• Thank you to Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is May 04, 2021.

With his signature humor and his passion for technology, Andy Weir has written another must read sci-fi book. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor of the a crew of Project Hail Mary sent to the far corners of the galaxy on a desperate mission to save humanity. He soon realizes that this is a suicide mission that he may never return to Earth. Without giving away the plot, I will say that this book has a lot more scientific talk than his other novels but it works because of the compelling storyline and the light-hearted writing style.

This is one of those books you come away from just so energized and excited that it exists. I'm a huge fan of Andy Weir's books, so I had high expectations for this- which were surpassed many times over. Who knows if all of the science is accurate, but it all sure sounds plausible. For me, even though the science parts were fun, it was Rocky that made it such an enjoyable read. I mean, if that isn't a ride or die friendship then I don't know what is.

This is a tough review to write without giving away spoilers. From the very beginning where our protagonist, Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma, everything is a surprise in one way or another. He doesn’t know where he is or even what his name is. Almost no memory of anything. So, the reader learns what is going on and what’s happening at the same time as he does and that is half the fun of this novel. So just be aware of any reviews you read for it. Spoilers will abound.

Even the most basic teasers for the novel mention that Ryland soon finds out he is the only survivor on a spaceship and that he must continue its mission because the very fate of planet Earth is at stake. There is an extinction-level event involving the sun that has necessitated a massive effort to cobble together a spaceship dubbed the “Hail Mary” and send three astronauts into space in a desperate effort to solve the problem in time.

The really cool part of the novel comes when Ryland makes first contact with an alien being. The alien creature, nicknamed ‘Rocky’, is also the sole survivor of his crew (for a different reason) but is on the same mission as Ryland: save his planet from the very same threat to their sun. He is a wonderful character and the developing relationship between these two stranded spacefarers is an awesome thing to witness. From the first attempts at basic communication, though their slow understanding of their vastly different life forms and cultures, and even advancing to the subtleties of humor and sarcasm, it is a wonderful journey.

Just as in his first novel, "The Martian", Andy Weir does not skimp on the science in this one. There may even be more of it this time around than in that first book, but he makes it fun. The character of Ryland Grace is very similar to Mark Watney in that they are both personable with a good sense of humor even during extreme emergency situations. It really makes me realize how little I know about the science behind how things work but the author does another great job of making everything sound plausible. Best of all, while Ryland develops creative solutions based on his own scientific knowledge, it is only when combined with the alien Rocky’s engineering skills that they have any chance to succeed.

This is a fun read all the way through and with an intriguing ending that is completely satisfying but that I did not see coming at all. It filled me with that sense of wonder and awe that I’ve missed in much of the speculative fiction novels I’ve read. Exciting action balanced with deep heart-felt emotion.

Highly recommended.

Through Net Galley, I reviewed an advance copy of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I’ll start this review by acknowledging that The Martian is one of my favorite books of the last 20 years. Tell you where you’ve heard this one before, a lone astronaut has to figure out how to survive in space with limited resources.
Yes, Ryland Grace has a bit of Mark Watney in him, from humorous one liners to ingenious solutions to problems that pop up but this is not The Martian and Grace is no Watney. Grace wakes up from a drug induced coma with no memory of how he got there and why he is hurtling through space.
While The Martian is more of a Thriller/Adventure that happens to be set on Mars, Project Hail Mary is straight Sci-Fi. The Earth is danger of dying and the Hail Mary spaceship is heading to the stars to try and come up with a way to save humanity.
Not usually a huge Science Fiction fan, I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Weir brings the reader along slowly, allowing Grace to remember his past in bits and pieces. This increases the tension and emotional impact. Without giving any spoilers, there is a plot twist fairly early that gave me pause but, ultimately, added to the story and worked.
This one gets 5 Stars. Despite some similarities to The Martian, this one stands on its own and works as an entertaining escapist novel that doubles as a warning to the perils of not taking care of the Earth.
The only compensation received in exchange for this review was the advance copy. My thanks to Mr. Weir, Random House Group – Ballantine and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Project Hail Mary.

“Lifelong space nerd” Andy Weir is back with his best book yet. “Project Hail Mary” uses th formula that worked so well in his first book, “The Martian”. Once again, Author Weir hits it out of the ballpark, or galaxy.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, because I don’t want to wreck the “wowness factor” for you. And you will be exclaiming “wow”quite a bit, mixed with chuckles and tears. Here’s what’s happening. Earth is facing extinction. Something is stealing energy from our sun. Earth is doomed. No small potatoes, right? (See what I did there?!)

Science to the rescue! And there is plenty of science in this book. The lives of billions of Earthlings are in the hands of shy, awkward, well-meaning middle school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace. Flashbacks tell us how Dr. Grace found himself on a spaceship. For me, the best parts of this delightful book showed Dr. Grace sciencing his way to a possible solution, step by zero gravity stumbling step. Ryland Grace is quirky, kind, upbeat, boyish and a rather flawed hero.

I had the best time with this book and you will, too. The writing is simple but engaging. Plenty of interesting supporting characters appear-the scientists who are managing Project Hail Mary. And you will delight in a very special character. As you are reading this incredible book, I know you will be thinking what I was thinking, “I can’t wait for the movie!”

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for granting my wish and giving me an advance digital review copy. You made me so happy and this is my honest review.

Going into this book, I had sky-high expectations, and I don't know if I have been so excited to be granted an ARC as I was when Ballantine Books granted my "wish" on NetGalley. I threw my other in-progress reads to the side to jump into another high-stakes rollicking space adventure that I could scarcely put down until its lovely heartstring-plucking final page.

Weir's books occupy an interesting niche in modern sci-fi, marrying detailed technical discussions of math and science in practice with likable, easy to understand protagonists. Or rather, protagonist; all three of his books essentially star the same main STEM-focused, funny, likable character, the latest incarnation of this "Weiracter" being Project Hail Mary's Ryland Grace. Speaking for myself, I really enjoy this Weiracter and can read book after book of his/her antics, but if you hated Watney from the Martian or Jazz from Artemis, you may be rather annoyed with Grace as well.

Regarding the plot or the story, well, this is a book you want to go in as blind as possible; if you know in going Grace's name, you already know more than he does at the start of the book, and discovering everything with him is half the fun. While the re-remembering did feel a bit clunky and a bit of a plot-contrivance at times, it proved to be a pretty interesting method of exposition delivery. The only vague description I'll give is that the book almost felt like a The Martian-Deepness in the Sky crossover in the most fun of ways, and I was quite impressed by the range of cool ideas that I hadn't really seen before in sci-fi. If you liked any of Weir's prior books and can put up with/enjoy the pages of science and math talk, I promise you'll at least find it a fun ride.

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for giving me access to eARC; I really loved this one and plan on picking up a hardcover upon release to sit proudly on my bookshelf.

Andy Weir has done it again! I'm not usually much for science fiction or space-based books but I make an exception for his books. I have pre-ordered a copy on Overdrive and I have several holds on it already and several people I'm excited to recommend this to.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book! Another amazing read by Andy Weir. This book has a very similar feel as The Martian. So glad Weir is back to this style of writing. There are plenty of twists and turns for any psychological thriller reader’s delight. The sense of humor the main character has is so refreshing. I must admit, most of the science and mathematical facts were skimmed over, but that doesn’t make this story any less enjoyable. Five stars!!

After loving Andy Weir's 'The Martian' but being disappointed in 'Artemis', I'm happy to report that he has made a comeback!
This book kept me on my toes like The Martian did, I tore through it at a record pace!
The hard science bits were clever and informative! While still grounded in reality, this one goes much more into speculation than Weir's previous books, braving an interesting new territory.

Did Andy Weir just take another human, toss them into space and then require them to know science to survive? Yes, he did, however, all similarities end there. This is a new original story and I couldn't put it down. At the same time, I had to skim some of the science sections that were a bit much for me but probably appeal to his fanbase. While Andy is an expert at one person scenes, I enjoyed all of the interaction with other characters when they appeared, so he shouldn't shy away from character interaction. His main character awakens alone on a space ship with no idea why he is there. What a great premise and the story doesn't disappoint. I don't want any spoilers because this is an exciting journey to follow along with and discover along with the main character. I highly recommend this book.

Ryland Grace is on a deep space mission to save humankind. Too bad he can’t remember what his mission was. waking up aboard his spaceship, he discovers his crewmates are dead. He’s millions of miles from earth and he can’t even remember his own name, how is he supposed to save an entire planet? As his memory begins to return in fits and starts, Grace despairs of finding a way to save humanity, all by himself. Weir is a master at science fiction that’s uncomfortably close to science fact

This was another great sci-fi story from Andy Weir. He has a special knack for writing likeable nerdy characters and this book is no exception. It has just enough science to make it interesting and believable, but not so much that it was boring or slow. Great pacing, quick read -- I really liked it!

It's been a while since I've been swept away by a scifi read. Project Hail Mary was a delightful romp that is actually pretty hard to talk about without spoilers. So, I'll just say that I loved the characters, I loved the science references, and I loved that this book was ultimately about the power of perseverance and friendship.

Despite the apocalyptic theme I actually found this to be a great and ultimately hopeful pandemic read. If you're looking to be swept away by a nerdy adventure this is a great choice.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

One chapter in and I was hooked. First off, the humor is right up my alley, I mean, “gentleman’s equipment” made me smirk, but I outright laughed when he tries to talk to his brain and it only states, “I’m hungry.” (My brain says this on a daily basis).

I liked the way this book flowed between the present and going back into his past and showing him recover his memories. There was so much physics and math involved that it was hard to keep up at times, but the author did such a great job at not overloading all the information at once.

I really loved the relationship with Rocky. I liked reading about their development on learning each other’s languages/culture/daily habits. It was a nice break from all the scientific jargon.

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read and I absolutely love that.

This may be my favorite of all the Andy Weir stories I have read. It's an easy must read.

It surprised me and even made me cry. As always Andy's signature self-deprecating humor brings levity just when you need it. Plus I learned lots of science minutiae - which grounds the story and makes it believable - that suddenly feels super important and makes me wonder what other critical knowledge I've jettisoned given easy internet access.

There's so much more I want to say and ask Andy about this. How did he even come up with this, question?!

For the love. This book. I mean, uuuuggggghhhhhhh. So astronomically great! See what I did there?!

Andy Weir SHOULD be a teacher. Absolutely the beat use of his gift. Or, maybe just write lots and lots more of these perfect, science-y, heart-wrenching books. Lots. I just don’t even have words, y’all. I didn’t, honestly, think it could get better than The Martian. I was resolute in that position. But, um, Grace and Rocky charmed and educated and buoyed me through a story I shouldn’t, by all accounts, have understood, much less enjoyed. But I did both. I mean, did I follow the math? No. Of course not. But I understood how it served the story. And I followed the general ideas better than I could have imagined! What a great gift to the literary world is one Andy Weir. Thanks for writing. Thanks for sharing your visions. Thanks for making me feel like a science girl, even for a little while. You’re amazing, sir. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜📚

The challenge in reviewing this book is in conveying just how good it is without giving away any of the delightful surprises that await the reader. I think it is safe to say that any fan of Andy Weir's first novel, THE MARTIAN, will find that this book has the same compelling readability and science-based excitement. Like THE MARTIAN, the tale is recounted by a smart, personable narrator in the most extreme circumstances imaginable, but in the case of PROJECT HAIL MARY much more than one man's life hangs in the balance.

The pacing of this book is perfect, the strangeness constantly keeps both the reader and the protagonist thinking. Well placed flashbacks give just enough context without interrupting the tension and flow of the story and keep the book from being too claustrophobic. Weir's sense of humor is evident throughout but the story is also poignant.

I know that I have said virtually nothing about the plot of the book. That is intentional. Discovery lies at the heart of this tale, and I wouldn't want to deprive anyone of the thrill of having discovering what new wonders Andy Weir is ready to reveal to you.

Wow, just wow!

I loved The Martian, I liked Artemis a lot, but this is just the best book Andy Weir has written by far!

Andy Weir has a unique gift, he makes science interesting and understandable even for people like me who have absolutely no scientific background.

The story was interesting right from the beginning, I couldn't turn pages fast enough!

When our main character wakes up with no idea who he or where he is with robot arms tending him, its an adventure from page one.

Its full of probable impossibilites, things that you can imagine happening in our lifetime.
I loved it and am definitely adding it to my (very small) re-read pile.

It's a last-ditch effort to save the Earth from being overcome by an ice age generated by a micro-organism that consumes heat, a ship is sent to the original home planet of the organism, Astrophage. Astrophage has many uses - it's generating the fuel for this ship, for example. When it goes out of control, though, it's a disaster.

The ship, "Hail Mary", has a three-person crew, but only one wakes up from his induced coma. The other two are mummified corpses on their beds. Only the automated medic units tend Astronaut Grace, and it takes several days before he is awake enough to understand what is going on. And when he is, things don't improve much.

He's got to accomplish a three-man mission all alone, saving Earth from ecological destruction. The sun's solar output is diminishing due to the Astrophage, and he's trying an experimental solution to bring things back in balance again.

As he approaches his destination, another ship comes in view. They are also interested in the same problem. Except there is no they. The other ship is also a solo operation. The two astronauts can help each other...if they can communicate and construct a solution. It's not going to be easy. The alien at the helm of the other ship is blind, operates from sonar data he generates, has no comprehension of things like radiation, and is a mechanical genius with musical notes for a language. His race was unaware of the dangers of radiation when they launched a 23-person ship to deal with Astrophage, and only one has survived. He also happens to be kind of spidery-looking, but those extra legs are so useful.

Grace has his laptop to save the musical words and notes as he learns them. He names the other traveler Rocky, and the two spend a lot of time together. Rocky constructs a tube to the Hail Mary that contacts the hull, but keeps the two atmospheres separate. Rocky breaths ammonia-based atmosphere, which would kill Grace. The oxygen atmosphere of Hail Mary would also kill Rocky. Using the tube as a meeting place, they can contact each other both by voice and knocks, Grace can see Rocky visually, and Rocky can scan Grace. On each side of the barrier, they can work on equipment that might be able to help, and it will help both of them to survive.

Rocky sleeps very little, and is frightened to do it. All of his crew-members went to sleep forever. When Grace goes back to his sleeping quarters for the "night", Rocky gets acutely worried when he doesn't come back at exactly the time he promised. From that point forward, Grace makes a bed in his end of the tube where Rocky can see him and knock if he needs to get his attention. In return, Grace watches Rocky sleep when necessary, keeping Rocky safe.

Because that's what friends do for one another.

Part of the storyline also deals with what's going on back at Earth, but I didn't find it interesting. I hurried through those pages so that I could go on with the adventures of Rocky and Grace. Adventures and mishaps show up when you're creating new science, making new discoveries, which include the operational limits of your ship. When they attempt to recover a sample of Astrophage from its planetary atmosphere, using a ship-made contraption, they nearly lose the Hail Mary. Now it's got a hole in it, plus a lot of generalized cracks and damage. Can Grace come up with a solution, aided by a spider from another planet? How will he get the information back to Earth?

This book is heavy on science and theory, most of which is WAY above my pay grade, but I can follow along. There are some very smart people on THIS world who have developed theoretical knowledge that helped Mr. Weir create this engaging adventure. I don't like spiders...but I like Rocky.

I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

I was sooooooooo excited when I got the approval for this, I downloaded and started it right away.

It's great to go into this one blind. When the blurb initially came out for it, I read it of course, but it'd been a while, and I didn't re-read it before jumping back into it, which really made it better because of spoilery things I won't mention.

Again, it's no Mark Watney, but really, will there ever be another Mark Watney? Unlikely. But the MC has his own quirks and they are funny / enjoyable. In Artemis, I said it was hard rating both a 5 because that story didn't hold a candle to The Martian, but was still really really good. It's the same case here. In making my reviews out of 10 instead of 5, I'd given Artemis a solid 8. If it got that high (hindsight I would have guessed I said a 7) then Project Hail Mary gets a solid 9/10. I do think I enjoyed it better than Artemis.

There were slow times and, like with the Martian, there's a LOT of science that went straight over my head. A LOOOOOTTTTT. But, it wasn't too tedious or boring. There were spots that were a little too much but just a TAD. Over all it was a dump of science mixed in with all the rest.

PHM was different, fun, and quirky. I quite enjoyed it.