This book brings back a lot of what I loved about the Martian; someone lost in space, doing the best he can to stay alive while also trying to do something to protect humanity.
The book started out slow, and the amnesia at the beginning was a little bit offputting. But once Ryland Grace started getting his memory back, the book really picked up. I also enjoyed the way he built his alien. This wasn't just a humanoid figure with makeup on, this was something that felt really foreign which is part of the reason I think the book was so successful.
I think the pacing, while slow was successful. I particularly enjoyed the way the memories ended up affecting Grace's actions.
While I didn't understand all the science (partially because I was so excited about what was happening that I didn't stop to truly understand the science) the science I did understand was fascinating.

I loved this book so much! Similar to The Martian, another one of my favorites, the main character of this book is alone in space, trying to survive. However, he has amnesia and only learns through flashbacks who he is and what he is doing.
This book is funny, heartwarming, and suspenseful at the same time. I finished it in one sitting and immediately wished I could read it again. The relationship between two of the characters is unexpected and just so sweet.
I didn’t think Weir could beat The Martian, but he absolutely did with Project Hail Mary. 5/5 stars

I couldn't ever get into 'The Martian', but this sounded so interesting I wanted to give it a try.

It made me remember why I couldn't get into 'The Martian'.

This is one hell of a boring, dull, and stodgy book. The protagonist is unpleasant and, I think, was supposed to be humorous but was written as if by someone who had never heard of humor in his life. The story itself, which could have been - should have been- fast-moving and colored by the desperate nature of the mission is instead bogged down tedium and formulae.

Very hard pass from me.

This is just so, so incredibly my shit.

For reference, I'm an astronautical engineering major, so part of the joy of this for me is how much of it parallels what I'm learning in my classes! I can absolutely see how this book (similar to The Martian) might be way too science-heavy for some people. I know if I read a book with this much intensity about a subject that wasn't my exact niche I would not have a good time with it.

That being said, I loved this so much. It took everything I enjoyed about The Martian (the humor, the science, the stakes) and turned it up about a million notches. There are a lot of marked similarities, primarily the overly simplistic plot summary of "science man gets stranded in space and must use hella science to get out of his predicament," but the additions of the adventure of it all and the circumstances are just so much more exciting. I don't want to offer anything more than what's in the plot summary here on Goodreads, so I can't get too much into it, but this book just had so much more creativity that went into it and I love it.

My only gripe is the amnesia plot point. Because our main character wakes up at the beginning of the book with amnesia, we essentially have a dual-timeline novel: his stranded-in-space survival saga as it unfolds, and the history of how he got there as he remembers it. The past timeline passages were far less interesting, in my opinion, and I often felt they were far too long. A decent amount of that content did come around to being relevant again, so I understand the decision, but a lot of it ended up being filler that I wish had been scrapped.

Regardless, this book was amazing. If you enjoyed The Martian or are a fan of sci-fi or space like I am, I think you'll love this book.

Another full on enjoyable science fiction novel by Andy Weir. I enjoyed the Martian, but haven't read Artemis (planning to read it later this month), so when I saw this book was available I jumped at the chance to read it.
The story is told from the pint of view of the main character, Ryland Grace. Ryland wakes up to find he is the sole person alive in a capsule but without most of his memory. This is where his problems begin. The rest of the book is a mix of action and scenes of Ryland's returning memories showing us why he is where it's he finds himself and why his mission is important not only to him, but to the whole world.
This book is a little hard to review without giving away little tidbits or even full-on "holy- cow" moments. I will say that Stratt was a favorite character of mine, many of the characters are a little flat, but that is more because of the perspective of the book rather than a lack on the part of the author. The book also has language that makes it friendly for all readers, with none of the profanity that others complained about in The Martian, though there are still adult themes and ideas.
Overall, I truly enjoyed the novel to the point that it was difficult to make myself put it down. Right up until the just few pages. Honestly, it was these last 10 or so pages that took this from a 5 star book to a 4.5. That being said, I look forward to Weir's next book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of this book.

When I first read The Martian, I literally could not function for anything but reading from the first page to the very end, and Project Hail Mary did the same awesome thing for me. I loved it! I love Grace. I love Rocky. My heart nearly broke at times, and I laughed out loud repeatedly. This is SO SO good.

Absolutely astounding. The level of science detail is unparalleled. Everything is explained. It's all thought out. Super impressive detail here. I won't spoil anything, though IF you enjoyed The Martian, you will love this. 5/5, awesome.

<<Full review will be posted at links below closer to release date>>

Thank you NetGally and Random House for granting my wish on this one!

As a mathematician, engineer, and lover of space, I have been a fan of Andy Weir since Day 1, faithfully anticipating his newest releases and reading them immediately. Project Hail Mary is his best yet. I gobbled up the detailed math, LOLed at Ryland and Rocky's conversations, and cried both when they parted ways and when Ryland began instructing his class at the end.

It's hard to make heavy math and science humorous, but Andy did it. I felt the hope, struggle, and possibility of Ryland and Rocky's challenges, thinking whether I'd have made the same decisions, given the chance. As an environmental engineer, I ADORED the reverse-climate change aspects the dimming sun presented and the fantastical Astrophase solution to the global energy crisis.

At 95% into the book, I was really nervous about how it would end. It was a masterpiece to that point and had the potential to fall flat. Save Earth? Leave your friend in trouble? Save Erid and die? Oh the humanity! I never could have anticipated the win-win-win of that ending. I feel a hole in my chest now that it's over. The last time I felt such hope, potential, and "amaze" was when the movie Contact was released in the late 90s. They both seem fantastical stories....but are they really?

Thank you, Andy Weir, for letting us imagine what it could be like if, in fact, we are not alone.

An alien life form is causing the sun to get dimmer, and within 30 years or so, the Earth will experience an Ice Age that will wipe out humanity. That’s the basic premise of Project Hail Mary, and it’s unlike any sci-fi novel I’ve read. Totally captivating, with edge-of-your-seat suspense, great characters, and enough humor to relieve some of the tension when needed. There’s a ton of science, some of which bogs down the story a little, but it doesn’t distract you from the basic elements of the plot. The story is told from both present time in space and flashbacks to Earth, and that smartly fills in all the gaps for the reader. With an unpredictable and satisfying ending, this is a winner. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to be approved for a pre-publication copy of this book.

I loved ‘The Martian’ - I read it early on in its existence and well before the very decent film adaptation – and while I enjoyed Andy Weir’s follow-up, ‘Artemis,’ I felt it didn’t reach the same levels of enjoyment as 'The Martian' did, for me. This new book, however, did.

Calling it ‘typical’ Andy Weir after just two predecessors may sound trite and even derogatory but I mean it in the most glowing of terms.

It’s full of science. Just like in The Martian, it drives the story in many ways but you don’t have to understand it, I probably got about 2% of it. It doesn’t matter. It matters that Grace understands it. And derives so many emotions from it.
It’s full of humour. Unforced and in context, the humour flows throughout.

It’s full of humanity – even when humanity is lacking …

It’s full of emotion – I mentioned that much of the emotion is derived from Weir and the characters’ scientific work but there are so many other emotions at constant play here – despair, delight, defeat, pessimism and …

... it’s full of optimism – so many novels in this general genre are so light on optimism that it can be exhausting but this one just oozes with it, maybe unrealistic in some cases, but nevertheless it sweeps you along with it.

'Project Hail Mary' is sufficiently akin to ‘The Martian’ that fans of that one will feel comfortable but sufficiently different that you won’t feel like it’s just more of the same. It’s got so much originality, and is so well-paced, well-written, and such a page-turner, my only problem is that I finished it far too quickly.

This was so unexpected and enjoyable to read. Not in my normal genre but have wanted to read something by this author and so glad I did. I cant help but wonder where his ideas come from because this was simply beyond anything I could imagine. A gripping and emotional read. Thank you netgalleg for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wavered between a 3 and a 4 on this, but realized I was only downgrading it because of my own inability to understand everything written. This is definitely technical, but Weir does his best to talk about it all in layman's terms. There was a reason I was a liberal arts major and not a science one. The story itself if great and plugs along well. It's all the science detail that slows it down. I adored Rocky, and while at first I wasn't sure about the ending, I'm okay with it. I don't want to say why otherwise I might give it away. Really, this book was written to be a screenplay for a movie. I'm a visual person, so much of this would have made far more sense if I could see it. Really enjoyable book, though, and a fun ride.

4.5 stars rounded up to a 5.

This book is absolutely amazing. This is what great science fiction looks like. I thought The Martian was very good but Andy Weir really ratchets it up. The story is similar to The Martian in terms of story device and where the story is trying to lead, ie self preservation, but he adds a lot more of the human element and gives Ryland Grace a much bigger task in the overall scheme of things....saving the planet Earth from extinction. The plot goes in unexpected directions. The intense science descriptions are all there once again and even more so but as I have a science background I had little trouble with it and really enjoyed it. Your brain is really working when you read this book and it is fun to predict what will happen before it happens. The best part of the book though is not really about the science and I can’t really talk about it without spoiling it.

This book is highly creative, intelligent, entertaining, funny, suspenseful and informative. I honestly don’t know how Weir does it but I’m glad he does. If science is not your thing this book may not be for you as it might give you a headache but I flew through it in a few days ( it’s nearly 500 pages). I couldn’t put it down for long.. just long enough for my brain to rest a bit. My only complaint is that I personally wanted to see a little more closure at the end. There were a few unanswered questions but not enough to make it incomplete or frustrating. It was pretty close to perfect and a truly fun adventure. Keep the books coming Andy even if it takes another few years. I’ll be waiting!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. what a journey. And such a unique one at that. This book was quite a rollercoaster for me. When it started, i was very intrigued. I went into the story with little background but lots of high hopes following the success of the Martian. Everything changed following the arrival of Rocky. I was afraid at that point it was going to be....lets say weird. That being said, it did get weird, very weird in fact. But it also was very entertaining. Yes, it was super cheesy at times, and a little too "oh this worked so perfectly". But i think that was necessary. You have two highly intelligent beings, working to solve the same problem. Maybe it would work perfectly like that in real life.

I think though, out of everything, i really appreciated the heartwarming factor of the book. It gave you this hope in humanity, that despite everything bad out there, there is goodness. We can all work together and solve our problems. It is a book that is needed, especially in our current climate.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Andy Weir for providing me with an advanced reading copy.

A completely engrossing novel that takes elements of all the things we love about science fiction and makes them come together in a really enjoyable way: We get some moves toward hard sci fi (although some things are laugh-out-loud unrealistic); first contacts that are disappointing, treacherous, and endearing; risk-taking and adventure in space; nerdy science guys who somehow manage to engineer a way out of even the most colossal of screw ups; and even some (albeit very little) alien worldbuilding. For the first ~40% of the novel, I was completely in love and could not put it down. It was like the first time I read Tom Clancy and the first time I read Heinlein put together. Pure amazingness.

A man wakes up in a small hospital room with a tubes coming out of everywhere and a machine incessantly asking him stupid questions. What's 2+2? What's your name? Thing is, as much as he knows the answers, he just can't get them out. He slowly starts to gain control of himself and move around a little. He starts eating, gets a little stronger, is moving around better, but still can't remember where he is or why he is there--or even who he is. But he seems to have the mind of a scientist because he is determined to figure it out through sheer deductive reasoning alone.

Turns out he is Ryland Grace is a washed-up academic now teaching junior high science. He set a torch to his career when he published a paper refuting the conventional wisdom that alien life can only exist where there is water, royally pissing off each and every one of his colleagues. Hey, we all have that hill we will die on. But now an alien life-form has been discovered that may just prove him right and he has been conscripted into an international effort to stop this mysterious alien life from slowly extinguishing all life on earth. But just how did that happen? And was this mission doomed from the start?

As great as it started, I really feel like the second half of this novel is a different book than the first. The main character is like a completely different person. The writing style is completely different. The plot devices are completely different. We move from well-structured revelations about an alien species that arise from scientific necessity to exhausting info-dumps that are completely dependent on interspecies dialogue. There is at least plot driving the dialogue, so I could roll with it for a while, but by about 67% I really reached saturation and was just over it. And it's just not as creative. The whole sequence of learning to communicate is just a scene from Chiang's "Story of Your Life" / Arrival. I really wanted that energy and innovation to carry into the second half and it just didn't deliver. I still thoroughly enjoyed it, it just wasn't what I hoped it would be based on the first half.

My greatest appreciation to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for the review. I was super excited for this book and I'm so glad I had a chance to read it!

I loved The Martian and was very lukewarm on Artemis, so I was interested to see where this book landed. The good thing is that I feel it was much closer to The Martian, so that's a bonus. The downside is maybe it as too close...? Very similar scenarios, but not enough that it was a straight copy-paste. But definitely a "Man Against Space" adventure full of what-if scenarios and hard science answers to the questions that would inevitably pop up. Lots and lots and lots of math and science thrown around. Showing your work is important with hard scifi, but there are entire passages that felt more like a science textbook or a lecture (which makes sense given that the narrator is a teacher).

The only part where I felt it hewed way too close to The Martian was the final scene. That really DID feel like a copy-paste version of something from the movie (and maybe the book... it's been too long since I read it to say for sure).

(Advance copy received from NetGalley in exchange for this review)

Only Andy Weir can take us to deep space, immerse us in science but explain it in a way "anyone" can understand and tell it with wicked good humor. We begin with a science teacher turned last minute astronaut who is sent out to deep space with little training to save the Earth when the sun stops giving us heat. Easy right? Dealing with problems and variables he can't control he teams up with an unlikely partner to save the world from extinction. So much fun to read and smart - this is the one space book everyone should read. Weir's "Astrophysics For Dummies" approach that doesn't make you feel like a dummy makes us all want to be armchair astronauts. Can't wait for the tv/movie of this one! This is a great choice for older kids, teens and adults. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how or why he’s there. He’s a junior high school science teacher, what the hell is he doing on a spaceship? Also, the other two astronauts are dead. Like, really dead. Grace is alone.

Slowly, veeeery slowly, Grace’s memory starts to come back to him: he’s on a mission to save the Earth. There’s this nasty space bacteria-thingy called Astrophage that’s dimming the light of Mr. Burns’s archnemesis: the Sun.

There’s a lot of science involved, but Weir explains, in great detail, just how Astrophage dims the Sun and why that’s really, really, really, really bad for the Earth. Like, apocalyptic-bad. Billions will die bad. Famine, disease, war, rocks fall, everyone dies and freezes to death bad. Only not right away. Over the course of several years. So everyone will die, but they’ll get to do it real slowly. Either way, it ends with everybody dead and the Earth being rendered uninhabitable. All of Grace’s wee little students will grow up watching their Earth slowly die. Unless Project Hail Mary finds a solution. And there seems to be a solution out there - Tau Ceti seems to be the only star not infected with Astrophage. Why? How? What? So this all powerful woman called Stratt, who has been given authority by just about everyone (how? Reasons. Don’t ask questions) yanks Grace out of his classroom - first to study Astrophage, and then, somehow, he can’t remember exactly, roped him into going on a dozen-light-year journey to Tau Ceti with the crew of the Hail Mary.

Only the rest of the crew is dead. Something went wrong while they were in a coma during their four-year space voyage. Grace is alone.

Inside the Hail Mary.

Full of a dude called Grace.

I see what you did there, Weir. Don’t think I didn’t see what you did there. I mean, you don’t even have to be Catholic to see what you did there.

Soon enough, however, Grace spots something on the Hail Mary’s radar. It’s...another spaceship? All the way out by Tau Ceti? At first, Grace thinks maybe its another ship from Earth, like a backup plan, that’d make sense, right? Only it’s not.

Who could it be?

Aliens?

Yeah, it’s aliens.

Our friend Grace gets to be the dude to make first contact with the sentient, spider-like creatures of the first planet in the system 40 Eridani. Turns out 40 Eridani is also infected with Astrophage, which is causing all sorts of problems for the Eridians, and their ship just happened to be around Tau Ceti at the exact same time as the Hail Mary. Crazy, right? Anyway, after the initial first contact and the long, drawn-out process of learning to communicate with one another (with no help from Amy Adams or Jeremy Renner), Grace and the lone Eridian, whom Grace christens Rocky, team up to save their respective worlds.

Science and plenty of flashbacks ensue.

I’m not a scientist - well, I have a master’s degree in library and information science, which, I guess, is a science? My point is, while the science may be lost on me and my brain which is full mostly of Simpsons quotes rather than actual knowledge, I do loves me a fun story where Science (with a capital S) saves the day. And, make no mistake, this book is fun. You might get a bit bogged down by the science, but once you get past it, this is a highly enjoyable story of one dangerously unqualified guy desperately trying to save the world with his new BFF, alien spider guy who speaks in musical notes. It’s up to them and them alone. Good luck, guys! Don’t forget that billions upon billions of lives depend on you. No pressure.

Seriously, if you loved The Martian, you’ll love Project Hail Mary. They’re similar, but Hail Mary is on a much larger scale than The Martian - there’s a lot more at stake in the hands of one guy. Plus: aliens!

Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say I would have loved more from the ending. I would’ve loved an epilogue from some of the other character’s perspectives or something. I mean, I could even go with a sequel! Maybe something where Erid and Earth are finally able to communicate? There’s a lot of potential for short stories or novellas set in the same world as Project Hail Mary - there’s got to be bonus material there and I want it. More, please? That’d be nice. I’d definitely read it. So... Hop to it, Weir!

One last complaint: Grace doesn’t swear. Like, at all. Come on, Grace, would it kill you to say “fuck” or “shit” every now and again? I mean, I sipped coffee that was too hot and let out a bunch of words that’d make a 19th century whaler blush. Geez.

Fans of The Martian will devour this book!

The Martian is one of my favorite books of the last few years and it's movie adaptation was brilliant, so I was absolutely thrilled to get a copy of Project Hail Mary. On the whole, I absolutely loved it. I flew through it despite some sections that were very heavy on the science which is not my forte, Fans of The Martian will appreciate the similarities and enjoy the differences. The idea is similar but the specifics are unique.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was the sarcastic but loveable attitude of the main character. He had his flaws but you never hesitate to root for him. I thoroughly enjoyed his sense of human and wit. I also truly enjoyed the way this one was put together with flash backs explaining how the project came together and how he personally ended up where he is. I was shocked by the reveal of specifically how he came to be one of the people on Project Hail Mary. I also loved the Stratt character. Her overwhelming dedication to the project is both admirable and frightening. The whole alternation between past and present is brilliantly spun together.

There were one or two things I struggled with.

First, I found Rocky's physical description very distracting. While I understand the desire for him to look drastically different from humans, the way he was described, which is sort of similar to a bear or a dog but one that has no eyes or ears and who poops from his hidden mouth and also eats through it was a little out there for me. In the beginning Grace estimates him at 800lbs, then when he has to move him he says he's about 400 pounds, either way it made it every difficult for me to take seriously as I was picturing a blind deaf Alf and it was just an odd contrast between the serious science and doomsday plot and a completely off the wall alien being. The other thing I struggled with was the ending. I found the decision that Grace made at the end hard to believe given the way he ended up on the mission. And while I do think the very end was fitting, the section just before that become a little out there for me. Both of these things just made it hard for me to picture how this movie could possibly merge the insanity and high-sci-fi with the down to earth (no pun intended!) nature of a doomsday book.

All of that being said, over all I really truly enjoyed reading it and I think fans of The Martian will absolutely crush this one in a day and love it.

I’m speechless.

Basically my life was complete when I got an email that I was randomly selected for and ARC for Project Hail Mary. The Martian is one of my fav books ever. One of the best movie adaptations.

So the publisher requested to not say too much. Here’s what I’ll say: Holy. Guacamole.

If you liked The Martian, don’t give it a second thought. Def get this one. It comes out in May!

Now, there is a lot of science/physics in this book. But the way Weir handles the subject is not intimidating and you will not get lost.

And technically this is sci-fi but there is so much realness and wit and humanity in the characters, the sci-fi is almost secondary.