When Ryland Grace wakes up he discovers he is the sole survivor of a mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat. There are only a few things stopping him...the other two crew members are dead and he can't remember his name, his mission, or how to complete it. All aid is light-years away so he's on his own...or is he?

All the stars for this action packed interstellar thrill ride! I'm quickly becoming quite the fangirl of Andy Weir's work so when I got the chance to read his newest novel you guess how excited I was. I was trying to think of how to describe this novel, in comparison with his other works, without giving too much away. It has a quirky yet clever protagonist with an unusual sense of humor (reminiscent of The Martian) paired with the more "speculative" side of sci-fi (found in his novel Artemis). If you can imagine those two books combined, and it sounds interesting, then just like me you will love this one. It's always hard to tell what readers will enjoy or get annoyed by with characters. For example Ryland's character doesn't cuss and uses swear-word alternatives that some readers might find funny or annoying. I have to admit there were a couple of characters, about mid-novel, that I felt were written a bit odd, but overall I enjoyed the mix of this novels eccentric characters. I really enjoy the MC's problem solving abilities...somewhat like an intergalactic MacGyver who just needs a paper clip, tin foil, and physics. This was one of those novels I couldn't wait to pick back up and see what was going to happen next...a must read for 2021!

I liked this so much!! Junior High Science teacher, Ryland Grace, is in a spaceship on a mission of rescue and survival, although he doesn’t remember how or why -- or even what his own name is! He finds that he is alone on the ship, as his two team members have died on the journey. Gradually he starts to remember what is happening and what he is supposed to be doing -- saving the world! -- with some unexpected help along the way.

I hesitate to say too much because I so enjoyed being surprised by some of the things that happened, and I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I will just say that this book took the reader into some unexpected areas of space travel, involving lots of problems solving, and with an ending I did not expect! It. Was. So. Good!! I really liked “The Martian,” but I enjoyed this one equally as much. It will also make a wonderful movie!

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Andy Weir, and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Hmmm. There is almost no way to give a review of this book without giving something away, so I am just going to say this book is terrific and a worthy successor to The Martian. Sci-Fi fans are going to make this a number 1 best seller very quickly.

The protagonist wakes up alone with amnesia, with no one but himself for help but with a snappy inner monologue to keep in interesting. We are off on a roller coaster ride of a science fiction mystery, learning more and more about the mystery and its challenges as the protagonist does.

This book embraces some of the best parts of the author's first book, The Martian, but amps it up. There is the great science based problem solving like in the first book, but the stakes are higher, help is farther away, and (as the protagonist repeatedly says) there are no seeds or other plant matter available to use to grow food..

I was incredibly lucky to get a pre-release copy of this book and I gobbled it up,.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty excited to get this ARC because I heard The Martian is super good, and it definitely lived up to the residual hype from that book. It’s such a fun book. The science technicalities can definitely get a little excessive and overwhelming, but it’s not dry, so it’s still enjoyable to read. It’s pretty much like being in a science class with a fun teacher, which is exactly who the protagonist is supposed to be, so he’s definitely written well. All in all, I’d say it’s like an alien action movie, but where the only surviving member of the crew is the quirky scientist. It’s kind of a mix of Arrival, a disaster movie and Gravity. I had a great time seeing how Grace and Rocky got out of every close call they found themselves in and it ended pretty pleasantly, so I would definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for some fun, relatively light action/adventure. Thanks for the review copy, Random House!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy in advance of publication.

For this story, we’re back in Andy Weir’s wheelhouse: a science- and action-driven plot set, this time, almost entirely in space. I don’t read his books for character development, although this novel highlights a moral and ethical dilemma for our hero. I read them for the science and the characters’ commitment to iterative problem solving. He presents the engineer as superhero—and hey, it’s their turn, darn it. But those pesky feet of clay make it more interesting.

“The Martian” was based on known human science, and that made it more accessible. This time, Weir is more creative in building a situation with new elements and technologies. I liked that a lot, and it meant that when the story dived too much into the science, as Weir is want to do, I could skip ahead a few Kindle pages and get to the solution without worrying about it too much.

This story morphs into the buddy genre and I loved the relationship between Grace and Rocky. Wow, there is some character development here!

The resolution and ending felt a little abrupt to me. The flashbacks were effective in building suspense and dread as conditions back home worsened. A riff on apocalypse, science, friendship and courage/cowardice. All told, a satisfying romp in an alternate universe. I give it 4 stars. “The Martian” remains my favorite.

The sun is disappearing. Can a suicidal mission save it?

Ballantine and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published May 4th.

This story is a bit dry in the beginning and has all kinds of technical information about what's happening to the sun and what they will need to do to save it.

They lose two of the astronauts before they even leave earth. Their lab blew up. So the lady in charge assigns the teacher to go in their place. It's because he has a tolerance for the drug they will use to make the journey more passable. The reason he got involved was a science paper he wrote and published.

He doesn't want to go but she gives him no choice. When he awakens he finds the other two astronauts have died. So he's on a spaceship all by himself. He has to learn how to run it.

The part I liked best is when he sees another ship that's not earthly made. Then he gets approached by an alien. They study each other's language and begin to work together to save the sun for their worlds.

This was an interesting read. The alien is very different from the human. They have "bugs" they must stop. Soon they find other "bugs" who eat the first set. But that's not all they eat...

Will they be able to save the sun?

I would like to thank the author and publisher (Andy Weir and Ballantine Books) for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this book.

"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir is a page-turning, thrilling, enjoyable hard core scifi novel. Weir keeps the tension high throughout this novel with the survival of both the human species and the protagonist in question. From the very start to end of the novel, I found the protagonist easy to identify with, and easy to sympathize with as every step of his epic challenge is fraught with danger, unexpected setbacks, and satisfying accomplishments. It is hard to go into detail without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that as one would expect from a novel by Andy Weir, most of the novel takes place in space, the story features lots of (but not too much) technology and engineering, and the protagonist handles unimaginable situations with intuitive thinking, science, and hard work.

To contrast with other books by Andy Weir, I really liked The Martian and I enjoyed Artemis. However, I think this is his best book by far, and I look forward to reading many more of his novels.

Just put this review on Goodreads: Thank you for making it available!

Wow, what a book!. Just a note that an ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little hesitant going into this book as I didn't love Artemis. Reading the Martian was unlike any Sci-FI book I had read, and at that time it was more "underground" recommended by a friend. If you liked the Martian, you'll love Project Hail Mary. Devouring this book in a couple sittings, he takes the "memory loss" trope with a slightly different spin, unveiling plenty of twists and turns that make you ignore everything else around you.

This has been my favorite book of the year so far!

Ryland Grace is awake.! But he’s not sure where he is or why... Signature Andy Weir writing provides scientific explanations as Grace begins to logically piece together where he is and what he is supposed to be doing.

Interspersed with the dramatic present are flashbacks revealing an end of the world event on Earth. Grace is our hero and our guide as he describes the event in first person. Building suspense and belief as Earth’ inhabitants come together in an attempt to stop the seemingly inevitable - via a Hail Mary

The book is so fantastic, so gripping, you do not have the time to think too long on some of the less plausible events. Weir builds a completely believable world in space and describes adventures that you never want to end.

No need to be a physicist, chemist, or engineer to enjoy this book. But you might end up learning a little more about the field. I look forward to rereading this action packed tale and seeing a movie as well. Highly recommend !

MacGyver meets Star Trek Next Gen episode Darmok in Andy Weir’s newest book, Project Hail Mary.
Dr. Ryland Grace is a middle school science teacher left alone on a spaceship whose suicide mission is to find a cure for the amoeba that is eating the sun. Along the way he meets an alien, Rocky, whose sun is also infected with this amoeba species. For science fiction readers the book is an interesting take on different alien types. Think of Hal Clement’s classic A Matter of Gravity. For adventure readers there are non-stop problems Grace and Rocky have to figure out how to overcome in their fight to save their own worlds. However, there is little character development or expressive language to moderate the science for general readers, as was the case with The Martian. Must buy for libraries, but only one copy per branch. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the pre-pub edition of this book.

4.5 stars! Another good one by Weir. If you've read any of his other books you won't be disappointed by this one. Drama, the human condition, science for dummies+, and space all wrapped in his trademark humor. I loved how the plot in this book revealed itself. I'm not usually a big fan of jumping timeline stories, but this one did it so cleanly that it introduced just enough information to keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more. It makes it kind of difficult to give a description of the book without giving anything away. Let's just say unlikely heroes are asked to step up to save planets from destruction. And ugh these characters, they felt real even in such a surreal situation and I wanted to be friends with them. This type of story line isn't usually on my read list, but it was a great one!

I enjoyed reading The Martian, so I wanted to try Project Hail Mary. I've found that I really like Andy Weir's writing style. It's amusing and entertaining. Plus, there's science, fiction and math. Three things I love. The setup, the problem facing humanity, was interesting. And leading up to the first solution, creating project Hail Mary, a ship that would travel to another solar system to explore and research a possible solution. That was fun. Andy thought out mostly every potential hitch or hiccup that would need to be addressed in an undertaking of this magnitude. And when the main character, Grace, reaches his destination, we are learning right along with him (thanks to temporary amnesia). The Earth is being threatened by a microscope that is feeding off of the sun. If a solution isn't found soon (over a decade or two), humanity will be at risk, as in a mass extinction level. What did I love about Project Hail Mary?
-The character's voice. Reminded me of Watney., though not completely. Just a little bit.
-The ship. What a cool design and idea for managing propulsion as well as gravity.
Ugh. There's more, but I don't want to spoil it. Just trust me when I say there's more to this story that makes it interesting, fun, entertaining and exciting. And....I would have harassed the author to no end if ...*sigh* again, trying to avoid spoilers. Just....it was a fun read. I loved it. Then again, I usually enjoy Science Fiction. Andy Weir is joining my short list of authors whose books I'll read as soon as they are published.

While I enjoy Andy Weir's writing, I felt this story took on a bit of The Martian x 1000. In “Project Hail Mary,” Ryland Grace wakes up in a round room with no memory of his name or how he got there. Through flashbacks, he discovers that he is in a space ship, trying to find out how to save the Sun which in turn saves the earth. I don't want to say more than that because some of the fun was not knowing the twists and turns as I went on to read keeping me engaged.

This book is definitely hard core scifi with all the science and math....maybe too much for my taste. I loved the way Weir used flashbacks as a plot device as Ryland awakens with two dead bodies and no idea where he is. While this book wasn't for me, I know many in my reading circles will eat this up!

DNF @ 11%

This seems more like a vehicle for science education than a story. It might make a great physics "textbook" for high school or college, but it was not a compelling read.

In “Project Hail Mary,” Ryland Grace wakes up in a round room with no memory of his name or how he got there. Through flashbacks, he discovers that he is in a space ship near Tau Seti, a star system far from home, trying to find out how to save the Sun, which is being consumed by a strange entity called “Astrophage,” that is also present on Tau Seti. All of his crew mates have died, so he must discover the problem and come up with a solution on his own. While doing so, he gets help from an unlikely source.

Although the basic plot of this novel was imaginative and interesting, the book relied too heavily on lengthy, detailed descriptions of math problems, which made it hard to hold the interest of readers who are not mathematicians. For this reason, even though I generally love space based science fiction, the book was somewhat tedious to read. I would imagine that readers who are not deterred by the math would find this an entertaining read. If it were possible, I would give this book 3.5 stars for the imaginative plot, but the detailed reliance on math prevents me from giving it a 4 star rating.

Andy Weir writes fun books. That cannot be denied. But Andy Weir also writes downright smart books, and he's true to form in Project Hail Mary. The Martian is one of my all-time favorite books, but Artemis was "just ok" to me for one big reason - Weir does not write women very well. Especially women who are essentially the same person as the main character in The Martian. This was a common critique of Artemis, and it seems that Weir took the criticism to heart and really put a lot of effort into the characters of Project Hail Mary. Part fun, sci-fi romp, part smart hard sci-fi, this is Weir at his best. The best character in this book isn't even a human - it's Rocky, an adorable alien who shares a special bond with our main character. Just like Weir's previous books, this one makes readers feel smarter just by absorbing the scientific jargon that is crammed into every page. But this isn't overwhelming and definitely does not get in the way of the story, which is fast-paced and super enjoyable. Highly recommended for fans of The Martian, and highly recommended for everyone who thought about giving up on Weir after Artemis. Give this one a chance, you won't regret it.

Parts of the book made me wonder if I ever felt this stupid reading The Martian.

There is an extraterrestrial microscopic creature eating the Sun's light. This causes Earth to cool and leads to terrible consequences like famine and mass extinction of life on the planet. Desperate to save the planet, nations of the world unite to send a group of three on a suicide mission to find how to stop the extraterrestrial. Ryland Grace is the only one who survives the journey into space. It's up to him to save humanity.

This book is well written. I loved the side characters. Ryland is a great foil to other characters, but when he's alone, he's boring. Rocky is a great character who helped the flow of the story. It was a relief when he was introduced.

But there is too much science in this book. Some science I understand why my understanding is important to the story. Then there are times when it just breaks the flow of the story. Did I really need to understand why the ship has a nose? Do I need a dialogue scene for every decision they made to the ship's design?

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

I received a free advanced copy of this from NetGalley for review.

Amnesia in SPAAAACCCEEEEE!!!

A man wakes up from an extended induced coma on-board a spaceship alongside two corpses, and he no idea of who he is or how he got there. As he explores the ship, he slowly begins to get his memory back and realizes that he’s Ryland Grace, the sole survivor of a desperate mission to reach another solar system and hopefully find the answers to save Earth from a cosmic catastrophe. With only a sketchy idea of how the ship works Ryland must rely on basic science and improvisation to try and accomplish his mission, but he’ll find more than a few surprises waiting for him when he reaches his destination.

Since The Martian was such a sensation I think Andy Weir is doomed to be one of those authors whose later work is always compared to his debut, and there’s no doubt of some similarities here. The most obvious one is that they both feature smart and funny main characters being alone and having to science the shit out of what they have on hand to get the job done. In fact, it’d be easy to see this as just flipping The Martian’s plot because in it you had pretty much the entire world banding together to save one isolated man, and Project Hail Mary is about one isolated man trying to save the entire world.

However, while it seems at first that both books are working off the same template, Weir only relies on that hook for a while before seriously changing things up and getting very creative. In fact, I suspect that some fans of The Martian are going to dislike this because of how it seems to start out in that near-future type of hard sci-fi that the mainstream is quicker to accept, but then it takes a hard turn into weirder concepts.

I don’t want to say too much because I feel like this is one that benefits from going in knowing as little as possible. Rest assured that even when things get strange that Weir still relies on a funny narrator working off a foundation of real science so that it stays grounded and relatable.

It also has a couple of really good twists, and actually ends up being a far more moving book than I thought it would be. It’s not as good as The Martian because part of the appeal was Weir’s ability to make science entertaining, but now that's part of his brand so it doesn't feel as new and inventive as it did before. It's still a supremely entertaining book that blends a realistic approach with sci-fi and comes up with something that again feels fresh.

Ever since reading The Martian, I have been in love with the way that Andy Weir writes his stories. The internal narration of the characters and their experiences just seems to gel with the way I enjoy reading. Rather than take an outside narration voice to depict the story, Andy's stories all seem to be told strictly from the character.

Project Hail Mary is no different. The story is fun, engaging, (somewhat) mysterious, humorous, exciting, thrilling, and fast-paced all wrapped up in a sci-fi novel. I honestly cannot say that I have laughed nearly as much reading another book as I did while reading Project Hail Mary. The humor is light and adds to the enjoyment of the story.

In all honesty, I was not sure what to expect going into the story. I knew there would be interaction with an alien and I wasn't sure how Andy Weir would pull that off within his writing style. It couldn't be straight sci-fi, dry, science-only interaction. There had to be some flare and creativity thrown in to make it work and boy did Andy Weir deliver. My absolute favorite aspect of the book is the interaction between Ryland and Rocky. Their chemistry is top-notch and their interactions are always entertaining. I won't say more, because I do not want to spoil anything, but it has to be one of my top character pairings.

The ending was a bit predictable, although not the whole picture. I was a bit let down by the abruptness of the way the story ended. There was so much lead-up and building throughout the story in how they were attempting to save the world. Then it seemed like the end came and that was that. I feel like there could/should have been another 30-50 pages added to the ending (whether epilogue style or additional story) to draw the conclusion out a bit more. I think I just would have liked a bit more to draw the story to an end a bit slower since I enjoyed the build-up so much.

The ending left things open. I doubt there would be a second book, but I would love to see the world of Project Hail Mary explored more. There is so much potential in the storyline and the way it ends to expand the world and build upon what is already there. I would definitely buy a sequel without a doubt.

Overall, I loved this book and will likely read it a few more times to continue my enjoyment. I look forward to whatever Any Weir puts out next!