Gripping story, strong science base, demonstrates author’s ability to write compelling stories of survival against adversity

As someone who isn't a sci-fi fan, I loved this book.

This is 4.5, but not yet something I'd give 5 stars.

Grace wakes up in a spaceship without any idea of how he ended up there or why his other two crewmates are dead. Little by little memories come back to him as he tries to figure out the most important part: how to save humanity from extinction.

I'm not very into stories told in flashbacks but I can't even see how else he could have done it (well, I guess Weir could have just showed instead of told us, but we're looking for the better alternatives of course). Also, despite still not liking flashbacks, it was a good change from the claustrophobia of our main characters being alone, in space, and suffering amnesia.

I've just watched the movie of The Martian (I said I'm not a sci-fi fan), so I may be inexact but this fools you into thinking it'll be like The Martian, but there are too many buts.

As it seems to be Weir's style, and it's much more pleasing with a male main character than it was in Artemis (this one I did read lol), the writing is pleasant and even cute at times. The plot twists are great too, making the story progress toward points I wasn't counting on, even if it's not all that surprising.

Weir still brings some of the cheesy social justice speeches that made me frown a little in Artemis, but it's not bad, it's just: Oh well, good boy, you tried. I also think the last quarter or so wasn't as gripping as the rest. I think Grace is so smart the mistakes he commits are a little too obvious to really be a good plot twist whenever things went bad around here. The book slowly loses steam, actually. Conversely, considering what he had to go on with, it was under such a high possibility of crashing and burning, that just the fact that it didn't already deserves applause.

This was my second book by Andy Weir, and I'm fascinated by how complex the scientific background is for such an entertaining read. Recommended to everyone. In fact, I recommend people stay away from me or I'll try to get to you read this.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

You can tell that Weir had a lot of fun writing this. He starts with a premise – something new from space that has arrived and threatens all of humanity – and then plays around with the scenarios of “what comes next?” How do we study this new threat? How do we get far enough out into space to try to do something about it? What kind of gadgets will we need? It’s easy to imagine him joyfully thinking up the solution to this problem, and the next, and the next, and the next.
He’s also put quite a bit of craft into this to keep readers hooked into the story. We start with a man who wakes up on a spaceship and has no idea what he is doing there, or even what his name is. So this part of the story goes forward, as he searches for clues and tries to figure things out. Then we have a series of flashbacks as his memory improves, so we have progressive revelations as to what has gone on in the past. It’s a powerful combination, and it kept me turning pages to see what happens next and to figure out more about why it’s happening in the first place.
Weir loves the tech stuff, and I do have to say that I perhaps maybe skipped a little over the parts of the description of this gadget, and that one, but it never got so bogged down that I lost sight of the story.
And then, to my surprise, it just kept getting better and better as the end got closer, with a few twists I hadn’t seen coming. It seems sometimes like it so hard for authors to and their stories in a good way, but this one left me feeling satisfied, a little wistful, and much more invested in the characters than I ever thought I would be.
It’s a fun read, and it leaves you feeling hopeful that perhaps humanity can figure things out what kinds of crises come their way.
This copy was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dr Grace must figure out why little dots are eating the sun. This is how Weir’s newest sci-fi novel should be marketed. Who wouldn’t want to buy this book?

Ryland Grace is alone in another solar system trying to save the Earth. When he meets an unlikely ally, his chances go up, but will that be enough to save humankind?

Andy Weir loves science and he loves making science fun, interesting, and palpable. In line with The Martian and Artemis, Project Hail Mary delivers with a sarcastic but humorous narrator, a space mission, and that dreaded feeling of hopelessness.

I love how Weir can write something that seems simple on the surface but when you really begin to immerse yourself into the story, it takes hold and won’t let go. Project Hail Mary has a lot of science jargon but behind that lies a sense of fear... what if there is other life out there? What would we, as an entire planet, do about it?

I loved the inner dialogue of Ryland Grace. It gave perspective and was mostly realistic, although I know if I were in Grace’s position I’d probably be saying the “f” word a lot more. Everything about this book was fun for me because I LOVE science. Even if what is in the book isn’t real terminology or possibly real situations, I don’t care. Weir makes it all believable whether it could actually happen or not.

The ending is pure perfection. Happiness, love, and self-worth and it made me tear up just a bit.... who knew a sci-fi novel could make you cry?

I’m so excited for this book release! I think it would make a great movie and my cast would include Eddie Redmayne as Grace, Emma Watson as Lokken, and Viola Davis as Stratt.

**Thank you NetGalley, Andy Weir, and Random House Publishing - Ballentine for an advanced copy of this book.**

When Ryland Grace wakes up he discovers he is the sole survivor of a mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat. There are only a few things stopping him...the other two crew members are dead and he can't remember his name, his mission, or how to complete it. All aid is light-years away so he's on his own...or is he?

All the stars for this action packed interstellar thrill ride! I'm quickly becoming quite the fangirl of Andy Weir's work so when I got the chance to read his newest novel you guess how excited I was. I was trying to think of how to describe this novel, in comparison with his other works, without giving too much away. It has a quirky yet clever protagonist with an unusual sense of humor (reminiscent of The Martian) paired with the more "speculative" side of sci-fi (found in his novel Artemis). If you can imagine those two books combined, and it sounds interesting, then just like me you will love this one. It's always hard to tell what readers will enjoy or get annoyed by with characters. For example Ryland's character doesn't cuss and uses swear-word alternatives that some readers might find funny or annoying. I have to admit there were a couple of characters, about mid-novel, that I felt were written a bit odd, but overall I enjoyed the mix of this novels eccentric characters. I really enjoy the MC's problem solving abilities...somewhat like an intergalactic MacGyver who just needs a paper clip, tin foil, and physics. This was one of those novels I couldn't wait to pick back up and see what was going to happen next...a must read for 2021!

I liked this so much!! Junior High Science teacher, Ryland Grace, is in a spaceship on a mission of rescue and survival, although he doesn’t remember how or why -- or even what his own name is! He finds that he is alone on the ship, as his two team members have died on the journey. Gradually he starts to remember what is happening and what he is supposed to be doing -- saving the world! -- with some unexpected help along the way.

I hesitate to say too much because I so enjoyed being surprised by some of the things that happened, and I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I will just say that this book took the reader into some unexpected areas of space travel, involving lots of problems solving, and with an ending I did not expect! It. Was. So. Good!! I really liked “The Martian,” but I enjoyed this one equally as much. It will also make a wonderful movie!

I'd like to thank NetGalley, Andy Weir, and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Hmmm. There is almost no way to give a review of this book without giving something away, so I am just going to say this book is terrific and a worthy successor to The Martian. Sci-Fi fans are going to make this a number 1 best seller very quickly.

The protagonist wakes up alone with amnesia, with no one but himself for help but with a snappy inner monologue to keep in interesting. We are off on a roller coaster ride of a science fiction mystery, learning more and more about the mystery and its challenges as the protagonist does.

This book embraces some of the best parts of the author's first book, The Martian, but amps it up. There is the great science based problem solving like in the first book, but the stakes are higher, help is farther away, and (as the protagonist repeatedly says) there are no seeds or other plant matter available to use to grow food..

I was incredibly lucky to get a pre-release copy of this book and I gobbled it up,.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was pretty excited to get this ARC because I heard The Martian is super good, and it definitely lived up to the residual hype from that book. It’s such a fun book. The science technicalities can definitely get a little excessive and overwhelming, but it’s not dry, so it’s still enjoyable to read. It’s pretty much like being in a science class with a fun teacher, which is exactly who the protagonist is supposed to be, so he’s definitely written well. All in all, I’d say it’s like an alien action movie, but where the only surviving member of the crew is the quirky scientist. It’s kind of a mix of Arrival, a disaster movie and Gravity. I had a great time seeing how Grace and Rocky got out of every close call they found themselves in and it ended pretty pleasantly, so I would definitely recommend it if you’re in the mood for some fun, relatively light action/adventure. Thanks for the review copy, Random House!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy in advance of publication.

For this story, we’re back in Andy Weir’s wheelhouse: a science- and action-driven plot set, this time, almost entirely in space. I don’t read his books for character development, although this novel highlights a moral and ethical dilemma for our hero. I read them for the science and the characters’ commitment to iterative problem solving. He presents the engineer as superhero—and hey, it’s their turn, darn it. But those pesky feet of clay make it more interesting.

“The Martian” was based on known human science, and that made it more accessible. This time, Weir is more creative in building a situation with new elements and technologies. I liked that a lot, and it meant that when the story dived too much into the science, as Weir is want to do, I could skip ahead a few Kindle pages and get to the solution without worrying about it too much.

This story morphs into the buddy genre and I loved the relationship between Grace and Rocky. Wow, there is some character development here!

The resolution and ending felt a little abrupt to me. The flashbacks were effective in building suspense and dread as conditions back home worsened. A riff on apocalypse, science, friendship and courage/cowardice. All told, a satisfying romp in an alternate universe. I give it 4 stars. “The Martian” remains my favorite.

PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir (Ballantine, ISBN 978-0-593-13520-4)
is the third book from Weir, the first two being the wildly popular
THE MARTIAN and the less popular ARTEMIS. He has returned to a
white male science nerd as his protagonist, a wise choice, given
that his female Muslim smuggler in ARTEMIS was less than totally
convincing. Write what you know, they say. And on the whole this
is more successful than ARTEMIS, though (inevitably) not as good as
THE MARTIAN.

It is, however, much in the mode of THE MARTIAN, with Ryland Grace
in a desperate attempt to save not just himself, but all humanity.
Without giving too much away, he is faced by one problem after
another, requiring that he "science the sh*t" out of them.

And here is the real problem, for me anyway. If you recall, in
February I complained that Kim Stanley Robinson's THE MINISTRY FOR
THE FUTURE had too much infodump. Well, the quantity in PROJECT
HAIL MARY is not necessarily too much, but the level of detail is
excessive. While Mark Watney felt that he was speaking to an
audience at least partially comprising non-scientists, Ryland Grace
has no such scruples and goes into detailed and at times
incomprehensible explanations of what he is doing. (I also think
that there is a definite bit of hand-waving to get the story going,
not unlike the impossible sandstorm in THE MARTIAN. Again, I'm not
saying what.)

But clearly there is an audience for this sort of thing. Greg Egan
is an obvious example; he is known for putting detailed
mathematical descriptions of the physics of his stories on his
website. Weir just skips the middle step. And if I skimmed the
parts that were too detailed, the plot was engaging. I would
definitely recommend this for fans of the Robinson and Egan
"diamond-hard SF", but even if you are not, if you skim
judiciously, this is an enjoyable book.

I do have a criticism about the book's cover, though. The title
has the words "HAIL MARY" and Weir's name in letters nine times the
size of those of "PROJECT" (three times as high, three times as
wide). Looking at the cover on a small screen, I was constantly
reading it as just "HAIL MARY". Who thought this was a good
design?

The sun is disappearing. Can a suicidal mission save it?

Ballantine and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published May 4th.

This story is a bit dry in the beginning and has all kinds of technical information about what's happening to the sun and what they will need to do to save it.

They lose two of the astronauts before they even leave earth. Their lab blew up. So the lady in charge assigns the teacher to go in their place. It's because he has a tolerance for the drug they will use to make the journey more passable. The reason he got involved was a science paper he wrote and published.

He doesn't want to go but she gives him no choice. When he awakens he finds the other two astronauts have died. So he's on a spaceship all by himself. He has to learn how to run it.

The part I liked best is when he sees another ship that's not earthly made. Then he gets approached by an alien. They study each other's language and begin to work together to save the sun for their worlds.

This was an interesting read. The alien is very different from the human. They have "bugs" they must stop. Soon they find other "bugs" who eat the first set. But that's not all they eat...

Will they be able to save the sun?

I would like to thank the author and publisher (Andy Weir and Ballantine Books) for kindly providing an electronic review copy of this book.

"Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir is a page-turning, thrilling, enjoyable hard core scifi novel. Weir keeps the tension high throughout this novel with the survival of both the human species and the protagonist in question. From the very start to end of the novel, I found the protagonist easy to identify with, and easy to sympathize with as every step of his epic challenge is fraught with danger, unexpected setbacks, and satisfying accomplishments. It is hard to go into detail without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that as one would expect from a novel by Andy Weir, most of the novel takes place in space, the story features lots of (but not too much) technology and engineering, and the protagonist handles unimaginable situations with intuitive thinking, science, and hard work.

To contrast with other books by Andy Weir, I really liked The Martian and I enjoyed Artemis. However, I think this is his best book by far, and I look forward to reading many more of his novels.

Just put this review on Goodreads: Thank you for making it available!

Wow, what a book!. Just a note that an ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a little hesitant going into this book as I didn't love Artemis. Reading the Martian was unlike any Sci-FI book I had read, and at that time it was more "underground" recommended by a friend. If you liked the Martian, you'll love Project Hail Mary. Devouring this book in a couple sittings, he takes the "memory loss" trope with a slightly different spin, unveiling plenty of twists and turns that make you ignore everything else around you.

This has been my favorite book of the year so far!

Ryland Grace is awake.! But he’s not sure where he is or why... Signature Andy Weir writing provides scientific explanations as Grace begins to logically piece together where he is and what he is supposed to be doing.

Interspersed with the dramatic present are flashbacks revealing an end of the world event on Earth. Grace is our hero and our guide as he describes the event in first person. Building suspense and belief as Earth’ inhabitants come together in an attempt to stop the seemingly inevitable - via a Hail Mary

The book is so fantastic, so gripping, you do not have the time to think too long on some of the less plausible events. Weir builds a completely believable world in space and describes adventures that you never want to end.

No need to be a physicist, chemist, or engineer to enjoy this book. But you might end up learning a little more about the field. I look forward to rereading this action packed tale and seeing a movie as well. Highly recommend !

MacGyver meets Star Trek Next Gen episode Darmok in Andy Weir’s newest book, Project Hail Mary.
Dr. Ryland Grace is a middle school science teacher left alone on a spaceship whose suicide mission is to find a cure for the amoeba that is eating the sun. Along the way he meets an alien, Rocky, whose sun is also infected with this amoeba species. For science fiction readers the book is an interesting take on different alien types. Think of Hal Clement’s classic A Matter of Gravity. For adventure readers there are non-stop problems Grace and Rocky have to figure out how to overcome in their fight to save their own worlds. However, there is little character development or expressive language to moderate the science for general readers, as was the case with The Martian. Must buy for libraries, but only one copy per branch. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the pre-pub edition of this book.

4.5 stars! Another good one by Weir. If you've read any of his other books you won't be disappointed by this one. Drama, the human condition, science for dummies+, and space all wrapped in his trademark humor. I loved how the plot in this book revealed itself. I'm not usually a big fan of jumping timeline stories, but this one did it so cleanly that it introduced just enough information to keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to know more. It makes it kind of difficult to give a description of the book without giving anything away. Let's just say unlikely heroes are asked to step up to save planets from destruction. And ugh these characters, they felt real even in such a surreal situation and I wanted to be friends with them. This type of story line isn't usually on my read list, but it was a great one!

I enjoyed reading The Martian, so I wanted to try Project Hail Mary. I've found that I really like Andy Weir's writing style. It's amusing and entertaining. Plus, there's science, fiction and math. Three things I love. The setup, the problem facing humanity, was interesting. And leading up to the first solution, creating project Hail Mary, a ship that would travel to another solar system to explore and research a possible solution. That was fun. Andy thought out mostly every potential hitch or hiccup that would need to be addressed in an undertaking of this magnitude. And when the main character, Grace, reaches his destination, we are learning right along with him (thanks to temporary amnesia). The Earth is being threatened by a microscope that is feeding off of the sun. If a solution isn't found soon (over a decade or two), humanity will be at risk, as in a mass extinction level. What did I love about Project Hail Mary?
-The character's voice. Reminded me of Watney., though not completely. Just a little bit.
-The ship. What a cool design and idea for managing propulsion as well as gravity.
Ugh. There's more, but I don't want to spoil it. Just trust me when I say there's more to this story that makes it interesting, fun, entertaining and exciting. And....I would have harassed the author to no end if ...*sigh* again, trying to avoid spoilers. Just....it was a fun read. I loved it. Then again, I usually enjoy Science Fiction. Andy Weir is joining my short list of authors whose books I'll read as soon as they are published.

While I enjoy Andy Weir's writing, I felt this story took on a bit of The Martian x 1000. In “Project Hail Mary,” Ryland Grace wakes up in a round room with no memory of his name or how he got there. Through flashbacks, he discovers that he is in a space ship, trying to find out how to save the Sun which in turn saves the earth. I don't want to say more than that because some of the fun was not knowing the twists and turns as I went on to read keeping me engaged.

This book is definitely hard core scifi with all the science and math....maybe too much for my taste. I loved the way Weir used flashbacks as a plot device as Ryland awakens with two dead bodies and no idea where he is. While this book wasn't for me, I know many in my reading circles will eat this up!

DNF @ 11%

This seems more like a vehicle for science education than a story. It might make a great physics "textbook" for high school or college, but it was not a compelling read.