I went into this book knowing nothing and was so glad I did. Everything was a surprise which made it a fantastic read for me. A lot of the science was beyond my understanding, but that didn't take anything away from the heartfelt and funny aspects of the story. I recommend going into this book blind and just enjoying the ride!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Thank you Ballantine and Netgalley for the gifted copy of this book.

WOW. What a book. Scifi is not my normal genre, but I LOVED The Martian (the book and the movie), so I was excited about the synopsis of this one. Let me tell you, it was better than I anticipated.

Yes, there was a lot of science but a) it was well explained and b) it wasn't all SUPER necessary to understand. You could still get the point of what was going on even if you didn't "get" all of the super science "stuff" that was going on.

I really don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away, but Dr. Grace's story was so intriguing and fascinating. I was sucked in from the very first page, and binged this book while at the beach. The alternating timelines between Dr. Grace on the ship, and all of the events leading up to that point worked perfectly. The characters were great, and the tension was palpable.

This better be turned into a movie or tv series. I would watch it in a SECOND.

“War, famine, pestilence and death. Astrophage is literally the apocalypse. The Hail Mary is all we have now.”

High school teacher Ryland Grace wakes up alone in a white room. There are robotic arms hovering over him. Grace has no idea where he is or why. As he begins to piece things together, he finds himself “...in a small lab, wearing a bedsheet toga, with no idea who I am, and no help other than a mindless computer and two mummified roommates.” He doesn’t even know that he is Ryland Grace, but it turns out that he is on a space ship called the Hail Mary and he is the man we are counting on to save the world.

This book was a much fun as “The Martian” as Grace goes from crisis to crisis. Part of the book is set on Earth and explains the threat to Earth and how Grace wound up on the Hail Mary. Most of the book is set in space. As in “The Martian”, there is a lot of math and physics involved. Grace is constantly calculating something or other. Fortunately, he is not completely alone. Rocky is a terrific character and friend, although he sometimes finds Grace frustrating. “Grumpy. Angry. Stupid. How long since last sleep, question?” This will make a great buddy movie, with an extremely satisfying ending.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Andy Weir needs to step away from the math. Where The Martian had understandable connections between the science and the drama, Project Hail Mary includes so much unnecessary math and science that it threw off the balance of plot, character development, and pacing. A book about saving the earth somehow lacked any real urgency or intensity once the main character makes it into space. It is a disappointment because the idea for the story is compelling, but it was executed poorly.

Andy Weir has done it again and has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The movie, The Martian, was awesome, but as usual, the book was better. I hope they make Project Hail Mary into a movie, too!

This book grabs you from the very first page!

Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship light years from Earth. The problem is he doesn't remember who he is or what he's supposed to do. But whatever it is, it must be important, or he wouldn't have been sent on this mission with two other astronauts. Unfortunately, neither of them survived the journey, so he is all alone. And he is Earth's last hope for survival.

We go from there to flashbacks on earth as he starts to remember what happened and why he is there. There is a lot of action in this book as well as a lot of science and math, but don't let the science and math scare you away. The story is so worth it. I loved this story and was very happy with how it ended. I don't want to say more, because I don't want to spoil anything, but this is a great, heartwarming space story about bravery and friendship.

What an absolutely amazing book. This jumps between "current day" for Dr Grace, as well as the preparation for the mission to save planet Earth.

I wanted to love this as much as The Martian, but I didn't. By the end of the book, though, I was fully hooked. The plethora of scientific information at the beginning was just overwhelming to me. I know that's my problem. It took nearly half the story to get me engaged - with the story and with the characters. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, because the second half of the story was worth it.

The gist of the story is that something is eating our sun. Its energy is depleting so quickly that earth will cease to support life in a short time. Scientists gear up to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it (this is the heavy science part). In a "hail mary" effort, they send a crew into space to find a solution and save the world. Ryland Grace is a last minute, unwilling part of the crew.

The story begins when he wakes up on the ship, not knowing where he is, or why, and discovers the rest of the crew dead and mummified. He is alone with no memory. The narrative goes back and forth from the past to the present as Ryland gradually remembers his mission.

I can't say much more without spoilers, just that it becomes an engaging, interesting, and fun read from this point.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC. My apologies that it took so long to review.

This was just such a fun book! Which seems odd to say, because I'm not a science fiction fan, but I loved The Martian, so it was natural for me to grab this one as well. It's not The Martian, let me make that perfectly clear. But it's a perfectly acceptable, thoroughly entertaining book, with the same threads of humor and personality that sold me on The Martian. I adored Ryland Grace's character - he was funny, humble, relatable, sympathetic; a "real" guy. I'm not usually a fan of constant flashbacks throughout a book, but it worked here, worked really well, in fact, and was done in a manner that made sense and did cause me to wonder exactly what time frame I was reading about. I'm a bit on the fence about Rocky - I love the idea of Grace meeting and joining forces with a life form from another planet, but something about the whole thing just didn't quite hit me right. There were some great moments between Grace and Rocky, and much of the storyline hinged on their relationship. There's just some unknown something that made Rocky less than apealing to me. In reading other reviews, I'm pretty much overrulled here; most people loved Rocky's character, and I'm okay with that.

I was also deeply appreciative that the "climate change" premise was done in a way that wasn't preachy or tried to make an activist out of me. It was interesting and informative, and honestly thought-provoking, without being soap-boxy or scolding. So bonus points from me on that.

Overall, a fabulously entertaining read; one I would recommend to non-science fiction people who just want to enjoy a great book!

Andy Weir's latest novel, "Project Hail Mary" gives "The Martian" a run for its money. It's a thriller, a buddy comedy, and science fiction book all rolled in to one. You won't be able to set this book down.

Fantastic! Really enjoyed this story of a junior high science teacher left in a position to save earth. The story has the math and science we all loved from THE MARTIAN with an added element that is truly creative and fun. Highly recommend!

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

What a joy this was to read, and for me the best book yet by this talented storyteller. Lots of interesting science and great plot twists. The backstory of how our protagonist ended up on this spaceship is told well throughout the book by a series of backflashes as he recovers old memories. And you can't help but chuckle at the Sylvester Stallone references the author makes.

When Ryland Grace wakes up and finds himself on a spaceship with 2 dead roommates and no memory of who he is, why he’s there, or how he got there, he certainly never expected to find out he’s on a mission to save the earth. As his memory falteringly returns and he discovers he may not be as alone as he thought, he will tax his abilities—both physical and mental—and his ship to give humanity a fighting chance.

I haven’t been as captivated by a book as I was by this one in a long time. I read it in 2 days, which is at least half the time I’d normally read a book of this length, because I was so enthralled and just kept wanting to come back to it. The story was creative, the characters were engaging, and the math and science were…well, they were math and science. I zoned out a few times when it got a little over my head and scanned the text for the spot where the point would be made. Those moments didn’t bother me, though—I just nodded and moved on.

The story tends to go back and forth between the present time on the ship and the recent past back on Earth. The past scenes serve to show both us and Grace why he’s way out in space. Even when the reader thinks they know everything necessary from that time (or at least thinks they can infer it), there’s a little more to know. Personally, I liked the past scenes as much as the present. It was interesting to see Weir’s take on what could happen if catastrophe were looming and humanity was forced to work together or be wiped out.

Understandably, there are not a whole lot of characters in this book, especially those that are given much “screen” time. There’s Grace, of course, who may know more than seems reasonable for his past, but I enjoyed the book enough to not be bothered by it. He’s got a cheesy sense of humor and a determination that doesn’t preclude him from having moments of doubt. Fortunately, he has a counterpart through much of the book who spurs him on when he’s ready to give up, and vice versa. Rocky, along with the friendship that develops between Rocky and Grace, is certainly a highlight of the book. There’s not a whole lot more I can say without giving at least minor spoilers (though odds are pretty good if you read other reviews you’ll be spoiled anyway, as many people don’t see the explanation of Rocky as a spoiler…and maybe it’s not, but I’d rather be cautious). There are so many times when the interactions between Grace and Rocky made me laugh out loud. It’s so great! Also, the ending—never saw it coming!

The question that seems to be on most people’s minds is whether or not this book is too similar to Weir’s first book, The Martian. There are certainly some similarities, but the plot is very different. Whatney’s main conflict is simply survival, then if possible a return to Earth. Grace’s main conflict is to do the science to figure out how to save Earth, and…well, for a while, at least, that’s pretty much it. They’re really only similar in that they’re both one man working alone in space. Some will say that Grace is a copy of Whatney. I have read The Martian once and seen the movie twice, so I don’t think I know it enough to speak to that. They approach problems and science the same way, so I guess there’s that. I also want to mention, for those who are curious, that there is way less language in this book than there was in The Martian. Grace himself only uses “fake” swear words, so the only real language comes from the past scenes, and it’s considerably light. Some might be interested to know, however, that this book takes an evolution-as-fact approach to the universe, evolution being a very heavy topic in the latter half or so of the book. It’s very common for sci-fi to be written with that worldview, but it is pushed pretty heavily. Overall, though, I highly recommend this book to anyone who even remotely enjoys sci-fi books.

I had my doubts for this book since I wasn't a fan of his last book but this one was much better! I loved reading this one and couldn't put it down!

Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship with no memories and two dead crewmates for company. He doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t know what he’s doing there, and he doesn’t know what happened to him. Orbiting an unknown planet, he struggles to figure it all out.

What he eventually discovers is that Earth is facing an apocalypse like none it has ever known – one that will extinguish all life on it! Faced with solving this impossible dilemma, he must figure out how to save Earth before it’s too late. Can one man with no memories accomplish this task?

I don’t want to reveal anything more about the plot, as it would be a big spoiler to say what the threat was and how Ryland attempts to solve it. However, the threat is not something one would typically expect in a science fiction novel. It’s a threat unlike any other yet is scientifically plausible. What this threat does is place the Earth in a bind, where the clock is ticking down and as time passes, the chaos and eventual extinction on Earth becomes starkly clearer and ever direr.

Also, there is a very specific gamechanger that completely shifts the story in an unexpected direction. This gamechanger is so important, without it, Grace might not be able to solve this difficult conundrum. These changes introduce a new dimension to the storytelling. It’s a delightful addition that spotlights Ryland’s prowess with science and challenges his problem-solving abilities like never before.

It all comes together and leads into a finale that is monumental, powerful, and moving. It placed a firm exclamation point on this entire endeavor by bringing Ryland’s story full circle and completing his journey, both literally and metaphorically, in a highly satisfying way.

As Ryland slowly recovers his memories that are spurred by his efforts to save the planet, they occur in the form of flashbacks. Through these recollections, the mystery of the threat facing Earth is slowly revealed. From Ryland’s personality, his former profession, and his current scientific specialties, each event leads him to slowly unravel the puzzle of this situation.

This premise sets up much of the intrigue surrounding this entire novel. As this novel is told directly from Ryland’s point of view, the reader experiences everything as Ryland discovers it. This makes the reading much more personal and placed me firmly inside the character’s mind. From page one all the way through the end, I became this astronaut stranded in a distant galaxy with no idea where I am or why.

I felt his terror at not knowing what is going on, the burden it placed upon my lone shoulders, and the disappointments of failed scientific experiments gone awry. But I also experienced the victories, large and small, of each win he achieved and reveled in the enthusiasm of a scientific mind applying all his growing knowledge to the task at hand.

By the time I got to the end of the book, I fully understood Ryland and his journey, both mental and physical. It is the final recollections that truly illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of his character as a human being. This gives Ryland extra depth as a character and places his actions, both from the past and the present, into a realistic light. It also fully demonstrates what happened to him and why, placing everything before it in a new context.

We also get to meet other characters in these flashbacks, such as other scientists from across the world. Some of them are astronaut candidates, others from different scientific specialties necessary to make this project successfully work.

But none of them is as important as Eva Stratt, head of the Petrova Taskforce. She is the lynchpin under which all the Earth’s resources are combined. Appointed by the United Nations to spearhead this crucial effort, she is the primary decision-maker. Her ability to cut through all the red tape, the politics, and her willingness to consider what would be considered outlandish ideas and marshal resources is uncanny.

Her no-nonsense personality, blunt statements, and boundless authority are frequently hilarious and always purposeful, keeping an eye on the larger goal and not tolerating fools. What she wants for Project Hail Mary, she gets, and heaven help anyone who tries to get in her way.

Science is a big character in this novel. The story is grounded in the hard sciences, such as microbiology, chemistry, physics and so many more. Without it, this novel probably wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. But the author, as he has done before, smoothly integrates it into the narrative.

Even the more speculative science utilized in the things Ryland encounters is still grounded in reality. It’s effortlessly blended into the novel and explained so that even the novice reader can understand what’s going on. In that way, a reader can easily follow the science to see how it importantly contributes to this novel and comprehend how it works.

The use of science and how much Ryland appreciates and understands is awe-inspiring. Ryland’s sense of amazement and wonder at what he encounters out there in the depths of space never gets old. It infuses the story with a high level of enthusiasm and optimism, no matter what is happening. That feeling is completely infectious and it propels the novel at a pace that makes it highly difficult to put down.

Even though the fate of the entire Earth is threatened by this event, it’s not surprising to see all its countries team up to solve this problem using that can-do spirit and positivity. They’re united under one banner and one common interest: self-preservation of the planet at any cost.

Even with the same purpose, some countries and corporations see these efforts as a way to play politics and try to gain an advantage for themselves instead of selflessly champion this mutual cause. It’s sad to know that this kind of infighting could potentially hamper these efforts if this novel were to happen in real life.

But this novel also shows how deftly one shared cause can benefit the planet, coming together and sharing resources without politics or governments getting in the way. With scientists working together from across the globe, they demonstrate to the world that the path to success is to play nicely and find common ground in the process. Rising above petty selfish needs in service to humanity, scientists lead the way. It’s heartwarming and beautiful to see this in the way the story unfurls, infusing this story with hope against desperate odds. As in so many scenarios, scientists are the real heroes here.

There are also some innovative ideas at play in this novel that would be considered outlandish if they were tried in the real world. But, as Stratt states, everything is on the table in service to the common cause. These ideas are still grounded in real science, though. For example, ideas such as utilizing the Sahara Desert to harness solar power for one of many projects critical to this endeavor’s success.

This story takes place in the near future, like “The Martian” and “Artemis”. Like those, it talks place in a plausible time to come, built upon what we already know and projects forward in time. It retains many aspects of what we experience currently and develops a future that we can see and imagine. But it’s not so far off in the future that we can’t recognize it and find it to be so dissimilar from our own lives.

There are inevitable comparisons to “The Martian”, the author’s first blockbuster novel. There are even some commonalities between that phenomenal novel and this one. A man alone, with deep knowledge of science to help him survive against the great unknown. A hopeless situation and sarcastic wit and humor that is revealed along the way. But that’s where the comparisons end.

Like his other novels “The Martian” and “Artemis”, it’s grounded in hard science fiction while also adroitly integrating the science seamlessly into the novel. Like another hard science fiction author I enjoy, Peter Cawdron, the science only enhances the story and made me appreciate it that much more.

This novel is as good as “The Martian” and superior to that novel in many aspects. It represents a maturation of the author’s abilities here. He successfully builds upon his already burgeoning skill set to craft a compelling story and expand his range to include other elements he hasn’t used before. With intriguing characters, a riveting storyline, real science, and a hero to root for, the end result is the author’s best novel to date.

There are some really fabulous elements to this book, when it's focusing on humans and emotions, but my biggest issue was that when the book goes into Space, it's almost like the priority to get details technically accurate transcends telling a compelling story. It becomes very robotic and I lost my personal connection to the protagonist. I wish the whole book leaned into the human experience.... it would have been more impactful.

Wow, this is Andy Weir’s best book yet! Definitely more sci-fi than speculative fiction, but I loved this space opera and will definitely revisit it again.

Was this book filled with scientific information? Yes. Did I, someone with a biology degree, understand most of it? No. Despite that, it was an enjoyable book, although long and full of information I didn’t really understand.

Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship, with no memory of how he got there and what he is supposed to be doing with 2 dead crewmates. I liked the flashbacks to the past as he remembers why he is out there and how to save Earth from the energy stealing Astrophage. Despite the rest of his crew not surviving the trip, is Dr. Grace really all alone out there?

The first half of this book was really hard to get in to. I actually put it down at about the 40% mark and read a few other books before picking it back up. The second half really kept my attention and I needed to know what was going to happen and if Earth was going to be saved. I loved the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC for my honest review.

From the author that brought us Potatoes on Mars and Welders on the Moon comes An Amnesiac in Space. Okay. Those aren't the real book names, but they're more appropriate names than The Martian, Artemis, and Project Hail Mary.

So, as you can probably gather from my more superior title, An Amnesiac in Space, our story begins with an amnesiac waking up in space and having no idea what he's doing there. Over time, his memory comes back in flashbacks, and he realizes he's there to save the human race. No biggie.

The sun is dying more quickly than it should, and our hero is on a quest to discover a solution to that problem. And he sciences the heck out of it. Oh yes. That's what Andy Weir does best in his novels. That's his schtick. Physics and chemistry out the wazoo. That's what we loved about The Martian, but sometimes it feels like overkill. Your eyes glaze over, and you just hope our hero knows what he's doing because you know you surely wouldn't.

There were parts of this book that moved rather slowly, and it would have been a complete drag without a very cute and loveable character named Rocky. But I can't talk about that lest I spoil the whole book. I came for the science and stayed for Rocky. I feel that the inclusion of Rocky made this a much better book than Potatoes in Space.

I will say that the ending didn't go where I thought it was going, but it was completely satisfying. I haven't read a better ending to a sci-fi novel in a while. I'm not sure that this book would translate well to the movie screen like Potatoes in Space, but I could be surprised.

What a great read. Fast paced, touching and endearing. Andy Weir writes about solo exploration in a very unique way. This book was not at all what I was expecting, it was so much more.

Highly recommend for a great space read.