Weir returns to Martian form with Project Hail Mary. A man awakens on a spaceship with no knowledge of how he got there or why, and uses his scientific knowledge to survive and save the Earth. Ryland Grace is the only survivor of a small crew sent to find a solution for an Earth-ending event, but he wakes with no memory of his mission or even his name. Grace doesn't swear, but readers will enjoy watching him "science the shit out" of his many, many problems. To avoid spoilers, I can only say that fans of The Martian will love this book, along with people who enjoyed Apollo 13 and other more literal astronaut stories.

I was really excited when I saw that this book was available for request. I was not disappointed. Andy Weir wrote an amazing book. The relationship between Rocky and Ryland was so well written, and I love every minute of their story.
I absolutely recommend this novel to any sci-fi fan. You will not be disappointed either!

I have needed a distraction from everything and this book was the perfect distraction. Even though there are difficult times happening now I did still even reading this even though at times it seemed like the world was doomed in this book. Andy Weir always manages to grab my attention and keep it throughout this book.

I did enjoy following the main character, Ryland Grace. In the beginning he is dealing with memory loss but as time goes by he starts to remember more. I genuinely wanted him to succeed at what he was tasked with doing. This does go back and forth between the present and the past as he starts to remember mor and I did enjoy getting to see the past events as he remembered them.

I have to say that I did send the end events coming. As you get to know Ryland Grace you will know what he decides to do. I was a little selfishly upset that he ended up staying where he went but I can understand why he stayed there.

As always I look forward to reading the next book from Andy Weir. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

This was fantastic. I miss good science fiction that still has action and character development. This was as good as The Martian!

Way too much math.
Too much explaining why Grace is clever and can figure out how to do what needs to be done even as he talks about not knowing what needs to be done.

I really loved The Martian and I thought the voice of Ryland reminded me a lot of Mark Watney. I got about 45% through the book and I was just bored. The main part of the story was between Ryland and the alien, and while we get backstory from before he went to space and how he got there in the first place, it was stalling out the story for me. I do what to find out what happens, but it seems like he is on a suicide mission as it is, so I can't see any good ending other than Earth getting saved. I thought the premise was really interesting, but the delivery is not working for me.

Sadly, although I am truly a big fan of Andy Weir, I have to say this book was not a success for me. It seemed to be too much centered in the science/math vein and I found myself wondering how a Junior High School teacher could achieve the prestige of being chosen for this mission. His "aw shucks" attitude also seemed to be a tad out of character for a man entrusted to save the planet.

I am upset that this book was just not the right fit for me and I realize that there are many others who did and will enjoy this story. I only wish I could have been included in their numbers.

Thank you to Andy Weir, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story.

This is my favorite book of 2021 so far. I loved everything about it: the science, the math, the suspense, the flashbacks, the surprises, the ending, the characters, everything! The smartest thing Andy Weir did was to make the narrator an affable middle school science teacher. That choice heightens the interest in the back story (why was he chosen for the mission?) and makes the technical jargon accessible to the reader through good teaching (analogies, thoughtful descriptions). I loved The Martian, but I think I love this book even more.

Smart, funny, emotional, and incredibly suspenseful, Andy Weir's is science fiction at its best.

Humanity's time on Earth is at an end- unless everyman Ryland Grace can figure out a way to save us all. It's not looking good, people.

Andy Weir has done it again! I loved the journey that I took with the narrator of this book -- Astronaut and science teacher Grace. Sure there were moments when I was as confused as he, when he woke up and couldn't remember his name, much less what he was doing on an interstellar craft. But as he remembered, he told the reader as much as he knew.

As with Weir's first book -- The Martian -- Project Hail Mary is filled with science, as Grace has to first remember the problem and then try to solve it alone, since the other members of the crew died in the coma portion of the trip. It might have been nice to know more about how the rest of the crew died, but Grace had other things to figure out and in the long run, it isn't important to the mission.

Human nature and human error are front and center on this mission and Grace has the opportunity to science the shit out of all the obstacles in his way. Spoiler: Finding intelligent life -- and microbial life in the form of Astrophage and Tau-amoeba -- was an amazing feeling, although I DO understand that this is a work of fiction. I felt smarter for having read all the science-based solutions to impossible problems that Grace had to face and overcome. I may not totally understand the science, but I am better for having read it.

The ending was perfect!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of Project Hail Mary.

With intelligence, wit, and humor, Andy Weir weaves yet another story of a human working against seemingly impossible odds.

Rylan Grace is in quite the predicament. As he wakes up on the Project Hail Mary, he is unable to recall what he is doing there, only knows he is the only survivor on his spaceship. As his memories slowly surface, he recalls being tasked with saving Earth from an alien substance that is snuffing out the sun and will inevitably wipe out the human race. But what is he, a lowly science teacher, supposed to do? Especially if he cannot remember?

There are things that Andy Weir does best. The voices of his characters are highly intelligent but not enough so that they are able to overcome every obstacle without struggle. They are snarky, bent for destruction, and humble. His stories are highly researched and, as a reader, you trust the science, even when it goes right over your head. The medium pace of the story sweeps you up and brings you along, and is perfect for a mystery such as this.

Project Hail Mary may not be as nail-biting as The Martian, but it is instantly more memorable than its predecessor, Artemis. Project Hail Mary is an intoxicating read for sci-fi readers as well as casual readers looking for a good and scientifically plausible story.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a great nail-biting adventure in space and the race to save humanity and civilization on two planets, Earth and Erid. It centers on the unlikely relationship between Dr. Ryland Grace and Rocky and is told in real time and flashbacks, Weir does an excellent job of creating suspense and tenderness in the face of Earth's destruction and Erid's end. I loved the way he created such a believable relationship between an Earthling and an Eridian. How do they learn to communicate and how does their culture play a part in creating solutions? I am a new SciFi reader and loved The Martian, Weir's first book. A co-worker told me about Project Hail Mary through NetGalley. I powered thru reading the last fourth of the book in one sitting because I had to know if Grace and Rocky made it. Read it, love it, think about it, read it again for the sheer joy of experiencing their bromance.

Sci fi usually isn't my thing. My brain couldn't comprehend a lot of the science-y stuff in this, but I appreciated a lot of the dumbed-down parts. This had an interesting premise and was a decent read. I was also pleasantly surprised to find quite a bit of humor in this novel, which was unexpected but delightful. This was probably 3.5 stars for me, rounded up due to the humor and the ending.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So. Much. SCIENCE. Seriously, there’s an overwhelming amount of science in Project Hail Mary. While I have a tendency to zone out during any intensively science-heavy sections, I couldn’t put this book down. I just adore the snarky tone of Weir’s writing. And while the protagonist in this novel bears an uncanny resemblance to Mark Watney in terms of inner monologue style and aggressive optimism in the face of impossible odds, I didn’t care. The delight that is Watney’s personality is what drew me to and kept me invested in The Martian in the first place. That type of character was exactly what I was hoping to find in Project Hail Mary, so I wasn’t disappointed in the least by their similarities. I was deeply invested, and my emotions while reading fell into mirroring those of our protagonist. He demanded an incredibly amount of empathy.

I desperately want to discuss another character, but doing so would spoil a major twist in the story. I’ll settle for saying that there was a lot to love about the characterizations Weir wove into the narrative, and said characterizations more than made up for him drowning me in science. Reading about such hope and optimism in the face of impossible odds made me feel better about the world in which we’re living, and can we honestly ask anything more of our art and artists? Project Hail Mary is oddly encouraging for a novel about the potential end of the world, and I think it was exactly what I needed.

I was so happy to receive an advanced NetGalley copy of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I’ve read both of his other books and enjoyed them but I think this one has become my favorite! The premise is exciting: Scientist Ryland Grace wakes up in a strange lab with no memory of where he is or how he got there. While recovering from what appears to be a medically-induced coma he observes his surroundings and slowly realizes he is in outer space, working on a mission to save earth from a new species of space algae that is rapidly absorbing the sun’s energy and threatening our planet with extinction. The stakes are high and the story is told with alternating sections of Ryland’s current situation, with past memories slowly coming back to him.
Like Weir’s other novels, there is A LOT of science and calculations in this book. But just like those other books, I didn’t mind it! I’ll admit there were parts I didn’t fully understand or care to follow along the exact computations of, but readers can easily skim those parts and still follow along with the story. I will say this book seemed to have even more of those passages than his other works so if that bothered you in The Martian then you probably won’t enjoy this either. But this story is so compelling and heroic and exciting. Ryland is such a likable guy and without giving too much away a huge part of the enjoyment of the story for me was his relationship with a “friend” he makes along the way. The book was truly nail-biting and funny and I thought the ending was just fantastic.

Excellent read with heart, humor, and heroism. I thoroughly enjoyed this Armageddon scaled read, while still be transported to another reality. Weir has done it again with his scientific cleverness while still engaging his reader to push their own boundaries of reality.

I don't even like/understand science and I like this book. That says something. This is the best kind of sci-fi.

This was my first Andy Weir book. Having never read The Martian nor seen the movie, I really didn’t know what to expect. I also have no idea if they are at all similar. But, considering all the hype from the movie, I decided to give this book a try. I’m glad I did. This was a fun book and I enjoyed most of it.

Our main character wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of why he’s there. His only two companions are dead. As his memories slowly return, we learn why the ship was launched. This pre-launch story is fascinating. In the present, it is a wild ride! Soon after awakening, our hero makes a friend and things really get interesting. To say more would spoil the fun for anyone who hasn’t read the book yet, but this interaction is what makes this book so delightful.

Unfortunately, I felt the book was slowed down by all the math and science. There was so much of it! And so many explanations that just seemed to go on and on and on. Just say I figured out the math. Don’t show me your work! For me, all the detailed information about chemistry, physics and engineering soon became a major annoyance that distracted from an otherwise enjoyable experience.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I haven't read anything from the author before and went into this with no expectations. I was elated to find a compelling storyline with humor, emotion, and edge of your seat action. I was drawn in from the first page, needing to know what was happening and how everything would unfold.

The book opens with Ryland Grace waking up in a strange place with no memory of where or who he is. As Ryland explores his environment, he begins to have flashbacks that tell him Earth is in trouble and he's on a space mission to save their dying sun. The story alternates between now and then, giving us the full picture of what happened and how Ryland came to be humanity's last hope. I thought this was an excellent way of telling the story without making it drag.

The plot is emotional and exciting and I really enjoyed the book. The only downside for me was the excessive amounts of math and science. I struggled to understand what Ryland was talking about half the time and ended up skimming those paragraphs. It's clear the author spent a lot of time making this as realistic as possible, but I think it could have been scaled back to help those not well versed in the topic.

After reading this, I will definitely be jumping into the author's other works. This was a delightful read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the copy.

Andy Weir has a knack for making complicated science palatable. And this was no exception.

I think it's time we stop comparing his works to the Martian. This book is AMAZING. It's complex, but in the Weir way, totally believable, witty, humorous, beautiful.

The story is fun, in that not only are you learning who the main character is along the way, but so is he!

Saying more may spoil things so I will end here. Another 5-star gem from Andy Weir.