Monday, July 12, 2021

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir


Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is, like The Martian, another "guy all alone in outer space" story. But, in this case he's a junior high science teacher who has a humorous inability to swear because he's used to substituting words like "fudge" for the worse option. Also, he's the only man who can save Earth. If he fails, oh well. Earth was nice while it lasted. 

As the book opens the hero, Dr. Ryland Grace, is waking up inside a space ship. He has no idea where he is, how he got there, or what he's supposed to do. Throughout the book, his memory gradually returns and the reader goes back and forth between what's happening in the space ship and what led to the crisis that caused Dr. Grace — who was a consultant, not an astronaut — to end up on this mission. 

There is an alien encounter in Project Hail Mary and it is absolutely delightful. You will fall in love with the alien and maybe cry a bit at the ending. Both the type of book ("guy stuck alone in space figuring out how to fix things") and the entertainment value are more along the lines of The Martian than Artemis, the latter of which I know people found disappointing (myself included, but I liked it more than most). 

As in The Martian, there is a ton of math and science to wade through. This time, though, there are no potatoes. Just thought you'd like to know that. If you enjoyed The Martian, you'll love Project Hail Mary

Highly recommended - Loved it, laughed out loud many times, didn't even come close to following all the math and science but (again, as in my last review) I was able to read between the lines enough to get the gist of most of it. I gave Project Hail Mary a full five stars because I was immensely entertained. I'm hoping this Weir book will be turned into a mini series. I think there's a bit too much that happens to cut it down to movie length.


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10 comments:

  1. I also gave this one a full five stars as you saw on Goodreads. I read it over two days. It was that good.

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    1. Yep, I saw! It took me a lot longer than two days but I agree. It was definitely that good.

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  2. Rod's reading this right now and says it's very good, but heavy on the science. I think I might listen to the audio, so I can let my mind wander when the science and math get too heavy. :)

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    1. Yes, it is definitely heavy on the science and math. I didn't have any problem with that. Some of it I understood but not enough to know whether or not it was factual, just conceptually. I've heard the audio is good.

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  3. I like how you compared it to The Martian because I didn't love The Martian. I thought it was just okay. The math! The potatoes!

    But so many have raved about this newest book so I will read it soon.

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    1. I was just talking about the potatoes with someone, a few days ago! So memorable. If you have trouble with math and science there are parts you might want to just skim but the story in Project Hail Mary is so entertaining that I would not advise anyone to skip it. Might be one for you to check out from the library, though, in case you find those parts just too overwhelming to read through. I loved it so much I can imagine myself rereading it, someday.

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  4. I agree; at the time I liked Artemis just fine (except not thrilled with his attempt at a female pov) but this one is as good as The Martian in terms of making you want to turn the pages.

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    1. It is definitely a page turner. Artemis is a fun story, too, but I agree with you. I actually thought the female sounded a little too much like the male main character in The Martian. I liked it but there was just something lesser about it, whereas Project Hail Mary is by far one of the most entertaining reads I think I've read *ever* and will definitely end up a favorite from the decade, not just the year, right up there with A Gentleman in Moscow.

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