Life on earth is coming-to-an-end as we know it and humans will not be able to survive, unless one last-ditch effort succeeds. Three people are sent on a “Hail Mary” mission to save civilization. However, when his two other crew members on the mission die in transit, Ryland Grace is left to save human civilization on his own. But is he truly on his own?

I was a huge fan of Andy Weir’s The Martian, so I was extremely excited to see Weir was coming out with a new novel with similar vibes. While Ryland Grace has some of Mark Watney’s humor, he is overall a completely different character (and doesn’t have nearly the same potty-mouth!) In addition, when you start the novel, it may seem like you are going to get The Martian 2.0. BUT, do not get lulled into complacency. Although there are some obvious similarities, once you get through the first third of it, Project Hail Mary takes a completely different turn then The Martian. I don’t want to give too much away because of how much spoilers would give away.

The writing was top notch again in Project Hail Mary. Some of the science went way over my head, but this did not detract from the overall story. Just reminded me I need to read more sci-fi. The story dragged in parts, but the last 50% flew by and was action-packed. Even if you are not a fan of sci-fi books, I recommend this book to because it is so much more – it’s an epic adventure! 4.25 stars.

I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an honest review.

Right up front, I'll tell you there's one thing I didn't like about this book: Almost from the git-go, I couldn't get my mind off the possibilities for how it would end - and not a single one sounded appealing. Also in my mind was this: How do you top two previous stellar (pun intended) books by this author - "The Martian" and "Artemis?" Honestly, I'm not sure which of the three I loved the most, so I'll just go the advice of Stephen Stills: Love the One You're With.

And boy, did I ever. Mind you, I'm both math- and science-challenged, and the MacGyver-like musings and calculations by science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace by and large were Greek to me. No matter; thanks to a winning recipe of writing and storytelling - liberally sprinkled with humor - it was easy to figure out what the good doctor's intentions were (well, enough to know to hold my breath during the let's-hope-this-works parts and cheer wildly when they did).

The story begins as Grace wakes up in a mental fog, in a strange bed, connected to tubes and besieged by a computer that spits out questions to which he can't recall the answers. Slowly, the fog lifts - and he realizes he's in a room with two dead bodies in some kind of container somewhere in outer space. But he still can't remember his own name, much less how he got where he is and why.

As reality sets in, chapters flash back and forth to his pre-mission days - letting readers in on pre-launch events as well as the task it's hoped he can complete (let's just say it involves preventing the extinction of a very important planet). Along the way, of course, his memory starts to return, ushering in an awareness he'd rather not confront. And just when it seems all is lost, both emotionally and physically, an impossible-to-not-love stranger appears on the horizon who just happens to be stuck in a dire, and eerily similar, situation.

What happens from then on takes up the rest of the pages, and trust me, there's never a dull moment. Even though I'm itching to spill the beans, I can't get more specific without revealing too much, but I will say it's quite an exciting journey that evokes all kinds of emotions from gasps of fear to sighs of relief. Put another way, it's a book not to be missed. Many, many thanks to the publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Oh, and those possible endings? Well, the real one wasn't even on my radar. Read the book and you'll understand.

"Is good, question?"

Tears in eyes, fist-bump: "No. Is perfect."

I LOVED this book! The Martian was basically my introduction to realizing I liked sci-fi, and I was disappointed with Weir’s second novel, but Project Hail Mary is back to what makes him a great novelist. Interesting sci fi facts with a likeable and entertaining protagonist, and a race against time to save the world. I adored Grace’s relationship with Rocky and was so happy with how the book played out. Looking forward to more of Weir’s books in the future!

i've been struggling with how to review this book! Overall, I very much enjoyed the book! First, the pros - it has so many elements I loved from the Martian - science made relatable, endearing characters, and a moving plot! The cons - for me (and this might be me), sometimes it got too science-y. I kept reminding myself to just enjoy it and I wouldn't be tested afterwards - which is good because while i could comprehend most of the big concepts, the details were often beyond my knowledge base. More frustrating than that in the last third of the book there was a lot of "then i did this. and then this. and then this happened. so I did this. and that didn't work so I did this. then this." It was a little like hearing a child explain their day in minute detail. But again, the pros definitely outweighed the cons and if you liked the Martian (book or movie), this is definitely worth a read! Thanks to Netgalley and the published for the e-ARC.

I'm definitely not smart enough for this book, but I will say I enjoyed it immensely. The plot was exciting and realistic and truthfully frightening sometimes. It kept me guessing to the end, which is always good, and I LOVED Rocky. Humorous in some parts, overly scientific sometimes, but well-written and highly entertaining.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Andy Weir fan and was really looking forward to reading this. It was a fascinating read, and in many way rivals The Martian for science and suspense. Ultimately I found myself a little disappointed in how it ended but some of the twists were unexpected for sure. It is a solid book and better than Artemis but still lacked the start to finish awesomeness of The Martian.

Weir returns to Martian form with Project Hail Mary. A man awakens on a spaceship with no knowledge of how he got there or why, and uses his scientific knowledge to survive and save the Earth. Ryland Grace is the only survivor of a small crew sent to find a solution for an Earth-ending event, but he wakes with no memory of his mission or even his name. Grace doesn't swear, but readers will enjoy watching him "science the shit out" of his many, many problems. To avoid spoilers, I can only say that fans of The Martian will love this book, along with people who enjoyed Apollo 13 and other more literal astronaut stories.

I was really excited when I saw that this book was available for request. I was not disappointed. Andy Weir wrote an amazing book. The relationship between Rocky and Ryland was so well written, and I love every minute of their story.
I absolutely recommend this novel to any sci-fi fan. You will not be disappointed either!

I have needed a distraction from everything and this book was the perfect distraction. Even though there are difficult times happening now I did still even reading this even though at times it seemed like the world was doomed in this book. Andy Weir always manages to grab my attention and keep it throughout this book.

I did enjoy following the main character, Ryland Grace. In the beginning he is dealing with memory loss but as time goes by he starts to remember more. I genuinely wanted him to succeed at what he was tasked with doing. This does go back and forth between the present and the past as he starts to remember mor and I did enjoy getting to see the past events as he remembered them.

I have to say that I did send the end events coming. As you get to know Ryland Grace you will know what he decides to do. I was a little selfishly upset that he ended up staying where he went but I can understand why he stayed there.

As always I look forward to reading the next book from Andy Weir. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

This was fantastic. I miss good science fiction that still has action and character development. This was as good as The Martian!

Way too much math.
Too much explaining why Grace is clever and can figure out how to do what needs to be done even as he talks about not knowing what needs to be done.

I really loved The Martian and I thought the voice of Ryland reminded me a lot of Mark Watney. I got about 45% through the book and I was just bored. The main part of the story was between Ryland and the alien, and while we get backstory from before he went to space and how he got there in the first place, it was stalling out the story for me. I do what to find out what happens, but it seems like he is on a suicide mission as it is, so I can't see any good ending other than Earth getting saved. I thought the premise was really interesting, but the delivery is not working for me.

Sadly, although I am truly a big fan of Andy Weir, I have to say this book was not a success for me. It seemed to be too much centered in the science/math vein and I found myself wondering how a Junior High School teacher could achieve the prestige of being chosen for this mission. His "aw shucks" attitude also seemed to be a tad out of character for a man entrusted to save the planet.

I am upset that this book was just not the right fit for me and I realize that there are many others who did and will enjoy this story. I only wish I could have been included in their numbers.

Thank you to Andy Weir, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this story.

This is my favorite book of 2021 so far. I loved everything about it: the science, the math, the suspense, the flashbacks, the surprises, the ending, the characters, everything! The smartest thing Andy Weir did was to make the narrator an affable middle school science teacher. That choice heightens the interest in the back story (why was he chosen for the mission?) and makes the technical jargon accessible to the reader through good teaching (analogies, thoughtful descriptions). I loved The Martian, but I think I love this book even more.

Smart, funny, emotional, and incredibly suspenseful, Andy Weir's is science fiction at its best.

Humanity's time on Earth is at an end- unless everyman Ryland Grace can figure out a way to save us all. It's not looking good, people.

Super happy for receiving this magnificent read. Truly a book that got me into sci-fi, I was constantly invested in this book. It’s a page turner, and an easy introduction to the genre without ever being overwhelming. It goes into physics, and manages to make it interesting without being annoyingly repetitive. However, if you aren’t into science - you will not like these parts. There is a lot of characterization going on in the book, being a motivator to care for them and the main character. He seems like a truly good guy, without being annoyingly perfect and smart - just normal.

As I said before, this was my first ever sci-fi book - and it made such a impression that I definitely plan on buying it! It’s a great book, with amazing storytelling that does not drop everything on you all at once.

Andy Weir has done it again! I loved the journey that I took with the narrator of this book -- Astronaut and science teacher Grace. Sure there were moments when I was as confused as he, when he woke up and couldn't remember his name, much less what he was doing on an interstellar craft. But as he remembered, he told the reader as much as he knew.

As with Weir's first book -- The Martian -- Project Hail Mary is filled with science, as Grace has to first remember the problem and then try to solve it alone, since the other members of the crew died in the coma portion of the trip. It might have been nice to know more about how the rest of the crew died, but Grace had other things to figure out and in the long run, it isn't important to the mission.

Human nature and human error are front and center on this mission and Grace has the opportunity to science the shit out of all the obstacles in his way. Spoiler: Finding intelligent life -- and microbial life in the form of Astrophage and Tau-amoeba -- was an amazing feeling, although I DO understand that this is a work of fiction. I felt smarter for having read all the science-based solutions to impossible problems that Grace had to face and overcome. I may not totally understand the science, but I am better for having read it.

The ending was perfect!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of Project Hail Mary.

With intelligence, wit, and humor, Andy Weir weaves yet another story of a human working against seemingly impossible odds.

Rylan Grace is in quite the predicament. As he wakes up on the Project Hail Mary, he is unable to recall what he is doing there, only knows he is the only survivor on his spaceship. As his memories slowly surface, he recalls being tasked with saving Earth from an alien substance that is snuffing out the sun and will inevitably wipe out the human race. But what is he, a lowly science teacher, supposed to do? Especially if he cannot remember?

There are things that Andy Weir does best. The voices of his characters are highly intelligent but not enough so that they are able to overcome every obstacle without struggle. They are snarky, bent for destruction, and humble. His stories are highly researched and, as a reader, you trust the science, even when it goes right over your head. The medium pace of the story sweeps you up and brings you along, and is perfect for a mystery such as this.

Project Hail Mary may not be as nail-biting as The Martian, but it is instantly more memorable than its predecessor, Artemis. Project Hail Mary is an intoxicating read for sci-fi readers as well as casual readers looking for a good and scientifically plausible story.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a great nail-biting adventure in space and the race to save humanity and civilization on two planets, Earth and Erid. It centers on the unlikely relationship between Dr. Ryland Grace and Rocky and is told in real time and flashbacks, Weir does an excellent job of creating suspense and tenderness in the face of Earth's destruction and Erid's end. I loved the way he created such a believable relationship between an Earthling and an Eridian. How do they learn to communicate and how does their culture play a part in creating solutions? I am a new SciFi reader and loved The Martian, Weir's first book. A co-worker told me about Project Hail Mary through NetGalley. I powered thru reading the last fourth of the book in one sitting because I had to know if Grace and Rocky made it. Read it, love it, think about it, read it again for the sheer joy of experiencing their bromance.

Sci fi usually isn't my thing. My brain couldn't comprehend a lot of the science-y stuff in this, but I appreciated a lot of the dumbed-down parts. This had an interesting premise and was a decent read. I was also pleasantly surprised to find quite a bit of humor in this novel, which was unexpected but delightful. This was probably 3.5 stars for me, rounded up due to the humor and the ending.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.