down just about everything you can imagine in his quest to save the Earth from an alien life form that is draining the energy from our sun.

I have to say that one of the best things about reading this story was the fact that it didn't go where I thought it would all of the time. Choices Grace makes as he faces more and more decisions he just doesn't feel prepared to make lead places I didn't imagine they would. In flashbacks, we find out how this unlikely middle school science teacher ends up in space with the entire planet's future in his hands. Characters are all so well developed, even when we don't get a lot of time with them.

I am so glad I was able to get my hands on a copy of this book to review.

<strong>Project Hail Mary</strong> is the newest novel from Andy Weir, soon released in a few days on Star Wars Day (May 4). Sci-fi fans should feel free to getting excited now. I was so thrilled to get an early copy of it and absolutely tore through this story about scientific research, evolution and interstellar exploration.

I loved, <em>loved</em> the movie <strong>The Martian</strong> and have been wanting to read something of Weir's for a while now. However, I ended up skipping Weir's follow-up novel, Artemis, since it had mixed reviews and the plot seemed kind of wonky to me, with stuff like space heists and gangsters and whatnot.

In <strong>Project Hail Mary</strong>, Weir gets his footing back on more comfortable territory: a dude in space doing science-y stuff.

<strong>Project Hail Mary</strong> involves quite a bit of scientific experimentation since the narrative involves a backstory about an astronomical anomaly. Weir does a fantastic job of explaining this all in a way that includes a full explanation of the science behind it while still making it very accessible and narratively interesting. This book is so impressive in that respect.

Chances are, if you read this book, you're going to learn quite a few fun science facts! Here's a good litmus test for whether or not you are a good reader for this book: If you read that sentence and thought, <em>oh cool, science facts</em>! You are a good reader for this book, and I bet you'll love it. If you read the first sentence in this paragraph and thought, <em>ugh, bleh, science</em>. You are a bad reader for this book, and you will probably DNF it.

I don't want to spoil any of the plot, but Project Hail Mary involves more speculative aspects of the story than <strong>The Martian</strong> did, so it involves similar territory but then extends outwards from there. There's some portions of the book deals in evolution and the ways that species evolve. These were some of my favorite parts of the book, and I thought the coverage of it was compelling and astute.

It's a very ambitious book in terms of what it's trying to cover, and the science and technology aspect of it are so carefully and deliberately thought out. Weir's use of actual science as a foundation for his science fiction is a particular strength of his, and it's an understatement to say that it's on full display in <strong>Project Hail Mary</strong>.

In terms of some general descriptors of the writing, the book progresses forward at a moderately rapid clip. The writing is what you'd expect from someone who's more of a science guy than a writer in a literary sense, but it's serviceable. It helps a lot that the narration and dialogue is often genuinely funny, which helps to smooth out most of the edges.

There's one point towards the end where I thought the plot went a little off the rails and starts to get messy. I think Weir is better off sticking to science-survivalist stuff than trying to mess with plot points that involve human nature and whatnot. But I think it's a small enough part of the book that it won't ruin anyone's enjoyment of the book if they feel similarly as I do.

This is a solid, sometimes quite funny and very meticulously thought-out book. In essence, it's a great read ... if you enjoy hard science. Overall, I thought Project Hail Mary was very good. If you like science at all, read it! If not, I'm sure it'll become a super flashy movie at some point, so you can watch it then. Yay, space!

(Caveat)

There's (very) brief mention of the lack of women in STEM and the need to allow less qualified women in their selection criteria. ("Stratt stayed firm and insisted on only the best candidates, but some concessions had to be made. 'Women,' I said.") Then, Weir has a character say that the way to change things is to "encourage your female students to get into STEM".

Hm. Okay. Let's be clear, that's not enough. Yes, people should encourage women and girls to get into STEM. But say that's <em>the </em>reason there aren't more women in STEM is inaccurate. Ultimately, having more women in STEM requires addressing the structural issues that keep women out, such as not having proper mentors and not having work or school environments that are free from sexism and harassment, etc.

To be fair, this is just a mention made in passing, a few sentences out of the entire book, and I moved passed it. Still, I am disappointed by this nonetheless. I don't understand why Weir felt the need to include a sexist character without having another character provide a counterargument.

First off, I love "The Martian." Love the book, love the audiobook, love the movie, love the whole idea.

After you read "Project Hail Mary," you realize that Mark Watney had it easy.

Weir's second book, "Artemis," was good but it didn't engage me the way "The Martian" did with its emphasis on problem-solving and good-natured determination. He came roaring back to that with his new one, and his protagonist has a lot more lives than his own to save.

All of humanity, in fact.

Ryland Grace realizes this when he wakes up hurtling through space on a small ship with his two crewmates dead and, oh yeah, he can't remember why he's there. He gradually works out enough of the situation and his scattered memory to understand that life on Earth is under imminent, unstoppable threat and he is the only chance to find a way to stop it.

If he can just remember what he's supposed to do.

Problem-solving is once again front and center here as Grace has to, basically, deduce what the problem he left behind was so he can try to figure out what the one-in-a-million chance was that he's speeding towards on what he also figures out is a one-way mission.

Fortunately, he gets some extraterrestrial help, and that's where things really pick up.

"Project Hail Mary" is a triumphant return to the territory of "the Martian" and the movie "Apollo 13" where the only enemy is nature and time and the only real tools are intelligence. science, and perserverance. And luck. Like Mark Watney from "The Martian" Grace has a sense of humor and a strong grounding in science (although he cusses significantly less, if that matters to you) and stands up to the truly crushing task and assorted defeats that come at him.

Andrew Weir does it again. In his latest book, Project Hail Mary, he writes a gripping tale of space exploration. The hook came in the first paragraph and kept me enthralled throughout the whole book.

At the beginning of the book, we discover that the main character has amnesia. He gets bits and pieces of his memory back as the book progresses. It is this journey of discovery that keeps the reader rushing to the next sentence. As with any of Weir’s books, he will make you laugh and cry. I am excited for everyone to get their hands on a copy.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me a copy of the book.

He wakes up on a spaceship hurtling through space at enough acceleration to create gravity. There are two skeletons in the beds next to him, and a robot that monitors his health. To access the ship's controls, he just needs to give his name as a password—but he doesn't remember his name. He doesn't remember why he's on a spaceship, or where he's going, or who the skeletons are next to him. But as his memories start to surface, he realizes that he's the only one who can save the Earth he left behind.

With that kind of premise, it's no surprise that I think it's best to go into this book completely blind. After all, the narrator is almost completely blind; he hasn't forgotten how to speak English, and he has an absurd amount of math and science knowledge stored in his brain, but it'd seem unfair to tell you why he's flying through space when he doesn't even know himself. I feel like everything I can say about this book is a spoiler, although it ranges from mild spoiler to big spoiler, so I'll try to stick to mild spoilers for the rest of this review.

Let's just get it out of the way: in terms of characters, Andy Weir is a one-trick pony. Ryland Grace, the narrator, is basically Mark Watney in a microbiologist hat. Oh, and he doesn't swear, because he's a junior high school science teacher. Besides that, pretty much the same person: smart enough to jerry rig a bunch of stuff in space without killing himself, pretty much the least capable person on his team yet ends up being the only survivor anyway, and a sarcastic joker. He does actually have some flaws, which is more depth than Mark Watney, but ultimately this could have been a direct sequel to *The Martian* and Weir would have needed to change only a handful of details.

Below the surface, though, *Project Hail Mary* is a very different story than *The Martian*, that feels fresh and new despite similarities. I found it to be an extremely compelling story, that was focused on the survival of not only Ryland Grace, not only humans, but all life on Earth, and perhaps even life—if it exists—across the galaxy. The stakes are high, and it really drives the story forward.

I do think that this book was perhaps a little long for what it was at nearly 500 pages. There were a few points in the first half of the book that dragged and the pace didn't really pick up until the fifty percent mark. I also thought that the way Grace recalled his lost memories were a little too convenient—rather than coming in fragmented bits and pieces, he managed to remember a couple years of memories in chronological order, but also managed to recall exact moments when he needed to without breaking that chronological order. There's an argument that this makes it more accessible for the average reader, but personally I think I'd have enjoyed it more if his memory had been more fragmented.

All in all I think this was a pretty fun read and good for folks who don't read a lot of sci-fi and would like to try one out. Additionally, if you liked *The Martian*—either the movie or the book—you should enjoy this as well. Although I haven't read *Artemis*, I know it was disappointing for a lot of readers, but here I think Weir has returned to play to his strengths. Altogether a strong book, and I hope to see more in the same vein from Weir in the future.

***Note: Review will go live at provided link at 7am EST on May 4, 2021

PROJECT HAIL MARY is as if Contact, Arrival, and Interstellar had a very smart baby.

It IS that good.

Andy Weir wrote a phenomenal book and hit a home run of interstellar proportions–pun intended. In this story, we witness Rylan Grace’s interstellar journey to the unknown in an almost-impossible attempt to save humanity from global catastrophe. And he is desperate, and sarcastic at the same time, a thing I loved in The Martian, which is here, too.

A huge deal of research went into this book, because the story feels modern and very real. How everything unfolds has an scientific explanation, which won’t confuse you, even if you’re not that much into hard science fiction. In my very humble opinion, PROJECT HAIL MARY is a masterpiece and will become an instant classic.

Do yourself a favor and snatch a copy of PROJECT HAIL MARY–don’t wait for the movie. The novel will take you unimaginable places.

My dad is the one who introduced me to Andy Weir’s first book, The Martian, so when I heard about this one, I was absolutely ecstatic.
I love this book! I had so much fun with the main character, Ryland Grace. You could definitely tell that he was a school teacher. His speech patterns and the way he explained things throughout the story gave me flashbacks to my own middle school days.
I can’t wait for this book to come out officially so I can share it with my dad.
Thank you to NetGalley for granting my wish on an ARC of this book.

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review

In his latest novel, Andy Weir returns to the formula that brought him success with The Martian. If you loved that book, you'll love this one! And we can all keep pretending that Artemis never happened.

In Project Hail Mary, junior-high teacher and microbiologist Ryland Grace finds himself in outer space- a lone astronaut tasked with saving the human race. That's all the plot I'm giving you! I went into this book knowing nothing and was thrilled to discover this story as I read. I want to give you that same gift by not setting up the plot for you at all. Enjoy it on the page! And do it soon, because I want someone to discuss this with.

Andy Weir pulls off another successful sci-fi novel with Project Hail Mary. I absolutely loved The Martian and felt opposite about Artemis so I was hoping he'd come out with another blockbuster.

Rylan Grace is a junior high school science teacher who loves his job. He is the narrator of this novel and you will learn more about him as the story goes on. In the first chapters Rylan doesn't know his name or anything about his past as he was in an induced coma for years.

He is on a spaceship and needs to remember his name and certain facts for the onboard computer to unlock areas of the ship. As he slowly remembers details of his former life we learn he was an esteemed scientist with excellent credentials before he burned some career bridges.

Without giving spoilers here it's established Earth will undergo a life extinuishing event. Dr Grace is one of the scientists who may be able to help change the outcome. In my opinion the science, hypothesis and formulas were interesting at first but I could have used less of it. Fun to read and then I felt like I may need to scroll along.

The memories of "life before" and the interaction Dr Grace has with another space entity was interesting. I particuarlly liked the last chapters and the outcome so it was overall a 4 star book for me.

Not on par with The Martian but 100% better than Artemis. We love Andy Weir in our home and have recently purchased his first book (again) after someone failed to return our loan :-( We also just watched the Martian recently - I think this book would have potential to become a cool space movie as well. Ridley Scott, are you listening? :-)

Publication date May 4, 2021 by Random House - Ballentine. Genre: Mystery, Thrillers, Sci Fi and Fantasy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting my wish and allowing me to read an advanced copy.

This is hands down the best book I have read this year so far. I am in absolute awe.

Long story short without giving away too much information, Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship and has to figure out why and how he got there. The whole fate of humanity rests in his hands.

So I've slept a night and I can't stop thinking about this book. First of all, if you are at all interested in space and don't mind not understanding a lot of the math and science interspersed throughout the book, then you will probably enjoy this book. Also, it's written in the first person and at times feels very scattered. You are experiencing the same thoughts and emotions as Ryland Grace as he navigates his current situation while also experiencing flashback about what brought him to this point in time. I will say, I can see this book not being for everyone.

I found it funny and suspenseful, and there were many times I got goosebumps while reading. And like all good books, the ending made me cry. The characters in the book were so likeable that I became really attached and invested in them. I WOULD DIE FOR ROCKY. I read this first on Kindle and have already ordered a hardcover copy. I can't wait to reread this book.

A middle school science teacher races to save the world in The Martian author’s new sci-fi adventure. When Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma on a spaceship millions of miles from Earth, his crewmates are dead and he can’t remember his own name. He knows he was working on the Petrova problem: the sun is dying, and if he can’t figure out how to revive it, a new ice age will end life as we know it. But all is not yet lost— by relying on his own wits and a new friend, he might yet save us all. VERY science-y, often funny, surprisingly poignant. MGM already snatched up the film rights with Ryan Gosling to star.

Space is scary. At least weir's space is scary but I want to go. He is so good at this intense action genre. Make sure that you have plenty of time to read this book as once you start putting it down and going to sleep is impossible

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

The third book by this author, this be an excellent, fun, and intense read.  It follows Ryland Grace who wakes up in a craft with a fantastic case of amnesia and then has to save the world.  I almost want to get amnesia about this book so I can go back on the journey all over again.  Is that enough to get ye interested?  Because this book be so full of twists, fun reveals, and just plain awesome.

Scared that the science involved be too much for ye?  Fear not, much like the martian, the science is explained in an understandable way for the non-sciency person.  The only small flaw be some of the coincidence and unbelievability but the thrills be worth it.  I highly recommend.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Ballantine Books!

All I have to say is Andy Weir has done it again!  In this book, Project Hail Mary, Weir takes us to a new world in order to save our planet,  Earth. Dr. Grace has woken up from a years long coma to witness a new solar system. With no memory of how he got there, he slowly starts to peice together what has happened. As his memories come back to him, Dr. Grace discovers that he must figure out a way to save our planet from destruction.  In order to do this, Dr. Grace meets and works with an unlikely partner, an alien life form he names Rocky. Rocky is from the planet 40 Eridian and has come to the solar system of Tau Ceti for the same reason as Dr. Grace, to determine why a small, microscopic organism is devouring energy from sunlight. With his wonderful humor,  Weir takes us on an incredible adventure to save not just our world but that of an alien world. 

I typically do not read Sci-Fi, but Weir sure knows how to write a book for the general reader. His humor makes this book such a fun and exciting read. And, as with his book The Martian, Weir describes space travel in way that everyone can understand without losing any kind of technical aspect.  I was immersed in a new world in ways I never thought possible. I highly recommend Project Hail Mary to ask the adventurous readers out there. As this book tells us, you never know what's out there and what we can do to save not just Earth but the whole galaxy.

I received an advanced copy of this book from #NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I've read both of Weir's other books, and I got to say I think this one is my favorite of the three. And that's saying something, I LOVED The Martian. This one has a few points in it's favor that make it really work, Weir has deftly weaved his hard science approach to scifi with a first contact story that looks at the idea of aliens living on completely incompatible environments to us humans. Ryland Grace, the main character, is a bit of a toned down Mark Watney, he's got the same sense of humor (useful for carrying alot of the plot singlehandedly) but has nuance to his character that Watney lacked. The real stand out of this book was Rocky, an alien from a distant star system that's facing the same problem Earth is. Despite being extremely different (Rocky is described as a five limbed rock creature reminiscent of a spider who sees with sound due to his planet having an extremely thick atmosphere) the two manage to work together for the mutual benefit of both of their home planets. For a book that takes place almost entirely within one tiny spaceship, Weir has created a rich world that is backed up with scientific fact that is fun to read from start to finish.

Astronaut Ryland Grace is in trouble. Waking from suspended animation he has found his two crewmates dead and he is suffering from amnesia. Ryland can’t remember his name or his mission. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes that he may be the only person who can avert a major catastrophe back on earth. He only has to figure what’s going on and what to do about it.

I really liked Andy Weir’s previous book, The Martian. So, I wondered if Project Hail Mary would meet my high expectations. And the answer is a resounding Yes! Once again Weir has produced an excellent book that is well-written, well-conceived, extremely clever and imaginative, and just plain good. The protagonist is resourceful and resolute, and he meets his many challenges head-on. The scientific descriptions are so well-done that they make the book even more interesting rather than weigh it down. The story itself moves along at a nice pace, the action is consistent, and the dialog is believable and enjoyable. Andy Weir and his writing is the real deal.

Especially if you like sci-fi that is more real than imaginary I would highly recommend that you give Project Hail Mary a go. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Now, I wonder…when will this become a movie. I can’t wait!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Andy Weir has outdone himself with Project Hail Mary. What would humans do if the earth started to lose its strength and no oe knows why? Why would a junior high school science teacher be the second in command of a global project to save the earth? What would a person do if they were sent on a suicide mission to accomplish this feat? These are the premises that the aptly named novel is built on. . Just at the various points that I was almost overwhelmed by the physics in the book (and yes, to all of you more scientifically minded readers, this book is for you!) a new fascinating human interest plot line is carried through. Great read! Thank you Net Galley!

3.5 / 5 stars.

The premise of Project Hail Mary, on the surface, is reminiscent of The Martian. This story turns out to be much more speculative and far-fetched than The Martian, while still being rooted in science and technology. As a reader, I found that Project Hail Mary required more suspension of disbelief than The Martian, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

We meet our protagonist, Ryland Grace, as he wakes up alone on a spaceship, without his memories of who he is and what he's doing there. As the story continues, the narrative switches between Rylan's present time in the spaceship and memories from his past, which are sprinkled in throughout the story. These glimpses into the previous years of his life are helpful for characterization and some background, but I found that they sometimes interrupted the pacing of the story.

Project Hail Mary, especially the beginning of the story, has a very strong leaning towards the science and the technical, which came across as more of an info dump than the science parts in the rest of the book. I didn't necessarily mind it myself, but if readers aren't trained or interested in those subjects, I can imagine it could lead to disinterest or frustration.

Overall, I liked the book. It was an enjoyable read, and the ally that Rylan meets as he's trying to save the world is one of my favorite characters from the story. The relationship between them that forms throughout the book is one that I personally loved. Despite the more speculative nature of this book, it was entertaining, and Andy Weir did a great job at wrapping everything up in a satisfying way.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.