Project Hail Mary is about a man named Ryland Grace. He wakes up from a coma and finds himself in space, with his apparent crewmates dead. He has no memory of what happened and at first doesn't even remember his own name. As he learns and remembers more, he finds out that he was part of a mission to save Earth from an extinction-level threat. Thanks to an unexpected ally, he might have a chance.

My dude yikes. It's like this book took everything I liked about the Martian and was like okay I'm going to do everything opposite that while also doubling the science rambling. This is a book of space survival with everything I should have liked and yet ??? I simply did not.

There was so much science, it just went on and on. I don't know shit about science or physics and even though this didn't bother me in his other books, it just felt like so much nonsense to me. It felt pointless and he was just rambling about science to sound smart. I don't know if the science was legit, he could just be making up shit at this point and I wouldn't tell the difference besides how boring it was to listen to this dude go off the entire book about physics. He wasn't even funny and the humor was just, you tried. Ryland was discount Mark Watney.

Then the plot was just, yeah sounds cool but was it? I liked that Ryland had no idea wtf was going on and the mystery of how he ended up here was interesting but at one point I was like, that's it? It felt like there wasn't much going on, just this dude and his new alien friend just chatting science and watching each other sleep and that was it. There was no flavor for me, no excitement. It was just boring. I listened to the audiobook and had to listen to a man drone on for 16 hrs 10 mins, it was painful for me.

The main thing I liked about the Martian is that it felt realistic in how far it went. While that's good the author decided to go ass wild in here, it just went too far for me to ever believe. While I'm not going to say oh yeah we are alone and there are no other living beings out in the vast expanse of space but in this lifetime we aren't going to be meeting any. If we were, the US would instantly try to kill it and then lie about it ever happening.

One of the best books I’ve read. I did take a bit for me to get through. It’s not The Martian… and that’s ok! After several people telling me to pick it back up, I did. And I’m glad I did! Keep going! It’s worth it!

It is very easy to see why this was one of the top books of the year. I really enjoyed Andy Weir's The Martian and, to be honest, I had lower expectations for Project Hail Mary. I just didn't think Andy Weir could strike lightning twice. Boy was I wrong. Not only did lightning strike twice, a whole storm came rumbling. My expectations were blown away and I enjoyed this novel way more than The Martian. It is born from the same source but there are so many more layers and complexities to this story and I loved every bit of it. I loved the chemistry between Ryland and Rocky.

Lesson learned. Don't doubt Andy Weir! I don't think I ever will. I will, however, pick up his next creation with excitement and enthusiasm as I strap myself in for an epic journey.

I want to thank Andy Weir, Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I know nothing about science past what I learned in like, middle school, but I just loved this. It was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. The way the science is explained actually made me feel like I understood what was going on even though half the words and processes and experiments meant literally nothing to me. Also, I love Rocky and I would die for Rocky.

I never thought a giant space spider alien would be my favorite character, but that's how good Andy Weir is. This book was wonderful in so many ways. I felt every emotion and I loved the way the narrative switched back and forth from the past and present. Excellent for anyone who enjoys science fiction.

I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down. This is Weir's third book and he is really starting to dial it in. The Martian (his first) was a fun and easy read with a great premise and details. Artemis (his second) was rough in almost everyway. Improving on those two books brings us to Project Hail Mary. There are times that it feels a little similar to The Martian but those are minimal.

The story is compelling and you can't help but root and hope for Ryland Grace the main character. With no spoilers, the best part of the book is a character introduced during Grace's journey named Rocky. Their interactions and relationship are the most powerful part of the story.

Weir seems to fall into extremes with characters, in this story Ryland does not swear but instead uses filler words that are nonsensical. It's hard not to see this as a foil to Mark Watson in The Martian. People are complex and this writing doesn't feel realistic.

Overall, this is a great sci-fi story with a great emotional element. It's worth a read.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

Project Hail Mary // by Andy Weir

I loved it. That's it.

Just kidding, but honestly pretty much. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. There was SO MUCH HYPE about this book and I honestly went in feeling very skeptical because most of the time when my expectations are that high after all the hype, I end up being let down a lot. That definitely did not happen this time. Despite my reluctance, I was quickly pulled into this story and was glued to the story almost the entire way through. I'm not a scientist so I can't comment on the truth of the sciency things but I found the info that was included about all kinds of things incredibly interesting and it never really felt like a simple and boring info dump to me. I loved the main character and thought it was really nice to learn about his life and journey to becoming an astronaut as well as his experiences in space. I don't want to give too much away because I thought it was great going in blind and knowing nothing about it (aside from everyone loving it) so I definitely recommend that approach to other readers. Also, if you can, listen to the audiobook. The narrator did an incredible job with it.

Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have all of Andy Weir's books in my school library; and Project Hail Mary is my favorite. The story feels very authentic on many levels. It feels like a lot of research has been done on the science side of things; and, even though there is a LOT of science talk, everything is explained in a carefully planned, efficient manner so that it does not interfere with the flow of the story.. On another level, this is a true human-interest story -- you will understand when you get to a surprise further into the book. (It was a big surprise to me which I thoroughly enjoyed. I do not want to give anything away so you can experience the pleasure yourself.). I highly recommend this book to everyone --, even people who do not like science or science-fiction..A real winner.

This was a great science book but not something I would read for leisure. It felt more like a science lit review for fun I was reading. It was very sciency which was great for someone in the science field but not something just for fun reading. I was a little bored at times and felt like if I didn't have a science background, I would be lost.

I had enjoyed reading Martian by Weir. Project Hail Mary is true to the format of Martian (even in the feel of the ending). Project Hail Mary was a book I could not stop reading once I started. It was visually vivid in my head, and I was engaged from the first sentence. My journey with the book enhanced my love for science by making complex scientific concepts that were hard to understand in school and college accessible. Understanding and learning chemistry, physics, biology around a story that is plausible and through the approach of problem solving was so incredible. I wish I was taught science through the lens of such stories. As we run into a problem in the story, we all could all come together to research solutions and recommend options, and the science behind each of those. Its simple – the why helps us understand better. I especially recommend all teachers read this book and see how we can approach education through problem solving.
I kept imaging this story as how Star Trek would have started. How Earth was able to go beyond our solar system and how our survival was the catalyst and not space tourism. The story reminded me of parts of the movie Arrival as well. My favorite aspect of the story was that empathy was ultimately fundamental in human survival. The only part that felt unbelievable to me was humans from all over the world coming together and making such a mission happen. But that is my pessimistic lens based on our current reality.
I highly recommend this book. It will be hard to stop. 5/5

I was so excited to read this one & I’m happy I finally got around to it because the hype is REAL for this book, guys!! Even if you’re not a fan of sci-fi, I’m sure there’s something in here for you (spoiler alert: it’s Rocky).

Grace wakes up alone in the middle of an entirely different solar system with no idea who he is or how he got there. Throughout his journey, bits & pieces slowly but surely come back to put together how he got there… & it’s not looking good. Earth’s sun is losing heat, which will bring an Ice Age & the imminent demise of the human species. It’s up to Grace to figure out how to save the Sun. Along the way, he finds an interesting crew mate. 🪨

I typically don’t really go for sci-fi unless I know it’s something I’ll enjoy. And space freaks me out so I was skeptical. But I read & enjoyed Weir’s first book, The Martian, so I figured I’d probably like this one too. So I found myself really geeking out over the math calculations & microbiology in this one 🤓 as a bioengineer, it was really great to understand the MC’s thought process on a more technical level. The writing was excellent & I loved that we got the full story in flashbacks. And, like all sci-fi, the underlying message regarding climate change & the human effect on the planet was apt for what we’re facing right now. Overall, excellent book!!

First off... I enjoyed this book immensely. Maybe a 4.5 for me (yes, I'm a hard grader). There are many aspects that fit some of my favorite reading over decades: it's mostly in space, optimistic (yes, it's about an "end of the world(s) as we know it" plot, but there's still lots of optimism), humor, interesting characters, etc. But the oddest thing is that I'm not a huge devotee of hard science novels, but this one is about SCIENCE. Well done, Andy!

I saw the movie of The Martian and liked it. The novel is on my TBR. But when I received this advanced reading copy from the publisher and NetGalley I had never actually read one of his books. So, this is my unbiased view... I recommend it, period.

If you like the plot aspects I mentioned in the first paragraph, plus "buddy" stories, first contact novels, or a need to figure out how to save the world, here you are. I mentioned that it's about science. The main character also teaches middle school and the value of making educational topics interesting and treating the kids with humor and understanding definitely comes out. If your school or library is trying to emphasize more STEM reading or has a STEM club, this would be a good one to promote discussion about the use of science and engineering, as well as many other science and general topics.

Yes, there were a few times I thought the book was beginning to drag; sometimes I remembered Tom Hanks and his soccer ball... But the use of flashbacks was well done since MC doesn't have all his memories at one point. And the story picks up so much when we all meet "Rocky" (no spoilers beyond that). Pop culture references are sprinkled throughout, somewhat like "easter eggs". And I laughed outloud several times, with even more chuckles and relating bits to my husband.

And the ending was just right. Tears in the corner of the eyes...

Project Hail Mary follows the story of Ryland Grace, whose uncanny ability to science his way out of any situation, regardless of the specialization required made it easy to draw parallels to The Martian‘s Watney, despite their relatively different personalities. Grace embodies all of the characteristics of your favorite high school science teacher. This read as a whole had me hooked from about the third page on, and I couldn’t stop talking about what was happening in the novel, whether it was to my coworkers or family members. I think I even talked to one of the workers behind the meat counter at my local grocery story about Project Hail Mary. The overall premise was quite unique and constantly keeps the reader guessing as to how Grace ended up in this predicament, which is even footing with our memory starved scientist. Grace and the reader are both held in the dark, with the suspense mounting as his memories slowly return through cleverly triggered flashbacks. Following the pacing that harkens back to The Martian, Grace finds himself in situation after situation where he must somehow science his way to safety. Additionally, Weir has several key plot twists in store for the reader that will keep them on their toes and ever guessing as to what surprise he has in store next. There is a short section approximately three fourths of the way through Project Hail Mary that was rather plodding, but ultimately set up the unexpected grand finale.

Project Hail Mary does fall quite heavily into the realm and terminology of science, but the analytical chemist in me was reveling at Weir’s masterful writing style as he manages to convey complex scientific experiments, while utilizing and describing the use of general equations in applicable situations that any reader could understand, without taking away from the suspense of the story. Perhaps I need him to edit my next research paper. I did have a debate with my fellow scientific boffins on the use of an x-ray spectrometer that somehow switches a few pages later to an atomic spectrometer, where both instruments were properly described, just somehow merged. Atomic spectroscopy likely wouldn’t have been utilized in this situation as it would destroy the very precious, limited sample. Regardless, I’m curious if this science heavy material will cause people to lose interest, though this same terminology didn’t deter readers from falling in love with The Martian.

Overall, I couldn’t put down Project Hail Mary, finding that I thoroughly enjoyed the delightful mystery surrounding Weir’s new space adventure, along with his uncanny ability to take complex scientific concepts and eloquently merge them seamlessly into a natural situations.

A tad stuffy for me, a little slow at times, but still quite enjoyed it. Did like The Martian more but that’s ok. Will def read more Andy Weir!

I have a feeling that Andy Weir is one of those authors who divide readers into two camps: you either really enjoy his stories or you just can't stand them. I'm lucky enough to love coming along the ride, even if Ryland Grace feels very similar to Mark Watney. But I enjoyed Watney, his unshakable efforts to just keep going despite not seeing a positive end result, and also his geeky humor. So, living with Grace while he figures out challenge after challenge was perfect for me.

I am not sure what I can say about this book that hasn't been said. I've read almost 400 books this year, and Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir has been my favorite. I could gush about it for hours, but I'll just say to read it.

I think it’s best to go into this book without a ton of context, but it’s such a beautiful story about friendship at its core. I also loved the way the narrative unfolded as astronaut Ryland Grace remembers his mission to save life on Earth.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Project Hail Mary is exactly the type of book I love to read when I am reading science fiction--engaging but realistic characters, a plot with twists that incorporate science and BONUS! a wonderful ending that wraps up the plot, and provides hope not only for the future of the character, but for humanity itself!! It is the best book I read in 2021. I seriously cannot wait to see the movie version that is coming soon! I will be recommending this book to all my friends and family to read before they see the movie.

Interesting story line that kept me engaged until the end. A little too much technical info to wade through but overall, a very compelling story.

Andy Weir never disappoints! What a wonderful read. He as completely gotten me out of my genre and opened my eyes to a new style of reading. He makes reading all the math and science easy and the tongue-in-cheek humor is right up my alley. I can't wait until he writes another one!