Actually, that’s putting it mildly.

He doesn’t remember his own name, for one thing. He doesn’t know who he is, or where he is, or how he got there. But he knows some things. He knows that when he woke up, there were two dead bodies on the table-beds next to his. He knows that there’s a robot that has been taking care of him, and that refuses to let him leave the room until his memory starts to come back.

Soon, he learns that he’s alone on a spaceship, the other two members of the crew having not survived the induced coma they were put into before their voyage. He’s somewhere outside of Earth’s solar system. How does he know that he’s not in our solar system anymore? Science! Whoever he is, Dr. Grace is a hell of a scientist, and the ship he’s on is equipped for a lot of science. As he slowly recovers his memories of the time he spent on Earth prior to his journey, he pieces together a lot.

Once a prominent microbiologist, Dr. Grace left academia to become a junior high science teacher. When an alien microorganism is discovered feeding on the light and energy of the sun, he’s drafted into Project Hail Mary, an international cooperative effort to find a way to study this “astrophage” and prevent it from ending life as we know it on Earth. Chapters alternate between Dr. Grace’s flashbacks to his time as a consultant on the astrophage and the development of the ship to his present timeline somewhere in orbit around Tau Ceti. Now with no crewmates, Dr. Grace has to solve the mystery of the astrophage and find a way to get that data back to Earth. No pressure, right? And just because the other humans aboard the Hail Mary are dead doesn’t mean he’s alone…

Andy Weir is back, y’all. The author of The Martian and Artemis has a new novel out today, and damn if it isn’t a fun ride. For fans who like a little more science (okay, a lot more) in their science fiction, this one’s for you. Project Hail Mary is a fantastic bit of mystery, with an amnesiac narrator on a mission to save the world. After a bit of a stumble with his second novel (Artemis was fun too, but there was some struggle with writing a realistic female perspective), Mr. Weir has returned to the form that made me fall in love with his writing, despite the mathematics throughout. Let’s face it. I switched from studying engineering to English after 2 months for a reason.

It’s not very often that I give five star ratings. For me, five star books have to be perfect. The plot, characters, pacing, writing all have to be spot on and there has to be nothing I would want to change about the book. That is why, with confidence, I can say this book was absolutely a five star read for me.

I loved everything about this book. The plot/premise was so incredibly interesting and well thought out. As with all of Weir’s books, there is some intense science detail in this one that you just have to resign yourself to not fully understanding from the jump. As soon as you let yourself get immersed in the story, you start to pick up on what’s important and what isn’t in the science specific parts. Even then, Weir has such a smooth writing style that you start to feel like you too understand quantum mechanics.

One of my favorite things about Weir’s books are the characters. Do the main characters in his books always feel very Mark Watney-esque (from The Martian), sure. Am I mad about that though? Not in the least, I love snarky, brilliant but modest, characters. In addition to an awesome main character, we get introduced to a new character about 20% in and when I say that this character will truly have my heart forever, I mean it. I don’t think I have loved a character this much in a very long time.

If all of that gushing wasn’t enough to convince you to pick this one up, then this is my final push. Read this book! It is a delightful ride and will not leave you disappointed.

I had high hopes that this book would remind me of reading The Martian, but I was not as drawn in to Project Hail Mary. There was something about the narrator and I just couldn’t connect. The plot was interesting given the impending end of Earth because of a space organism.. The science and math were detailed and complex. It might actually be interesting to take some of the early chapters and give them to a physics class and let them see if the experiments and hypotheses are accurate. I enjoyed following the philosophical questions about science and life and space.

The flashback format seemed too convenient of a plot device to build tension for the main character. Was it necessary to use flashbacks as a way for the character to remember the past and unfold the exposition? There are very few characters and the secondary characters are not very likable or interesting. Rocky may be the best part of the whole novel. For fans of science fiction and Weir’s other books, then you will enjoy Project Hail Mary.

roject Hail Mary is another great read from Andy Weir. Like The Martian, he goes to great lengths to be as scientifically detailed and accurate as possible, weaving in lots of science lessons along the way. This is hard science fiction at its entertaining best. The story starts fast and pulls you along quickly as the main character tackles seemingly impossible problems, and you discover background details in bits and pieces as they are remembered. Without giving too much away, I found myself hoping that the friendship that blooms along the way would be how it could actually happen. If you loved The Martian and Artemis, you'll really love Project Hail Mary. Trust me. Read it.

3.75
As he did in The Martian, Weir has once again shown his vast scientific range of knowledge. In this story he takes a more fanciful approach to a space drama.

Ryland Grace is a brilliant scientist who was criticized for his professional beliefs on the very basics required for any living entity. Now he teaches middle school students about the wonders of the universe. When a discovery is made that determines that earth’s very existence might be in jeopardy because of something that is siphoning off the heat from the sun, renowned scientists begin to study and speculate on how to stop the event. Ryland is recruited and becomes involved in the research, utilizing his expertise to figure out a way to save the planet.

Ryland has a nice sense of humor and it adds a little levity to the dry, yet intricate and impressive science experiments he describes. Project Hail Mary is a space expedition that includes specialist Ryland venturing far into space, searching for answers. Much of his time on the spaceship involves him ruminating on how he got there. At first his memory is faulty, but slowly things come back to clarify what he’s supposed to be doing. Other members of the expedition did not survive the initial stage and Ryland is all alone in the quest.

Lovers of science will be enthralled with the technical aspects and explanations of the experiments and work that Ryland undertakes in trying to rescue our world. Help may be available from an unusual source and that is where Weir veers off into the creative realm.

There’s so much science involved that while awe-inspiring, it is also overwhelming. Since it steps farther into science fiction, this is not quite as engaging as Weir’s first book and yet it will hold readers enthralled as they follow Ryland confronting obstacles and roadblocks that continually present problems and threaten to curtail the enterprise. Riveting right till the very end.

While I think that Weir's first book, The Martian, is still the best out of his novels, Project Hail Mary held my attention and kept me entertained. The science in this book is a bit hard to follow and I was a biology major in college. The humor of Weir shines through. The main character is likeable and makes you willing to go on the journey with him.

“I penetrated the outer cell membrane with a nanosyringe."
"You poked it with a stick?"
"No!" I said. "Well. Yes. But it was a scientific poke with a very scientific stick.”

I loved the banter. I loved so much of this book but sometimes the detailed science held me back. I will still recommend this book to many.

Smart, funny, and at times tender Project Hail Mary was difficult to put down, I just had to know what was next. The Science was believable (at least to me), I enjoyed the main character and diversity of settings an people. The story is slowly revealed in flashbacks interspersed with current happenings. Artfully crafted, I highly recommend "Project Hail Mary."

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I've given a review for Porject Hail Mary on youtube. You can see my full video review for Project Hail Mary on youtube at: https://youtu.be/iMNPIPlZEeE

When Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma, he has no idea who or where he is, much less why he's there. Slowly, however, things start to come back to him, and he soon discovers that he's the lone survivor on a "Hail Mary" mission to save Earth from a rapidly dimming sun. Oh, and that he's 12 lightyears from home, on his way to visit the star that may have some answers. But when he arrives, he finds out he's not quite as alone as he thought, as an alien ship has also come, possibly for the same reasons that he has. Soon, what started as an apocalyptic survival story becomes a first contact story...but without forgetting that first part.

After a second novel that only diehard heist fans would like (me. this is me), Weir has returned to form with Project Hail Mary. It's full of the hard science and humor that made The Martian such a success, this time tinged with compassion and creativity that we hadn't seen before. I absolutely loved this book, and it's well worth the hold list.

This was a solid read and exactly what I expect as an Andy Weir fan. This means a fun and exciting plot, lots of problems for the main character within said plot, and a slightly implausible yet entertaining conclusion. It also supplied the usual way too much math and science-y explanations for me thing, but I always appreciate them being there! Like, I'm not sure if all the math and science is right, but it seems like it's right and makes the book feel more authentic.

I think the character development leaves a bit to be desired. I wanted a bit more backstory about our hero, and I would've liked if he had a little bit more to leave behind back on Earth. As it was, he was free from any and all connections to humans, which lowered the stakes for me. And the ending wasn't totally satisfying, in that I wanted to see a couple things that we didn't get to see, but I did think overall it was a good, if slightly farfetched, ending.

Ah, I enjoyed this so much. No spoilers, but this was phenomenally fun and the ending did not disappoint.




Review copy provided by publisher.

This is a fun book that chronicles the growing up of a 30something manchild while on a space expedition. I have no idea if the science is good, but there's a lot of it. The characters, both in and out of space are interesting. (Looking at you Rocky.) The twists and turns really kept my interest and surprised me. Highly recommended for a fun space read.

Project Hail Mary is destined to be a classic of first contact books, up there with "Rendezvous with Rama" and "The Mote in God's Eye" (it's actually better than those books). You might be thinking 'yeah, but reviewers are always hyperbolic in their claims'. I feel compelled to mention that I've never called a book an 'instant classic' before, and I'm not making this statement lightly. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. The rate at which discoveries unfold is perfect, the irreverent tone is extremely readable, and the science is fascinating.

Andy Weir took everything great about The Martian, refined it, and used it to create a vastly more interesting world. The familiar elements are there, all well-executed: a lone joke-cracking scientist (this time with an alien compatriot!), fun survival problems that need to be solved by the hyper-competent protagonists, and teams working together toward a common goal. In addition to the familiar elements, Weir adds some immensely fun world-building which feels just as polished as the rest of the story.

There are some plausibility issues, but they're the best kind -- things like "here is a mysterious material that has these shocking properties, what could we do with this if it existed?"

I think that this book is best enjoyed without knowing too much about it up-front, so I'm not going to give a plot overview. I'll just conclude by saying that it's the best book I've read in years, and I give it my highest recommendation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to have an eArc.

I'm going to be upfront and explain that I am only 32% done with this book. However, it is the book birthday and I feel obligated to explain how much I'm loving the book so far. A lot of what worked in the Martian works in this book. The being alone, the mental thoughts as dialogue, and being able to work out problems on their own. I think the writing is fantastic and I will update with more complete thoughts when I do finish the book.

The thing is - I suspect this is due to the fact that I do not read enough in this genre - the book is dense. There's a lot of slow action going on with high action as well but this is not a book that you binge in a day. This is a book more like a glass of wine. You're going to want to swirl it around, nose it, and slowly sip at it. I want to know what happens as well as figuring out where the plot is going (you know what I know if you've read up to chapter 8). So, it's a good book. I highly recommend it. I'm just not done with it yet.

When I saw the email come through from @netgalley & @randomhouse that I had gotten approved for the ARC of Project Hail Mary I screamed. I never thought I'd get approved and requesting the ARC was kind of my hail mary (get it?).

The Martian is one of my favorite books of all time. I don't reread books often but The Martian has made that cut twice. (Twice!) That's how much I love it. So to get approved for Andy Weir's latest was a dream come true.

Project Hail Mary is similar to Weir's other books in that it focuses on one unlikely person solving a major problem. Whether that be living on Mars, solving crime on the moon, or trying to save humanity from a deadly space algae, as is portrayed in Project Hail Mary, you've got one scrappy hero/ine to save the day.

In Project Hail Mary that unlikely hero is Dr. Ryland Grace, microbiologist turned Junior high science teacher, who finds himself as the leading expert on a space algae that is consuming the sun and rapidly leading to Earth's demise. He somehow winds up on the spaceship, Hail Mary, with two dead crewmates, as it heads toward a distant solar system in search of a cure.

I would give you more of a synopsis but then it would give away too much of the story. However, I will tell you that this is such a cute story! In the beginning it felt like it dragged a little but as it got going and the story unfolded it's really a story of unlikely friendships and the lengths we'll go to for the people we love. I may or may not have cried happy tears at the end.

It's also a story of celebrating differences. Just because someone is different from you, looks different, speaks a different language, etc. Doesn't mean you can't be friends. 🧡

This book was a little different from Weir's other works as it featured an alternating timeline. You get the back story on the project and ship as flashbacks into Grace's memory. I'd love to see Weir's next book do multiple POV or something with multiple main characters.

Project Hail Mary also contains all the space lingo and science we're used to seeing in Weir's works, so if you've read The Martian, Artemis or any other space-related work you'll be familiar with the lingo. On that note, don't let the science lingo scare you off from reading this! It may seem like a lot but it all gets explained really well and shouldn't be a deterrent to the story. Pick this one up today!

The first time I read The Martian, I devoured it in a single day and once I turned the last page, I immediately started over at the beginning. That was my first experience reading Andy Weir, and it left me with sky high expectations for him going forward. I read Artemis as soon as it was released and really enjoyed it, even if it didn’t quite live up to my admittedly very high hopes. I went in to Project Hail Mary slightly more cautious. Was I about to read a new favorite book? Or merely a solid piece of sci-fi? Well as it turns out, this one has met and exceeded all my hopes while managing undermines every expectation I had going in.

I started reading Project Hail Mary and within the first few paragraphs I realized, Oh! This isn’t just a space adventure. It is also very definitely a bit of a horror story as well. We get memory loss! Severe isolation! An earth on the edge of catastrophic doom! What more could a story need?

After the year we’ve all just had, stories stories about isolation really just hit a little differently than they did before, but it is definitely something that Weir tackled with a fascinating level of skill (I wonder how it would feel to read The Martian for the first time here in a post-2020 world)

Captivating! Absurdly brilliant. I was really excited to receive this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I love Andy Weir and this novel did not disappoint. Buy it!

#MayThe4thBeWithYou
Also, it's PROJECT HAIL MARY's Book Birthday!
I celebrated by writing a #BookReview! But there is absolutely no chance that I will not write something, I can't be sure what, that will piss off some delicate fleur of a spoilerphobe. My entire review is herewith declared to be a SPOILER ZONE and you'll have to read it at my blog.

Okay, so what's it about? We're in media res with a man who has amnesia and, blessedly, is a scientist capable of working out that he's on a space ship. He isn't at all sure why he is where he is, has no idea who he is, and is in wherever this spaceship is with two dead people. That, my olds, is a fine, fine way to start a book.

The Earth is dying. Like, overnight the Earth is dying...and it isn't humanity's doing. The Sun is dimming. A lot. And really, really, really fast...in less time than it takes to raise a kid, the Sun will fall below the energy output needed to sustain the ecosystems we need to eat and breathe properly.

Quite the conundrum, no? And this is no way resembles the present climate-change crisis! Nay nay nay! This is science FICTION, y'all.

I really strongly encourage you to go and get this book even if you don't like science fiction or even science. If I can get past my allergy to handwavium applied by sentient aliens, you can set aside a little genre prejudice.

Whether at a bookery of your choosing or a library near you, get yourself this tale into your mind and let it make its story-pearls for your pleasure.

Brilliant idea, not-so-great execution.

The whole time I was reading this, I was thinking about what a great movie it’d make. I totally get why #TheMartian was so quickly developed into a film: Weir’s writing lends itself to cinema without being atmospheric. However, this also made for a difficult book to read. The novel is heavy on plot and light on character, and despite the fact that we really only spend time with one person the entire book, I came away thinking that anyone could be Ryland Grace. There was simply nothing distinctive about him.

And while I thought that it was great that Weir used his love for physics to make the book as scientifically accurate as possible, there were perhaps too many calculations for this math-averse reader. Half the book seems to go into calculations and explanations of scientific concepts, which was interesting at first but quickly got boring.

However, there’s really nothing that can replace Weir’s incredible imagination, something that is prevalent through every twist and turn in the book. I’ve never met another sci-fi writer who does as much research or puts as much thought into what really could be possible, and that’s something unique about Project Hail Mary.

My verdict? If you’re a hardcore science geek, this book is for you. If not, skip it and (dare I say it, bookstagram?) watch the movie instead. 3/5 stars

When Ryland Grace wakes he can't remember who he is or what he is supposed to be doing. He quickly discovers two bodies nearby and realizes that he is on a space ship. Slowly, he begins to recover his memory, realizing that he is on a mission to save humanity and unravel the mystery of substance that is quickly dimming the sun.

This book caught me from the very beginning. It was hard to put down and I found myself reading long into the night. Ryland was a fun dynamic character, and it was interesting to see the story unravel. Overall, highly recommended.