Like many others, I absolutely loved The Martian and was disappointed by Artemis. I got my hopes up after seeing lots of great reviews for Project Hail Mary, but have ultimately come away slightly disappointed again. Not that I disliked the book, no matter what it sounds like from the following paragraph!

I have to admit that I hated the "memory loss" plot device; I wish we could have just gotten regular flashbacks. Of course we needed the amnesia in order to allow for another bit that I disliked: the junior-high science experiments (with similarly-aimed explanations) performed by the main character as he tries to figure out what's going on. I felt a little talked down to. But my biggest issue was that this character just felt SO MUCH like Mark Watney, but in a less natural setting. It feels like a rerun. Quirky, "witty" thoughts and banter works well for diary entries in The Martian, but make for some really unnatural dialogue in this book.

With the complaining out of the way, the remainder of the plotting, the visuals, the overall ideas in the story were fun to read. You knew there would be lots that could go wrong but the twists were still fairly unpredictable. It will translate incredibly well to the big screen. Overall I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up for the story that kept me on my toes.

Project Hail Mary is the latest book by the self-proclaimed space nerd, Andy Weir. This entertaining read tells the story of humanity’s last ditch effort to save the world.

The sun is dying and in this most desperate of situations, a Hail Mary prayer would certainly be warranted but the world is not praying, they are too busy organizing Project Hail Mary, an exploratory space mission to find out how to save the planet. The mission will be led by science experts from all over the world, heroes that are willing to give their lives to preserve the human race.

On the team is Dr. Ryland Grace, who is suffering from amnesia and cannot quite remember why he is part of the team and what he is supposed to do. So what do you do when you don’t know what to do? You work the problem (Thanks Watney!). Unfortunately for Ryland, one problem leads to another and another, until an unexpected encounter may provide his saving grace. The question is...just who is Dr. Grace meant to save?

Though the dialogue may seem too technical for some readers, Mr. Weir’s “nerdy” wit shines through and science fiction fans will enjoy the space ride!

Recommended as an adult read crossover for high school students.

I can honestly say this is my favorite read of 2021. I absolutely loved this book. I wanted to read it all in one sitting while also slowly savoring it forever. Like his other books this one applies the science in a way that makes this possible and understandable to the reader. I absolutely adored reading it and am so glad I came across it.

If you already like Andy Weir and his brand of sass-talking mega nerd main characters in space, you will like this book.

If you have read The Martian or seen the movie -- this is like The Martian with less swearing but a similar amount of excitement and danger and humor mixed with math and science and space. (I kind of missed the swearing)

My only complaint is that sometimes the conversational staging used as a lead-in to the minutiae of the science explanations is a little ridiculous - like PhDs telling other PhDs about basic scientific facts seems silly - so some readers might find that irritating - the few times it really bugged me I skimmed that section and something more exciting would inevitably occur within a paragraph or two.

This book is so enjoyable and fun - five very enthusiastic stars!

* IG Review TK on @leavemetomybooks on the publication date.

Andy Weir has quickly become a go-to science fiction writer for me. Weir continues the journey in Project Hail Mary, an enjoyable book to line up with classic authors like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

• Thank you to Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is May 04, 2021.

With his signature humor and his passion for technology, Andy Weir has written another must read sci-fi book. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor of the a crew of Project Hail Mary sent to the far corners of the galaxy on a desperate mission to save humanity. He soon realizes that this is a suicide mission that he may never return to Earth. Without giving away the plot, I will say that this book has a lot more scientific talk than his other novels but it works because of the compelling storyline and the light-hearted writing style.

This is one of those books you come away from just so energized and excited that it exists. I'm a huge fan of Andy Weir's books, so I had high expectations for this- which were surpassed many times over. Who knows if all of the science is accurate, but it all sure sounds plausible. For me, even though the science parts were fun, it was Rocky that made it such an enjoyable read. I mean, if that isn't a ride or die friendship then I don't know what is.

This is a tough review to write without giving away spoilers. From the very beginning where our protagonist, Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma, everything is a surprise in one way or another. He doesn’t know where he is or even what his name is. Almost no memory of anything. So, the reader learns what is going on and what’s happening at the same time as he does and that is half the fun of this novel. So just be aware of any reviews you read for it. Spoilers will abound.

Even the most basic teasers for the novel mention that Ryland soon finds out he is the only survivor on a spaceship and that he must continue its mission because the very fate of planet Earth is at stake. There is an extinction-level event involving the sun that has necessitated a massive effort to cobble together a spaceship dubbed the “Hail Mary” and send three astronauts into space in a desperate effort to solve the problem in time.

The really cool part of the novel comes when Ryland makes first contact with an alien being. The alien creature, nicknamed ‘Rocky’, is also the sole survivor of his crew (for a different reason) but is on the same mission as Ryland: save his planet from the very same threat to their sun. He is a wonderful character and the developing relationship between these two stranded spacefarers is an awesome thing to witness. From the first attempts at basic communication, though their slow understanding of their vastly different life forms and cultures, and even advancing to the subtleties of humor and sarcasm, it is a wonderful journey.

Just as in his first novel, "The Martian", Andy Weir does not skimp on the science in this one. There may even be more of it this time around than in that first book, but he makes it fun. The character of Ryland Grace is very similar to Mark Watney in that they are both personable with a good sense of humor even during extreme emergency situations. It really makes me realize how little I know about the science behind how things work but the author does another great job of making everything sound plausible. Best of all, while Ryland develops creative solutions based on his own scientific knowledge, it is only when combined with the alien Rocky’s engineering skills that they have any chance to succeed.

This is a fun read all the way through and with an intriguing ending that is completely satisfying but that I did not see coming at all. It filled me with that sense of wonder and awe that I’ve missed in much of the speculative fiction novels I’ve read. Exciting action balanced with deep heart-felt emotion.

Highly recommended.

Through Net Galley, I reviewed an advance copy of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I’ll start this review by acknowledging that The Martian is one of my favorite books of the last 20 years. Tell you where you’ve heard this one before, a lone astronaut has to figure out how to survive in space with limited resources.
Yes, Ryland Grace has a bit of Mark Watney in him, from humorous one liners to ingenious solutions to problems that pop up but this is not The Martian and Grace is no Watney. Grace wakes up from a drug induced coma with no memory of how he got there and why he is hurtling through space.
While The Martian is more of a Thriller/Adventure that happens to be set on Mars, Project Hail Mary is straight Sci-Fi. The Earth is danger of dying and the Hail Mary spaceship is heading to the stars to try and come up with a way to save humanity.
Not usually a huge Science Fiction fan, I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Weir brings the reader along slowly, allowing Grace to remember his past in bits and pieces. This increases the tension and emotional impact. Without giving any spoilers, there is a plot twist fairly early that gave me pause but, ultimately, added to the story and worked.
This one gets 5 Stars. Despite some similarities to The Martian, this one stands on its own and works as an entertaining escapist novel that doubles as a warning to the perils of not taking care of the Earth.
The only compensation received in exchange for this review was the advance copy. My thanks to Mr. Weir, Random House Group – Ballantine and Net Galley for the opportunity to read Project Hail Mary.

“Lifelong space nerd” Andy Weir is back with his best book yet. “Project Hail Mary” uses th formula that worked so well in his first book, “The Martian”. Once again, Author Weir hits it out of the ballpark, or galaxy.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot, because I don’t want to wreck the “wowness factor” for you. And you will be exclaiming “wow”quite a bit, mixed with chuckles and tears. Here’s what’s happening. Earth is facing extinction. Something is stealing energy from our sun. Earth is doomed. No small potatoes, right? (See what I did there?!)

Science to the rescue! And there is plenty of science in this book. The lives of billions of Earthlings are in the hands of shy, awkward, well-meaning middle school science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace. Flashbacks tell us how Dr. Grace found himself on a spaceship. For me, the best parts of this delightful book showed Dr. Grace sciencing his way to a possible solution, step by zero gravity stumbling step. Ryland Grace is quirky, kind, upbeat, boyish and a rather flawed hero.

I had the best time with this book and you will, too. The writing is simple but engaging. Plenty of interesting supporting characters appear-the scientists who are managing Project Hail Mary. And you will delight in a very special character. As you are reading this incredible book, I know you will be thinking what I was thinking, “I can’t wait for the movie!”

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for granting my wish and giving me an advance digital review copy. You made me so happy and this is my honest review.

Going into this book, I had sky-high expectations, and I don't know if I have been so excited to be granted an ARC as I was when Ballantine Books granted my "wish" on NetGalley. I threw my other in-progress reads to the side to jump into another high-stakes rollicking space adventure that I could scarcely put down until its lovely heartstring-plucking final page.

Weir's books occupy an interesting niche in modern sci-fi, marrying detailed technical discussions of math and science in practice with likable, easy to understand protagonists. Or rather, protagonist; all three of his books essentially star the same main STEM-focused, funny, likable character, the latest incarnation of this "Weiracter" being Project Hail Mary's Ryland Grace. Speaking for myself, I really enjoy this Weiracter and can read book after book of his/her antics, but if you hated Watney from the Martian or Jazz from Artemis, you may be rather annoyed with Grace as well.

Regarding the plot or the story, well, this is a book you want to go in as blind as possible; if you know in going Grace's name, you already know more than he does at the start of the book, and discovering everything with him is half the fun. While the re-remembering did feel a bit clunky and a bit of a plot-contrivance at times, it proved to be a pretty interesting method of exposition delivery. The only vague description I'll give is that the book almost felt like a The Martian-Deepness in the Sky crossover in the most fun of ways, and I was quite impressed by the range of cool ideas that I hadn't really seen before in sci-fi. If you liked any of Weir's prior books and can put up with/enjoy the pages of science and math talk, I promise you'll at least find it a fun ride.

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for giving me access to eARC; I really loved this one and plan on picking up a hardcover upon release to sit proudly on my bookshelf.

Andy Weir has done it again! I'm not usually much for science fiction or space-based books but I make an exception for his books. I have pre-ordered a copy on Overdrive and I have several holds on it already and several people I'm excited to recommend this to.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book! Another amazing read by Andy Weir. This book has a very similar feel as The Martian. So glad Weir is back to this style of writing. There are plenty of twists and turns for any psychological thriller reader’s delight. The sense of humor the main character has is so refreshing. I must admit, most of the science and mathematical facts were skimmed over, but that doesn’t make this story any less enjoyable. Five stars!!

After loving Andy Weir's 'The Martian' but being disappointed in 'Artemis', I'm happy to report that he has made a comeback!
This book kept me on my toes like The Martian did, I tore through it at a record pace!
The hard science bits were clever and informative! While still grounded in reality, this one goes much more into speculation than Weir's previous books, braving an interesting new territory.

Did Andy Weir just take another human, toss them into space and then require them to know science to survive? Yes, he did, however, all similarities end there. This is a new original story and I couldn't put it down. At the same time, I had to skim some of the science sections that were a bit much for me but probably appeal to his fanbase. While Andy is an expert at one person scenes, I enjoyed all of the interaction with other characters when they appeared, so he shouldn't shy away from character interaction. His main character awakens alone on a space ship with no idea why he is there. What a great premise and the story doesn't disappoint. I don't want any spoilers because this is an exciting journey to follow along with and discover along with the main character. I highly recommend this book.

Ryland Grace is on a deep space mission to save humankind. Too bad he can’t remember what his mission was. waking up aboard his spaceship, he discovers his crewmates are dead. He’s millions of miles from earth and he can’t even remember his own name, how is he supposed to save an entire planet? As his memory begins to return in fits and starts, Grace despairs of finding a way to save humanity, all by himself. Weir is a master at science fiction that’s uncomfortably close to science fact

This was another great sci-fi story from Andy Weir. He has a special knack for writing likeable nerdy characters and this book is no exception. It has just enough science to make it interesting and believable, but not so much that it was boring or slow. Great pacing, quick read -- I really liked it!

It's been a while since I've been swept away by a scifi read. Project Hail Mary was a delightful romp that is actually pretty hard to talk about without spoilers. So, I'll just say that I loved the characters, I loved the science references, and I loved that this book was ultimately about the power of perseverance and friendship.

Despite the apocalyptic theme I actually found this to be a great and ultimately hopeful pandemic read. If you're looking to be swept away by a nerdy adventure this is a great choice.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

One chapter in and I was hooked. First off, the humor is right up my alley, I mean, “gentleman’s equipment” made me smirk, but I outright laughed when he tries to talk to his brain and it only states, “I’m hungry.” (My brain says this on a daily basis).

I liked the way this book flowed between the present and going back into his past and showing him recover his memories. There was so much physics and math involved that it was hard to keep up at times, but the author did such a great job at not overloading all the information at once.

I really loved the relationship with Rocky. I liked reading about their development on learning each other’s languages/culture/daily habits. It was a nice break from all the scientific jargon.

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read and I absolutely love that.

This may be my favorite of all the Andy Weir stories I have read. It's an easy must read.

It surprised me and even made me cry. As always Andy's signature self-deprecating humor brings levity just when you need it. Plus I learned lots of science minutiae - which grounds the story and makes it believable - that suddenly feels super important and makes me wonder what other critical knowledge I've jettisoned given easy internet access.

There's so much more I want to say and ask Andy about this. How did he even come up with this, question?!