Andy Weir makes an explosive return to form with Project Hail Mary, a save-the-Earth science fiction story that doesn't skimp on the science or the twisty, page-turning story. This is one of the most exciting and fun science fiction books I've read in recent memory, with elements that will appeal to lovers of hard science fiction and more casual sci-fi romps as well, striking a very careful balancing act that kept impressing me as I found myself more engrossed in the story with every passing page. There are mysteries, dangers, incredible unexpected encounters, and high-stress scientific developments that come together in a way that really sold this book for me. This is a book that is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and something I'd eagerly recommend to readers who loved The Martian but might have been turned off by Artemis.

I'm one to take the author at their word when it comes to scientific formulae and mathematical equations in sci-fi novels, so if there were any glaring issues or too-convenient workarounds when it comes to the research and experiments that occur in this book that stand out for the more scientifically literate readers I will freely admit to have missed them. That being said, while I was a little overwhelmed by some of the science (and there is a lot of it, some very integral to the action) I was never put off by it.

A Russian scientist named Irina Petrova discovers that an arc of infrared radiation extends from the sun's North Pole to Venus, where it spreads out to the width of the planet. Researchers learn that the arc, named the Petrova line, is getting brighter as the sun is getting dimmer, and if the phenomenon continues, it will soon result in a catastrophic ice age on Earth. Moreover, other nearby stars are getting dimmer as well, and the phenomenon is spreading. There's one exception though. The star Tau Ceti, which is twelve lights years from Earth, is maintaining it's luminosity.

The United Nations forms the Petrova Taskforce to discover why Tau Ceti is immune from the astrophysical scourge. The program director is Eva Stratt, a brilliant, multilingual, Dutch scientist who's given total authority over the project. Under Stratt's oversight, the world builds a spacecraft, named the Hail Mary, to go to Tau Ceti.

The starship will carry three scientist-astronauts: one from Russia, one from China, and one from the United States. The passengers will be in hibernation for the trip, so only people with coma-resistant genes can make the journey. This limits the astronaut pool, since only one person in seven thousand has the appropriate DNA.

Carrying the sleeping astronauts, the Hail Mary - traveling close to the speed of light - will reach Tau Ceti in 13 years. If the crew is successful, a probe containing the 'dimming cure' will reach Earth 13 years after that.....so at least 26 years. By then many Earth species will be extinct and the human population will be decimated, but there will still be a chance to save humanity. (The author has a spot of fun here. For redundancy, the Hail Mary has four probes called beetles, which are whimsically named John, Paul, George, and Ringo.)

The American astronaut aboard the Hail Mary is Ryland Grace, who tells the story from his point of view. Grace is a molecular biologist who became a junior high school science teacher. The dual careers - and his natural curiosity - give Grace a wide breadth of knowledge about biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. The chapters alternate back and forth between preparations for the expedition and what happens when the Hail Mary reaches Tau Ceti.

Prior to blastoff, Grace is instrumental in mission preparation, and after the spacecraft arrives at Tau Ceti, he searches for a solution to the sun-dimming problem. Grace's work is complex and difficult, and his explanations are heavy with math and science.

As always with a huge project like Hail Mary, things go wrong, resulting in death, destruction, and unexpected consequences. Luckily, Grace has a sense of humor and a gift for quips, which provide a welcome light touch to the narrative.

To reveal more would be a spoiler, except to say this is a sci-fi thriller with big surprises. The novel has a fascinating premise and is a wonderful accolade to the cleverness, ingenuity, and better nature of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, Andy Weir, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book.

(4.5 stars rounded up).

When a sun-eating space bacteria threatens the fate of Earth, a junior high science teacher is enlisted as our number one hope to save the planet.

I read <u>The Martian</u> years ago when it first came out. I enjoyed it; it had plenty of little humorous moments sprinkled in to the daily tedium of being the only living person on Mars. But I felt </u>The Martian</u> lacked a lot of substance for me. It was kind of repetitive after a while and I felt like it was missing some action. Well, buckle up, because <u>Hail Project Mary</u> has plenty of action, drama, and heart. While Ryland Grace wasn't one of the most lovable characters right out of the gate, I really enjoyed his journey and his growth. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say this book had me emotionally attached to a spider. I loved the relationship between Ryland and Rocky and was never bored reading about their antics for a minute. At times, some of the descriptions of the other scientists and astronauts irked me as they were very stereotypical (the sullen and serious Chinese astronaut, the crazy vodka-loving Russian astronaut, the cold judgmental you-know-what Norwegian scientist etc.) But overall, the entire plot and the character developments played out perfectly. Heck, this book even had me enjoying MATH AND SCIENCE! I am by no means a math or science brained person, but the way Weir explained some of the situations and scenarios made so much sense to me. If only my high school math teachers had done the same!

At the end of the day, I'm labeling this book my first "must read" of 2021. Be sure to pick up your copy on May 4th!

Author Andy Weir returns to his strength: "sciencing the s--t" out of problems in space. This time our solo hero is alone in interstellar space with amnesia, and the Earth is relying on him to save the planet. The structure of the book is interesting, with our hero in the present with no memory, alternating with flashbacks to the past as his memories return piecemeal to gradually fill in the story. Not to mention...Aliens!

3.5 but rounding up to 4

Where to start? Well, my brain actually hurts from all of the “science” and mathematical equations. And I’m a sci-fi lover...
The story was an interesting one. Dr. Ryland Grace is the only survivor aboard the Hail Mary, a spaceship propelled into deep space with the mission of saving Earth from impending doom. I’ll refrain from more plot details to avoid spoilers.
I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the author’s debut novel, “The Martian,” and hoped this one would be as thrilling.
It was creative and funny, but not a page turner. And waaaaaay too many scientific equations.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This was an excellent follow up to The Martian (although, I didn't read Artemis so not sure how that one was). I found the story to be completely engaging even when I didn't understand the science (of which there was a lot of!). I kept finding myself wanting to open the book back and to see what was going to happen next. I took off a star because there were some major leaps in logic that always seems to be the right answer and didn't necessarily seem believable. But, given that I couldn't understand a lot of the science anyway, I just went along with it and the story was still pretty entertaining. Oh, and I loved Rocky.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am back in the AW fanclub after this book! I was a little nervous at first, because I didn't like the main character, Grace, right away. Or Stratt. Or any of the characters on Earth, really. It took until Rocky came into the picture for things to get going for me - their friendship was fantastic. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but some of my favorite moments involved some of the more casual and silly dialogue between the characters. And the ending... I feel very satisfied with how things panned out.

It is hard to avoid comparing this with the Martian. Project Hail Mary's Ryland Grace had an incredibly similar voice to The Martian's Mark Watney. They were both resourceful, remained optimistic for the most part even during dire circumstances, and had long monologues explaining the science that happened (which usually went over my head, but was still entertaining). The similarity wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because Weir is really good at writing this type of delightfully nerdy character. But it did give the books a very similar vibe, and Project Hail Mary just didn't feel as fresh and unique as the Martian (and didn't have as many funny one-liners). But it was still enjoyable read, and perhaps the BEST First Contact story I have ever read.

I'm a big fan of Andy Weir's other novels so this was really exciting to me when I saw he was writing another one. A space mystery sounded right up my alley after The Martian and I was so excited when I got the chance to read it early. This was every bit as intriguing and scientifical as I wanted. The main character was intriguing and compelling to read from as well. He reminded me a lot of the main character from The Martian, actually, which I think helped me like him.

Whereas in the Martian, I could understand most, if not all, of the science details, I did feel that I struggled with understanding them in this one sometimes. This isn't necessarily to say it was overly complicated, just that it takes a lot more brain power to understand than I initially expected.

This was a pretty amazing book. I only gave it four stars because it had too much science/math for me to figure out. If you are into space travel then I highly recommend this book.



Thank you NetGalley and random house publishing for a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

I loved this book-- could not resist starting it as soon as I got it and I couldn't stop reading once I started.

Weir has an uncanny ability to make science understandable and interesting. As he did in The Martian, he draws you in immediately to an everyman type who is faced with a huge scientific problem. In this case, it's not only the survival of one human being, but of our entire planet.

Weir's imagination is boundless, and he creates a clever situation and then works through how it all comes together. For the first part of the book, our narrator is recovering from slight amnesia, so we are learning the history of his space mission as he remembers it.

Eventually his memory catches up and we are engaged in the fight to survive, along with an unexpected ally. A real masterpiece.

Ryland Grace doesn't even know his own name when he wakes up aboard a ship in space. He doesn't remember how he got here and certainly doesn't know why he survived when his crewmates have not. As he slowly gathers more information and more of his memories, he realizes he has been tasked with the ultimate of all jobs- saving humanity.

Weir's writing drew me into this story right away. The touch of mystery intrigued me and was compelling enough that there was never a moment when I got bored with the story.
I am sure there are scientific issues in the story that would bother some readers, but I am good with the suspension of disbelief and wasn't too worried about everything adding up to accurate possibilities.

I love Rocky's character and the friendship that Ryland has with him as they problem-solve together.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Like a number of other reviewers, I was disappointed in ARTEMIS, having thoroughly enjoyed THE MARTIAN. Luckily, Weir's latest novel is much more fun than his previous one. MARTIAN-like in style, it features a brilliant science-teacher-turned-unwilling-astronaut, loads of scientific detail, and a suspenseful plot which I will not spoil here.

This was a slower go for me than THE MARTIAN - I found the scientific parts (and there are many) difficult to get through, and the plot implausible at times (yes, I know it's sci-fi. Still...). Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read that I would absolutely recommend to any Andy Weir fan, and that I think would make a great movie should it too be adapted for the big screen.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Despite the characters not knowing this word, Project Hail Mary was sadgood, sadgood, sadgood. Doing what Andy Weir does best, this novel cranks up the science and the danger all the way up to 11. More than 11. So much science and danger and chemistry, and astronomy that you wonder just how it all can possibly make sense. But Weir has this way of helping the reader get there, understanding every intricate piece in the same way the characters do. It begins to make sense and, by the novel's end, you feel as if you are an expert in all things space travel!

What is by far my favorite Andy Weir novel, Project Hail Mary simultaneously makes you fear for the Earth and believe in the power the world and its countries can have. I won't consider myself an expert on Andy Weir, but I have taught The Martian for the past three years to my 9th graders, getting a hands-on and immersive experience into everything Mark experiences in that novel.

After reading Project Hail Mary? The Martian will become second fiddle just how brilliantly written Project Hail Mary is. In a world where we know landing on Mars is in our near future, planning ahead and thinking beyond to what may possibility happen after is important. Project Hail Mary does this, exceeding all my expectations.

I'm to the point where I can barely put it into words, summarizing it to my students simply as: Guy is stranded in space with dead crewmates. Doesn't remember anything. Slowly starts to remember. New life form is eating the sun. All of Earth works together. Science teacher. It does the job well and I've managed to excite dozens of students to read this novel once it's officially in the world.

Just know that it's more touching than you would expect. So much so, I was caught up in my feelings before I had to go to bed and could barely keep it together long enough to do so.

I second Brandon Sanderson's critique that this is Weir's finest work yet and hope that everyone feels the same.

It's good, good, good.

Middle school science teacher Ryland Grace awakens from what he thinks is a coma - and no memory of his identity or much of anything else. And a nagging computer voice asking him his name. He eventually determines that he is on a space ship that he shared with two other now-dead explorers. As his memory returns, told in the book through episodes from his past, he realizes that he is on a mission to save Earth from an attack on the sun - and is there because of his college-days work on the possibilities of alien life based on other chemical systems.

As in "The Martian" (and many other books), Weir leads the reader through a series of breakdowns and other challenges, including some life-changing personal decisions by Grace, to an unpredictable. but satisfying, end. I'm not sure it's a "conclusion" as the ending seems to leave room for a sequel - time will tell.

The book is well written with a lot of well-explained science factoids, much as was in "The Martian" and held my interest throughout. I strongly recommend it for science fiction fans tired of today's proclivity for dystopian works - and for followers of Weir's work.

Oh my gosh, Andy Weir has done it again. Brilliant writing, cool science, and space make for a best seller every time. I do not know how he makes his characters so loveable when they are all alone. Absolutely wonderful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andy Weir, and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for allowing me to read the ARC of Project Hail Mary for an honest review.
Honestly, I loved this book! It took my friends a little convincing to get me to read The Martian, which I really liked when I was done; but no one had to convince me to read Andy Weir again, and Project Hail Mary met all my expectations for excitement, laughter, emotions, and generating thoughts about the world and beyond.
Being a school teacher can be a lot of fun, but what happens when someone in authority pulls you out of the classroom and sets you on a space journey, which might result in your death. Ryland Grace is the perfect teacher for this adventure. He is smart, compassionate, inquisitive, and never quits searching for answers.
Can he, as the sole survivor of his ship, save his planet? Or, does he meet someone who is just as smart, compassionate, and inquisitive to share this journey of a lifetime?
This is going to be one fantastic movie! It is one fantastic book! Thank you, Andy Weir!

Charming, compelling, funny, and exactly what you would expect from Andy Weir is what is delivered in Project Hail Mary. Our proganist wakes from a coma and has to start unraveling the mystery of why he was in that coma in the first place. Weir uses his signature wit and science to keep the reader captivated, carefully weaving a tale about close encounters that you wouldn't expect from most science fiction. Grounded enough in reality that it almost seems plausible, we get thrown onto the Hail Mary to try to save Earth from space algae. Definitely recommend to people that enjoyed the Martian. Its Andy Weir at his finest.

While most will say how similar this book is to Weir's first, The Martian — and it is, the funny thing about it is that the narrator seems to be an almost antithesis in many ways to Mark Watney. There are many similarities, but one stark contrast can be made early on — in that Ryland Grace only uses one single swear word (as best as my recollection serves me) in the whole of the book.

When Ryland Grace first wakes up from a coma — he later learns this was medically induced — he does not know who or where he is. He doesn't suffer from complete amnesia and retains all his learned skills — higher math coming particularly easy to him, as well as facts and figures. As he tries to assess his situation and regain fully from the coma, he notices two others in the room with him: two dead bodies, rather incredibly beyond the decomposition stage — indicating he had been in that coma for quite a long time.

The whole of the present day, with Grace recovering from his coma and then proceeding about to complete his original mission, is delivered in first person present tense. Normally I dislike first person present tense as it often seems such a lazy choice, but here Weir delivers it in a way that feels both organic and (surprisingly) necessary. Plus, coupled with the flashbacks — either forced memories (think, think, think) or memories that jump up to greet Grace — which are relayed through a more typical past tense, obviously — on top of the incredibly casual tone in which Grace narrates, Weir handles this choice with finesse. Not once did I feel trapped in the author's gimmick of false tension from present tense. Instead, this decision helped focus the scope of the story — like a filmmaker's tracking shot from behind a subject — you are right there with Ryland Grace.

The flashbacks themselves paint a picture of imminent disaster, and Grace relives these memories as they make their way into his consciousness. What follows is joyful, hopeful, winning exuberance — reminding you what you probably liked about Weir in the first place with Watney in The Martian. While Grace feels very much his own player in his own story, Project Hail Mary shares the same underlying hope-for-humanity feeling.

I loved The Martian and was happy to find Project Hail Mary had a similar tone with the snarky scientist. I loved reading about the science behind the decision-making, whether accurate or not, as it feels like I'm learning and understanding the gravity of the situation alongside the characters. Rocky is my ultimate favorite, and I can totally picture him being an adorable, hilarious, loveable character in a screen adaptation.

I read an ARC, and I really loved this book. I more or less devoured this book in a few days (including several nights where I unintentionally stayed up extremely late reading).

I was a huge fan of the Martian and was so-so on Artemis, but this is definitely more in line with what I was hoping the follow up to The Martian would be. All the physics calculations and science facts are there so if you liked that in The Martian, you will find a lot of love here. You should be prepared to suspend some disbelief for maximum enjoyment, but this is really fun, easy-reading reality-adjacent sci fi, and the story definitely went to some interesting places I did not expect it to.