Another gem of a space adventure from Weir. This story was heartfelt, action-packed, and had interesting concepts to grapple with . A complete page turner.

If you are a fan of The Martian, then you are in for a treat! I'm not the biggest Sci-Fi fan but I absolutely adored Project Hail Mary. If anyone can make Sci-Fi humourous, it's Andy Weir. You will laugh, cry and feel so inspired reading this book. There is a lot of math and scientific jargon in the book, but I wouldn't expect anything less when the MC is a science teacher! I loved that the MC wasn't a top scientist but an ordinary civilian like you or me. It made the story that much better. The plot was superbly executed and I was left wanting more even though the book was already long as it is. A must read for anyone that is interested in space - this book is out of this world (bad pun intended!) I do hope they make this into a movie. A full five stars for me!

Thanks so much, NetGalley, Random House-Ballantine and Andy Weir for providing me an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I did end up buying the book!

There was a time when reading this where I thought <i>Project Hail Mary</i> was slated for 2- or 3-stars, but I ultimately ended up really enjoying this after the half-way mark. I think the dynamic between main characters is both humorous and touching here, and I developed an invested interest in both their outcomes. I also really like Weir’s incorporation of hard science (math! equations!) and his descriptions of what “good science” can look like - lots of iterating, dead ends and frustration. Sci-fi books have a tendency sometime to just make <i>anything</i> happen (they’re sci-fi only because the setting is astronomical) and while Weir definitely goes into major speculation here, I feel like he thought about the scientific implications and outcomes before putting his characters through certain actions. For this, I give major props.

Some issues - Firstly, I felt like all the side characters were unidimensional, unbelievable and honestly pretty cringe-worthy to read about. A Russian that likes vodka? Revolutionary… This made me dislike many of the flashback scenes. The writing is also quite conversational, probably because it’s written as present first-person, which sometimes gave off a journal-like vibe. I didn’t love this.

This is my first Andy Weir book, but I have seen the movie <i>The Martian</i>. There are some strong similarities between the two - a middle aged, isolated man in space has a lot of issues but ultimately “wins” through intelligence and perseverance. Nothing wrong with this - he does it well, but it would be cool to see something different next time!

I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

"The Martian" was a great story. "Artemis" was a great story. This one is better than either of those. If you like science fiction with actual science, this is for you. If you like stories with interesting, well developed characters, this also has that. If you want excitement and a thrilling plot, here you go. If you want romance and sex, well, there you're completely out of luck. But if that was the kind of book you wanted I doubt you'd be reading this review anyway. Speaking of, why *are* you still reading this review? Go read the book!! It's way better than this.

In this newest novel by Andy Weir, Dr. Ryland Grace awakens on a spaceship to find that he cannot remember how or why he ended up there. As his memories gradually return, he realizes that he’s on a mission to save life on Earth, he’s most likely never making it back, and he’s all alone… or so he thinks.

About 40% of the way through the book, so much had already happened - I had absolutely no clue how the story would proceed, given the significant remaining length. In some ways, this is a turn-off, because I didn’t really have a sense of direction or anticipation that kept me coming back for more. It does mean, however, that I could not predict the ending, which I always appreciate in a book.

Readers can always count on Andy Weir for an entertaining science fiction novel with a likeable but sarcastic unlikely hero. The premise is stellar (no pun intended) and initially, I was turning pages like crazy to know how this guy ended up millions of miles out in space. Weir is also unparalleled in his sci-fi world-building; it really feels like a scientifically accurate (to the extent possible) and well thought-out story. It’s been a while since I read The Martian, but I did feel like this book was comparatively heavier on scientific explanations and descriptions of navigating the spacecraft, which is hard to visualize. However, I think this is still a pretty accessible sci-fi book for the average reader, which is one of Weir’s strengths in this genre.

There's a reason Andy Weir is only one of two science fiction writers I'll read and this book is why. It was touching, funny, exciting, so well-written, creative, and different. The only part I struggled with was all the math, but not enough that I didn't want to put the book down.

Andy Weir is one the modern eras best science fiction writers. He continues to make a mark on the science fiction genre with fantastic and wild tales. Project Hail Mary is a last ditch effort to attempt the save the planet, and humanity, from total destruction, a hail mary play. And right now, Ryland Grace remembers none of that. Nor does where exactly he is, what his mission is, or why he is the sole survivor on a ship drifting in space. In time, Ryland recalls his purpose and realizes he is the only hope to save the planet and all of humanity. A daunting and impossible task.

Project Hail Mary rivals The Martian as one of Weir's best books. Anxiety inducing yet impossible to put down, Project Hail Mary will keep you invested in the fate of Ryland Grace's mission as if your life, too, depended on his success.

I got about roughly 30% of the way through the book when something significant happened in the story and I put it down because I wasn’t sure I wanted to read an Andy Weir version of first contact. I really enjoyed The Martian, and how it made technical challenges interesting narratively. This does much the same although with a lot more hand-waving certain parts of how the science actually works and extrapolating how to deal with it anyway.

But then there’s the stuff with the alien. Rocky is a cool dude. But also this book isn’t really ever interested in exploring how an alien culture might interact with humanity. We get some cool scenes of Grace and Rocky’s initial attempts and communication through deduction but once that hurdle is cleared there is hardly any exploration of what Rocky’s culture is like. It just happens to be close enough to human that we just go with it. I don’t want to criticize a book for what it isn’t, and what it isn’t is a rigorous exploration of the difficulties of first contact with a completely alien species would be like.

So what is the book? It’s a fairly hard sci-fi exploration of a frankly ridiculous premise where a lone dude has to solve a a series of technical problems with *science!* It has much the same sense of humor as The Martian and I think it did a great job of walking the reader through the science and technology (other than the numerous parts where Rocky just fixes a thing, which get very little exploration) and the story briefly touches on some big philosophical ideas without ever giving them the same study that it gives the technical ideas.

Written by the author of "The Martian", this book is exactly what I wanted it to be. A solo survivor, left to save the world. Unfortunately, when he wakes, he has no memory of what his assignment is or even who he is. His memories slowly come back and he realizes his purpose - to conquer an extinction-level threat. Unlike "The Martian", there is much less swearing in this book, which I was glad to see. This book is another win for Andy Weir!

I won't lie, this book started off a little rocky for me (no pun intended). It felt like there was a tad too much redundancy as far as establishing Grace's personality went, as well as the way he recalled memories and then had to re-explain them to himself. This made it feel quite slow in the beginning, as it was very focused on setting up character and very little else.
However, around 1/3 of the way through the book the story really picked up for me and I became super invested. I absolutely adored the relationship formed between Grace and Rocky, and I loved seeing how their two sets of expertise were able to be combined and utilized in order to carry out their plans. I loved the way they learned each other's languages - slowly and painstakingly rather than an immediate info dump that allows them to speak together. It's definitely more believable this way.
Overall I ended up being very pleased with the book. There were parts where I was on the edge of my seat and a couple parts that had me laughing out loud in the middle of the airport. Weir's writing is quirky and fun while also being ridiculously intelligent.

I didn't think that Mr. Weir could do it again, but he did. I enjoyed Project Hail Mary a lot. Bunches. It ranks up there in my opinion as high as the Martian. I mean, sure, there were suspensions of belief, but the beauty of science fiction is that it's all about what could happen. And the integration of difficult sciency stuff (just to prove how little of science I know, "sciency" is not a word and I don't care), was actually somewhat interesting and I got the general gist of it. That's huge, folks. And the snark, man it was fun! So a fun, interesting, informative, nail-biting-edge-of-your-seat read is what Mr. Weir delivers. This is the perfect book for our biotech high school library!

Weir is a master at writing science fiction, and is definitely one of the greats. The theme of the book is dark, but the lighthearted voice of the narrator makes this more a fun read than a depressing one. At times, the technical, scientific information became overwhelming, but the other elements of the book captured my attention. I definitely recommend this book.

Fantastic thriller & sci-fi blend. The science explanations were easy to follow and the storyline was absolutely brilliant. Weir continues to show why readers will continue to anxiously await any new release.

I think I need more than 5 stars for this one. I loved The Martian. I liked (didn't love, but really liked) Artemis. But this one? Oh, how I loved this one - how does Andy Weir make so much science so entertaining? It had me laughing out loud so often. It had me telling my husband "You have to read - no you have to listen to this book!" I did start out reading the ARC I'd received, but I'd listened to The Martian and realized how much easier it is to listen to all the "science-y stuff" that's way above my not-so-science-y brain, so ended up getting the audio version, which is just brilliant. It starts out as a bit of a mystery - who is this guy, where is he and why doesn't he know these things himself? (Of course as readers we know a bit more than he does if we've read the blurb.) There are so many surprises along the way, both on his mission and in his backstory (both good and not so good). He's a very human hero with a mission that's beyond daunting. And the help he finds along the way, well it's one of the reasons I recommend the audiobook. Read it for yourself - or listen - and enjoy!
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Really enjoyed the latest by Andy Weir. Project Hail Mary was thrilling, had great characters and is very cinematic in nature...which made me hope a movie will be made. My library purchased and I've recommended this fun novel. Nice escapist read!

I'm sorry to say this was my first Andy Weir book.....but it will definitely not be my last. This story is entertainment gone wild with a side of buddy love in the weirdest way. That just means that I've already reread the book it was so good.
The very first zig in this zig zag story is that the pollution that everyone is fighting now is what will ultimately slow down the death of the earth.....yes, instead of destroying us, it will save us. The zag comes when our hero finds himself face-to-face with an inhabitant of another planet who is facing the same world wide destruction as Earth. Are you following? And then our hero cannot go home because he does not have enough food to make the return trip.....which he was never supposed to live to make anyway. There is sooooo much to love about this book. Treat yourself to a me weekend and join the Hail Mary in her trip to save the Earth.

I am a firm believer that a book should start a chapter late, when the main character is already in the midst of some conflict and the reader immediately has questions that they're eager to have answered. Some authors prefer to ease into their openings, letting the reader get a page or two of the main character living their regular (maybe boring?) life. And then there's Andy Weir, who likes to start chapter one with his main character nearly dying. And I am all for that!

Project Hail Mary is very aptly named. It's about an end of the world situation where Earth has thirty seconds left in the 4th quarter to get a touchdown or else the entire planet freezes to death. And there are no timeouts remaining. But sandwiched in the middle of the doomsday plot is a very interesting and highly technical (this is Andy Weir, after all) sci-fi story that one could argue is purely character development with very little plot progression. It encompasses nearly all of the second act, and when I say it's very interesting, I mean there were times when I forgot that every minute our main character Ryland spent exploring this really cool thing*, his entire planet back home was getting one minute closer to extinction.

*I know I'm being vague but I was extremely happy not to know about this particular part of the book beforehand, so I definitely do not want to spoil anything.

I'll admit, some parts of this book were slow, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5, but overall it was enjoyable and heartfelt and suspenseful in a way that only Andy Weir can make physics problems suspenseful. And just as he starts his book with Ryland in utter turmoil, he also ends Project Hail Mary riiiiight before so many questions are answered. Meaning I thought about this book for days afterwards. And isn't that when you know you've discovered something special?

Andy Weir has done it again! This was a thrill a minute joy ride of a book. I read it thinking of it as a movie. I thought it was much better than the Martian. Similar to the Martian, there are many twists and turns that keep the story moving along quickly. Ryland Grace is a character that remained in my mind even after I finished the book. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes fast paced sci fi. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read an advance copy of this book.

Hands down the top book of 2021! I have been recommending this book to all of our patrons and more. If you haven't read a book by Andy Weir, grab a copy and fall in love. You won't be able to put this book down.

After Artemis, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir’s latest book. However, Project Hail Mary is absolutely a return to more hard science fiction (very heavy on the science!)

Although I liked the main character in Project Hail Mary, and I loved Rocky, I struggled to get into this one because of how heavily Weir leans into the technical science side of things. The book was pretty slow in the beginning because there’s so much background to the story, and it took quite a while for it to pick up. The whole amnesia storyline didn’t quite work for me since it led to so much info-dumping. Although I understand why the author chose this storyline, I think there were other ways to incorporate it.

However, once the book got past the initial science-heavy info-dumps, I enjoyed reading about the adventures of Ryland and Rocky. The last fourth of the book was excellent, both in terms of plot and character development. If you’re a fan of hard science fiction, consider checking this one out!