This is the third novel by author Andy Weir https://andyweirauthor.com. Project Hail Mary was published in 2021. It is my 68th book to complete in 2022.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! I categorize this novel as G. When High School science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up, he can’t remember who he is or why he is aboard the spacecraft. All he knows is that he has been asleep for a very long time and the other two crew members are dead.

As time passes, his memory begins to slowly return though it is very fuzzy. Slowly the Earth’s sun began to dim. The mission is the culmination of a planet-wide project to send a spacecraft and crew millions of miles in a last-ditch attempt to save humanity. The only hope is that the solution to the problem can be discovered at Tau Ceti. As Grace progresses, he encounters several problems. He is able to overcome them through his understanding of basic science.

Grace is faced with more than one life-threatening situation that he must overcome. He is shocked when his full memory finally returns, and he remembers his last few hours on Earth. As he does his research, he finds assistance and friendship from a very unexpected source. With the clock ticking on Earth’s survival, will he be able to find an answer in time to save humanity? And what will happen to him?

I enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this 482-page science fiction novel. I have been fortunate to have read all three of Mr. Weir’s novels. I have found them to be exceptional. The others that I have read are Artemis and The Martian. Grace uses a wide range of math and science to solve problems. This would make this a great novel to use in a STEM project. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

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'Project Hail Mary' by Andy Weir is a book about an all or nothing mission and a lone survivor who has to find the solution.

When Ryland Grace wakes up, he doesn't know who he is. He is also in a space ship and the two other people on board are dead. Through flashbacks, he remembers who he is and why he is on board this ship.

I loved the science and problem solving of 'The Martian' and it's all here again, but it is a different story and the addition of a character named Rocky made all the difference. I loved it!

Ryland Grace is on a suicide mission. He has been sent to the far reaches of space to find a solution to the Petrova Problem, a single-celled extraterrestrial life form named Astrophage that is feeding off the sun. The Astrophage is killing the sun and that will result in the death of all life on Earth. The Earth's only hope is the distant star Tau Ceti. Despite living amongst a cluster of infected stars it somehow is unaffected by the Astrophage. If Ryland can find out why Tau Ceti is unaffected then perhaps there is a hope for Earth. He and two other scientists have been sent on this one way mission and are Earth's only hope, they are a Hail Mary. The problem is when he awakes from the voyage he is suffering from amnesia and his two crewmates are dead, nothing but desiccated husks. He has no idea who he is, where he is, or what he's supposed to be doing. His memory slowly starts to return but he can't quite reconcile that he somehow went from being a teacher to being an astronaut who still doesn't remember his own name. Before Ryland became a teacher he wrote a research paper about extraterrestrial life that could exist without water. He was laughed out of academia and yet that is exactly what Astrophage is. Before he knows what's happening he's one of the top people in the Petrova Taskforce. And yet this remembered information isn't going to help him when his ship is barreling towards an unknown sun. He is barely able to keep himself alive so how is he supposed to save humanity? The plus side, he's remembered his name. And he might have just discovered intelligent alien life! Because there's another ship out there. Another ship with only one survivor. Another ship that was sent to save it's planet because it too is at the mercy of Astropphage. Maybe together they can save two worlds and make their deaths mean something?

Aside from the amnesia, this has a fairly similar setup to The Martian; man, alone, stuck in space with no way home. So I figured it would go along similar lines. Man would, through his ingenuity, find out how to survive his situation. There might be potatoes. And then it didn't because aliens. That's right folks, Andy Weir wrote about freakin' aliens and I loved it! Yes, he occasionally falls into the trap of being almost too technical with his science, which he somehow avoided in The Martian, and here I would zone out for a minute or two, but then Rocky. Every flaw this book has, and there aren't many, are solved by, but then Rocky. I don't know if I've ever felt such genuine love for a character in my entire life. I realize that some people actually love E.T. for inexplicable reasons, but if they felt for that extraterrestrial what I feel for Rocky, I can kind of understand. I mean just the feeling, in no way can I understand you and your unholy love of that Spielberg monstrosity. My love for Rocky was pure, I wanted to take care of him and make sure nothing bad ever happened to him. Rocky has this childlike wonder, this enthusiasm for life, an insatiable yearning to understand. He balances the more dour and pragmatic Ryland and spurs him on. The two of them become a dynamic duo. They show that problem solving works so much better with two than one. I honestly don't know what this book would have been without Rocky. He is so integral to everything. Not just the plot, but the whole feeling of the book. Oddly enough I think this book hits even stronger because it was released during the Pandemic. Earth is fucked and somewhere, out there, is a friend who can help. Someone who completes you. Someone you never expected. Rocky's optimism and ingenuity is the can-do attitude that every single one of us needed mainlined into out veins after such a long struggle. We all needed Rocky and thank the powers that be that Andy Weir gave him to us.

Despite this taking me nearly two years (I originally received an ARC via NetGalley) and around five attempts to read, I did love this!

The writing style was right up my alley and I really enjoyed the explanation of all things scientific. It captivated my attention so much more than higher sci-fi typically does and I cared a LOT about the characters and what was happening throughout. The multiple attempts to read it really aren't a reflection of the book itself, but more my not being in the mood for it specifically. Once I finally got into it, though, I finished it in about a day. I think the ending was... an odd choice and not one I would've favored, but I can still respect it! Overall, this was a fantastic book and I can't recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my very own.

What I like most about Andy Weir's books is his sense of humor and the way he develops his characters. That he manages to do this while also giving his readers a great adventure is an achievement. Project Hail Mary was enjoyable from start to finish. My only quibble is that I would get bogged down by all the science stuff at points but I would recommend this title for all kinds of readers.

I was first introduced to Weir’s writing through The Martian. His latest novel is a wild tale about a high school science teacher who wakes up in a different star system with no memory of how he got there. The rest of the story is all about how he uses science and engineering to save the day. I truly enjoyed the story and looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Delightful in the vein of The Martian, thankfully not in the vein of Artemis which I did not care for - problem-solving science at its best, solid first contact narrative, stakes always clear, double-timeline serves a legitimate purpose.

Had an absolute blast with this! The Martian is one of my all time favorite books so this book has some strong competition. While it may not match that books greatness, it's equal amounts of fun. Lots of characters you love, human and possibly otherwise, great humor and science as is Weir's trademark. Cannot wait to see what he brings next!

Wow what a wild ride! I really enjoyed this one. I didn’t get half of the science stuff but truly enjoyed Grace and Rocky made me laugh a lot.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I was in the minority in thinking that this was a story of far too much convenience, with a hero that felt too self important, and science that didn't quite add up. There's no doubt that Weir does a lot of research, but I really needed it to make sense that Rocky's species was even able to perceive an issue, let alone find the means to get to Ryland's ship and communicate with him. This honestly felt lazy to me, and I think that there was a better opportunity to make the stakes feel higher and the struggle feel greater. I didn't care about Ryland, and honestly, didn't care about Rocky either.

I really didn't think this was worth the hype.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

'd like to thank NetGalley and Random House / Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of Project Hail Mary. Honestly, I received this book in advance, before it was published, but it got lost in my TBR pile. Boy, did I miss out!! This was truly one of the best science fiction books I've read in the past 5 years. Ryland Grace wakes up in a strange place, alone, cared for by a robot arm, and must figure out where he is, when he is, and why he is there. From there, in a combination of present time and flashback story-telling, Grace experiences the most exciting adventure in the history of mankind, where the only acceptable result is the rescue of our entire species. Very hard to put down, and exceptional science storytelling.

It took me an embarrassing amount of time to finally sit down and read this. And I'm really kicking myself for it! I'm not sure if it's all the science and space discussion that felt so intimidating or what was holding me up from picking Project Hail Mary up, but I'm kicking myself for the hesitation. This is the first Weir book that I've read and I was incredibly impressed with how quick a nearly 500 page book could read! It's truly a nod to the flow of Weir's writing style. While there were moments where I thought Dr. Grace was a little too cheesy, he was a very likable character overall - his cheesiness was the novelty of him. While Weir doesn't write female characters well, the two main MCs (Grace and Rocky) were great together and I loved their relationship. One of my favorite portions were the clever interactions between them and when they were establishing a dictionary together. Overall, this was a great book. Some of the science and space stuff went over my head but it didn't take away from being a fantastic story!

What an incredible story Andy Weir has crafted! While the story sometimes read as "too scientific," it was a deep space adventure that focused on the most unlikely friendship between two beings. Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher, wakes up from a deep sleep with amnesia on a space ship hurtling through space. Told through a series of flashbacks, Ryland pieces his memory back together throughout the story. He eventually makes it to his destination and comes across an alien spaceship. He befriends Rocky and together they set out to save their respective planets. Filled with adventure and humor, this is a journey across space and time that is worth it!

Ryland Grace wakes up and doesn't remember anything. Not his name, not where he is or how he got there. He takes inventory. He's nude and in what appears to be a hospital bed. He has tubes going everywhere. What in the world has happened to him?

He manages to get out of bed and then realizes he isn't alone. There are two other beds but both of those occupants is dead, long dead. He starts to realize; he isn't in a hospital but on a space ship and is awakening from an induced coma. Slowly, in the hours following, he starts to retrieve more memories. He is on a mission. Alien bacteria are eating the sun's energy, cooling Earth at a catastrophic rate. That cooling is happening everywhere in the observed solar system. He has been sent on a mission to a far away star where the bacteria don't seem to be destroying the planet in an attempt to find a solution.

But he's just one man now. Then the impossible happens. Suddenly, there is another ship. Another ship? Aliens! Eventually Grace meets the alien, a spiderlike creature he names Rocky. Rocky is on the same mission, trying to find something that will defeat the bacteria. Slowly, over weeks, the two research the problem and build a relationship. Can they be successful?

This is a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Want hard science and math? It's in there. Want a heartwarming story of character relationships and intergalactic cooperation? It's in there. Want a thill a minute adventure story? Weir has you covered. The reader will finish the book excited to have been taken along on such an amazing journey. This book is recommended for science fiction readers.

Profound, compelling, perfectly detailed. I've had a hard time reading books after finishing Project Hail Mary because they simply aren't as incredible. As a person in STEM, I found the science of this book to be fun and the diction is easy to read. It also appealed to emotional and existential facets that made it a well rounded read.

While it took me a long time to get into the book, about half way through I found I just could not put it down. So, even though it had a slow start with a lot of info dumping, I really loved this book in the end.

A lone "lost in space" crew member awakens to find his crew mates dead and no memory of what happened or why he is there. Where is there? Turns out only he can save his planet from destruction, but must he sacrifice himself? A great read from the author of "The Martian." Well-paced and well-constructed. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy.

Project Hail Mary is my favorite book of the year and one of my top favorite books of all time. Andy Weir write amazing characters. The dynamic between Rocky and Ryland was amazing. Who knew these two could have such chemistry together from being from literally two ends of the spectrum but Andy Weir does it. I was crying by the end of the book. I did not want it to end. Please make this into a movie!

“I’d have to do the math to know for sure but — I can’t help it, I want to do the math right now.”

Love love love this book! Thanks to Net Galley and Andy Weir for an ARC in exchange for my review!

Science teacher Ryland Grace is an astronaut with the task to save Earth from algae that are destroying the sun. While only knowing like 30% of what Ryland was talking about at any given time, it's hard not to get wrapped up in his enthusiastic discussions about science. This is a compelling an entertaining read that can get quite dark in places, but I loved the unexpected friendship and ending.