Name: Fred Rivett's review of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Item: Project Hail Mary
Rating: 4
Author: Fred Rivett

Andy Weir

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW: from the bestselling author of THE MARTIAN 'If you like a lot of science in your science fiction, Andy Weir is the writer for you. . . This one has everything fans of old school SF (like me) love.' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN 'Brilliantly funny and enjoyable. One of the most plausible science fiction books I've ever read' TIM PEAKE, astronaut 'Weir's finest work to date. . . This is the one book I read last year that I am certain I can recommend to anyone, no matter who, and know they'll love it.' BRANDON SANDERSON ________________________________________ A lone astronaut. An impossible mission. An ally he never imagined. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it's up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery-and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he's got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could imagine it, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian -- while taking us to places it never dreamed of going. ________________________________________ 'One of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I've ever taken.' ERNEST CLINE, author of Ready Player One and Ready Player Two 'Undisputedly the best book I've read in a very, very long time. Mark my words: Project Hail Mary is destined to become a classic.' BLAKE CROUCH 'An unforgettable story of survival and the power of friendship - nothing short of a science-fiction masterwork.' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'A suspenseful portrait of human ingenuity and resilience [that] builds to an unexpectedly moving ending. A winner.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'Weir returns with gusto . . . his writing flows naturally, and his characters and dialogue crackle with energy. With this novel, he takes his place as a genuine star in the mainstream SF world.' BOOKLIST

From the bestselling author of The Martian

Project Hail Mary

A Novel

Victoria

Wow. I’m sitting here in a spaceship in the Tau Ceti system waiting for the intelligent aliens I just met to continue our conversation…and I’m bored. Human beings have a remarkable ability to accept the abnormal and make it normal.

“Good good. Enough talk. Check breeder tanks, please.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let me get some water first.”

He bounces and skitters down his tube to the lab. “Why humans need water so much, question? Inefficient life-forms!”

I chug a full liter bag of water I’d left in the control room before the EVA. It’s thirsty work. I wipe my mouth and let the bag float off. I push off the wall to float down the tunnel to the lab.

“Eridians need water, too, you know.”

“We keep inside. Closed system. Some inefficiencies inside, but we get all water we need from food. Humans leak! Gross.”

I laugh as I float into the lab where Rocky is waiting. “On Earth, we have a scary, deadly creature called a spider. You look like one of those. Just so you know.”

“Good. Proud. I am scary space monster. You are leaky space blob.” 

The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. 

Damian Makki

“Intelligence evolves to gives us an advantage over the other animals on our planet. But evolution is lazy. Once a problem is solved, the trait stops evolving. So you and me, we’re both just intelligent enough to be smarter than our planet’s other animals.” “We are much much smarter than animals.”

Franco

"You have a language!" I say. "How do you have a language?! You don't have a mouth!"

It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas.

“I penetrated the outer cell membrane with a nanosyringe.”

“No!” I said. “Well. Yes. But it was a scientific poke with a very scientific stick.”

Roman

Der Astronaut

Tabea

»Tja, jetzt bist du nicht mehr allein, Freund«, sage ich. »Wir sind beide nicht mehr allein.«

Also bin ich ein Mann Mitte dreißig, der allein in einem kleinen Apartment lebt, ich habe keine Kinder, aber ich mag Kinder sehr. Mir gefällt nicht, wohin das führt... Lehrer! Jetzt erinnere ich mich! Gott sei Dank. Ich bin Lehrer.

Danny White

Antarctica used to be a jungle. For millions of years it was as lush as Africa. But continental drift and natural climate change froze it over. All those plants died and decomposed. The gases from that decomposition—most notably methane—got trapped in the ice.”

I’ve gone from “sole-surviving space explorer” to “guy with wacky new roommate.

It’s rare to find a scientist who is also a good administrator

When European mariners first came across Asian mariners, no one was surprised they both used sails.

For fifty thousand years, right up to the industrial revolution, human civilization was about one thing and one thing only: food. Every culture that existed put most of their time, energy, manpower, and resources into food. Hunting it, gathering it, farming it, ranching it, storing it, distributing it…it was all about food

And just like that another climate denier is born. See how easy it is? All I have to do is tell you something you don’t want to hear.

It’s a weird feeling, scientific breakthroughs. There’s no Eureka moment. Just a slow, steady progression toward a goal. But man, when you get to that goal it feels good.

“Why is Eridian science and human science so similar? Billions of years, but almost the same progress.” It’s been bugging me for a while. Humans and Eridians evolved separately in separate star systems. We had no contact with each other until now. So why is it that we have almost identical technology? I mean, Eridians are a little behind us in space technology, but not a ton. Why aren’t they in their stone age? Or some superfuturistic age that makes modern Earth look antiquated? “Has to be, or you and I would not meet,” Rocky says. “If planet has less science, it no can make spaceship. If planet has more science it can understand and destroy Astrophage without leaving their system. Eridian and human science both in special range: Can make ship, but can’t solve Astrophage problem.

Gravity doesn’t just “go away” when you’re in orbit. In fact, the gravity you experience in orbit is pretty much the same as you’d experience on the ground. The weightlessness that astronauts experience while in orbit comes from constantly falling. But the curvature of the Earth makes the ground go away at the same rate you fall. So you just fall forever

Zhao Ma

Rahma Ali

Fred Rivett

Ok. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. There will be SPOILERS in this review. 

I really liked the book, however I didn’t understand basically anything of it. I know absolutely nothing about science, about biology and organisms and their biology. Like absolutely nothing (I haven’t had any contact with science since 9th grade). But that’s fine, I was here for the ride. I obviously loved Rocky, such a fun and interesting addition to the book. I also loved Ryland so much. I had a feeling since the begging that maybe he didn’t go there voluntarily and unfortunately I was right. I wish though that the author had spent a little more time in the past pov just so that we could get to know Ryland’s character better. Now, the ending. I don’t know how to feel about it. We sort of get the confirmation that they save the Earth, but I would have loved to know what happened during those years. And I’m confused about how Ryland is in Rocky’s planet? They spent half the book saying that Enid’s gravity would immediately crush him, how did he even get in the planet? But it was really cute how he was a teacher to them, because that’s all he wanted to be, a freaking teacher 😭 anyway, I think the movie will be great and can’t wait to see it. 

Sílvia

Ok. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. There will be SPOILERS in this review. 

I really liked the book, however I didn’t understand basically anything of it. I know absolutely nothing about science, about biology and organisms and their biology. Like absolutely nothing (I haven’t had any contact with science since 9th grade). But that’s fine, I was here for the ride. I obviously loved Rocky, such a fun and interesting addition to the book. I also loved Ryland so much. I had a feeling since the begging that maybe he didn’t go there voluntarily and unfortunately I was right. I wish though that the author had spent a little more time in the past pov just so that we could get to know Ryland’s character better. Now, the ending. I don’t know how to feel about it. We sort of get the confirmation that they save the Earth, but I would have loved to know what happened during those years. And I’m confused about how Ryland is in Rocky’s planet? They spent half the book saying that Enid’s gravity would immediately crush him, how did he even get in the planet? But it was really cute how he was a teacher to them, because that’s all he wanted to be, a freaking teacher 😭 anyway, I think the movie will be great and can’t wait to see it. 

The first 3rd was a little slow going, but overall ended up really enjoying the story! Dr. Grace isn't the most interesting person in the world, but the story outside of him is usually the best parts!

Max Riley

Project Hair Mary

I liked this book! The star is docked out of my own personal tastes - I felt that our protag did not have much of an arc, and that characters were a few scratches short of a full sketch. 

Elizabeth

If I would have paid more attention in science class, this would be 5/5

Emily Lucie

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

I really enjoyed the way the story unfurled, as we learnt the fate of the world along with the central character. It’s only not 5 stars because I lost momentum somewhere near the middle, but soon found it again.

Emma Cragg

I’ve been in such a reading slump for years now and this got me good. That ending 😭 FIST MY BUMP. 

Audie Bennett

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission--and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance. Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian--while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Jillian Roberts

Jennifer Palmer

Dr. Ryland Grace is a junior high science teacher that somehow ends up the sole survivor on a space ship on a mission to save earth due to the sun dying. This was honestly such a fun audiobook. I’m sure the physical is excellent as well, but I’m begging you, if you can find the audio, read it that way. Despite the fact that science has consistently been my worst subject in school, Weir manages to make it comprehensible AND exciting. There was no point where I felt the need to yada yada through the scientific explanations. A novel managing to be high stakes and filled with tension while being hilarious is something I have not encountered before. The tone of the main character makes the pacing really enjoyable and kept me engaged the entire time.

The only reason this is not a full 5 stars is because throughout the story, I found myself wishing we had gotten a few more glimpses of earth while this is all happening. I would’ve loved to know how society has changed in the face of this catastrophe. We are inside Dr. Grace’s head, and he is committed to his mission, which means we don’t see much outside of that. I would’ve loved even just an interlude or epilogue of how earth was faring. That’s a very small nitpick, though. Overall, this was fantastic, and I’m mad I left it on my tbr for so long.

Nik ✨

Dr. Ryland Grace is a junior high science teacher that somehow ends up the sole survivor on a space ship on a mission to save earth due to the sun dying. This was honestly such a fun audiobook. I’m sure the physical is excellent as well, but I’m begging you, if you can find the audio, read it that way. Despite the fact that science has consistently been my worst subject in school, Weir manages to make it comprehensible AND exciting. There was no point where I felt the need to yada yada through the scientific explanations. A novel managing to be high stakes and filled with tension while being hilarious is something I have not encountered before. The tone of the main character makes the pacing really enjoyable and kept me engaged the entire time.

The only reason this is not a full 5 stars is because throughout the story, I found myself wishing we had gotten a few more glimpses of earth while this is all happening. I would’ve loved to know how society has changed in the face of this catastrophe. We are inside Dr. Grace’s head, and he is committed to his mission, which means we don’t see much outside of that. I would’ve loved even just an interlude or epilogue of how earth was faring. That’s a very small nitpick, though. Overall, this was fantastic, and I’m mad I left it on my tbr for so long.

Astropage (Alien Micro-Organism) are attracted towards the sun and are eating its energy which will eventually lead to Earth freezing in few years if these Astrophage are not stopped. So to save the earth, a suicide space mission is planned consisting of 3 Astronauts who are not really Astronauts. Dr. Ryland Grace, our potential saviour, is the only survivor out of the 3 but when he wakes up from sleep and meets us, the readers, he doesn't even remember his own name or why is he in space.

From here on the journey to save our galaxy starts with Dr. Grace gradually discovering what happened in his past along with what lies ahead of him in future while doing some crazy adventures and lots of science stuff in present with a brother (not really) from another mother - earth (I mean planet).

1) Dr. Grace - The Protagonist: While Mark Watney from the Martian and Dr. Grace from PHM could be long lost brothers, I can't blame the author to take the safer route and choose what worked best for him before. Dr. Grace is funny, courageous in right amount, smart and relatable. 

2) Rocky - Rocky is definitely the star of the show! From his look to his mannerism to his habits, the author has done a commendable job of making us fall in love with this alien. The interactions between Dr. Grace and Rocky are handled beautifully. 

3) Science Porn - I am not a huge fan of authors digging deep into technicalities while explaining the scientific reasoning behind a particular experiment or an event. The author has done exactly the same in this book but the way it has been done does not feel jarring. It actually feels quite smooth and definitely adds to the overall experience.

4) Humour - The story is filled with just the right amount of Humour. It doesn't take anything away from the importance of the mission yet it ensures that the reader doesn't take the book too seriously and makes it a fun read.

5) Ending - I really loved the ending. It's not the most creative one out there. But I wouldn't have this book end any other way. 

1) Earth Storyline - The starting was fine when we discover who our protagonist is and how he signed up for the mission. But once that part was over the rest of it felt bit of a filler compared to what was happening elsewhere. 

Even though the premise of the story and the characteristics of our main protagonist are quite similar to The Martian, the different route that Project Hail Mary takes from that premise is worth experiencing once at least. Someone said that it's a decent mixture of Interstellar + Martian + Arrival and I completely agree with it. These 3 are spectacular sci-fi movies. So you can guess how good the book must be.

Adwait Kulkarni

Summary:
Astropage (Alien Micro-Organism) are attracted towards the sun and are eating its energy which will eventually lead to Earth freezing in few years if these Astrophage are not stopped. So to save the earth, a suicide space mission is planned consisting of 3 Astronauts who are not really Astronauts. Dr. Ryland Grace, our potential saviour, is the only survivor out of the 3 but when he wakes up from sleep and meets us, the readers, he doesn't even remember his own name or why is he in space.

From here on the journey to save our galaxy starts with Dr. Grace gradually discovering what happened in his past along with what lies ahead of him in future while doing some crazy adventures and lots of science stuff in present with a brother (not really) from another mother - earth (I mean planet).

What I Liked:
1) Dr. Grace - The Protagonist: While Mark Watney from the Martian and Dr. Grace from PHM could be long lost brothers, I can't blame the author to take the safer route and choose what worked best for him before. Dr. Grace is funny, courageous in right amount, smart and relatable. 
2) Rocky - Rocky is definitely the star of the show! From his look to his mannerism to his habits, the author has done a commendable job of making us fall in love with this alien. The interactions between Dr. Grace and Rocky are handled beautifully. 
3) Science Porn - I am not a huge fan of authors digging deep into technicalities while explaining the scientific reasoning behind a particular experiment or an event. The author has done exactly the same in this book but the way it has been done does not feel jarring. It actually feels quite smooth and definitely adds to the overall experience.
4) Humour - The story is filled with just the right amount of Humour. It doesn't take anything away from the importance of the mission yet it ensures that the reader doesn't take the book too seriously and makes it a fun read.
5) Ending - I really loved the ending. It's not the most creative one out there. But I wouldn't have this book end any other way. 

What I didn't like:
1) Earth Storyline - The starting was fine when we discover who our protagonist is and how he signed up for the mission. But once that part was over the rest of it felt bit of a filler compared to what was happening elsewhere. 

Conclusion:
Even though the premise of the story and the characteristics of our main protagonist are quite similar to The Martian, the different route that Project Hail Mary takes from that premise is worth experiencing once at least. Someone said that it's a decent mixture of Interstellar + Martian + Arrival and I completely agree with it. These 3 are spectacular sci-fi movies. So you can guess how good the book must be.

Genuinely one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It was adventurous but also a look into how humans think and interact. The twists and turns kept it interesting from the beginning. Will be re-reading this when I forget enough of the plot. 

soph 

The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

I haven't read or watched The Martian, Weir's most well known work and its movie, but I did listen to Artemis. From that experience, I came to Project Hail Mary hoping for fun science exploration and nerd talk and fearing simplistic characters.

In I way, I got exactly what I expected, but also, I got much more from it than from reading Artemis.

PHM puts us in the mind of a man waking from a coma, alone, in a spaceship, amnesiac and far from earth. From there, a tale of scientific investigation and experimentation with the highest of stakes is told. The central character - Ryland Grace - is, predictably, a funny nerd, overexcited with a lot of what he discovers, but as his past is "revealed" he's given some layering and it's in this that the novel veers from the expected and safe. The exploration of the idea of self, of how our personality can be a reflection of our experiences and changeable with what we live through (or forget we've lived through), to the point of thinking of ourselves as capable and smart or incompetent, as heroic or cowardly, as intrepid explorers or blundering fools, permeates PHM, if superficially, interspersed with the hard sci-fi lingo and ideas.

There are two other characters that merit reference here, but speaking of them is unavoidably spoilery: Rocky and Stratt. The idea of Stratt is better than the execution, her position as a believable wallfacer - yes, one often thinks of Three Body Problem, although the books are so very different - is interesting, but the strong woman with no scruples turns to an unidimensional boss up until the last second and even then. Rocky is fun. Rocky is actually very fun. But he is also too human and young cool dude archetype to honor his place as a proper first alien contact representative, even if his spidery and mineral descriptions do try to alienate him from us. He's a sidekick if I ever read one. Serves all those functions so predictably well that I almost started looking for the comic book vignettes. Anyway, as a sidekick he works well, some of his moments with the main character had me smiling.

While on spoilers, the ending was bittersweet and, if quite unbelievable - if one's suspension of disbelieve survived the atmosphere fishing -, still appropriate for the main character. I found myself liking it despite my own instincts.

Weir's prose, excepting the hard science moments, is simple, as is his dialogue. The plot is well structured and serves the story well, as does the analeptic telling of the origin of PHM and Grace's participation in it.

Weir's book ends up working well. Its simplicity isn't a shortcoming if what the readers takes from it is fun, some science brain-poking and comforting problem-solving. Personally, I'd have liked to believe more and to see some depth in specific points, but I had a great time listening to Ray Porter and devoured it in a few days. I'd read more from Andy Weir, but would rather it be something in a different setting. 

André Nóbrega

I haven't read or watched The Martian, Weir's most well known work and its movie, but I did listen to Artemis. From that experience, I came to Project Hail Mary hoping for fun science exploration and nerd talk and fearing simplistic characters.
In I way, I got exactly what I expected, but also, I got much more from it than from reading Artemis.
PHM puts us in the mind of a man waking from a coma, alone, in a spaceship, amnesiac and far from earth. From there, a tale of scientific investigation and experimentation with the highest of stakes is told. The central character - Ryland Grace - is, predictably, a funny nerd, overexcited with a lot of what he discovers, but as his past is "revealed" he's given some layering and it's in this that the novel veers from the expected and safe. The exploration of the idea of self, of how our personality can be a reflection of our experiences and changeable with what we live through (or forget we've lived through), to the point of thinking of ourselves as capable and smart or incompetent, as heroic or cowardly, as intrepid explorers or blundering fools, permeates PHM, if superficially, interspersed with the hard sci-fi lingo and ideas.

There are two other characters that merit reference here, but speaking of them is unavoidably spoilery: Rocky and Stratt. The idea of Stratt is better than the execution, her position as a believable wallfacer - yes, one often thinks of Three Body Problem, although the books are so very different - is interesting, but the strong woman with no scruples turns to an unidimensional boss up until the last second and even then. Rocky is fun. Rocky is actually very fun. But he is also too human and young cool dude archetype to honor his place as a proper first alien contact representative, even if his spidery and mineral descriptions do try to alienate him from us. He's a sidekick if I ever read one. Serves all those functions so predictably well that I almost started looking for the comic book vignettes. Anyway, as a sidekick he works well, some of his moments with the main character had me smiling.
While on spoilers, the ending was bittersweet and, if quite unbelievable - if one's suspension of disbelieve survived the atmosphere fishing -, still appropriate for the main character. I found myself liking it despite my own instincts.

Weir's prose, excepting the hard science moments, is simple, as is his dialogue. The plot is well structured and serves the story well, as does the analeptic telling of the origin of PHM and Grace's participation in it.
Weir's book ends up working well. Its simplicity isn't a shortcoming if what the readers takes from it is fun, some science brain-poking and comforting problem-solving. Personally, I'd have liked to believe more and to see some depth in specific points, but I had a great time listening to Ray Porter and devoured it in a few days. I'd read more from Andy Weir, but would rather it be something in a different setting. 

I am not a science fiction girly at all - but this was SO GOOD. It was hilarious, moving, and had me at the edge of my seat. I feel like I could recommend this to anyone and they would enjoy it.

Keira

Rocky may be my favorite character of all time. 

Colson Bollinger

Ridwan Alim Muhaimin

I loved this so much. The characters were so fun and refreshing to read about in the face of such a perilous situation. This book will stay with me for a long time, for its end of world threat, for its demonstration of kindness in the face of fear and for its creation of a hero from a man who never thought he could be one. 

Beth Bartholomew

Amaze.

I loved this so much. The characters were so fun and refreshing to read about in the face of such a perilous situation. This book will stay with me for a long time, for its end of world threat, for its demonstration of kindness in the face of fear and for its creation of a hero from a man who never thought he could be one. 

Strongly suggest listening to the audiobook, the narrator makes this such a fun ride. For the first 2 hrs, i was convinced it was Tom Hanks! 

Great story, really fun, but hugely science based. I personally think if i’d read the book, i may have gotten lost. Loved it though. 

Aims

Strongly suggest listening to the audiobook, the narrator makes this such a fun ride. For the first 2 hrs, i was convinced it was Tom Hanks! 

Great story, really fun, but hugely science based. I personally think if i’d read the book, i may have gotten lost. Loved it though. 



I absolutely adored this from start to finish, one of the best books I have ever read. You would think the concept would be boring with one man in a spaceship but Andy Weir has a way of writing Grace's monologue that feels conversational, like speaking to someone you know.

Eimear O'Connor 

I absolutely adored this from start to finish, one of the best books I have ever read. You would think the concept would be boring with one man in a spaceship but Andy Weir has a way of writing Grace's monologue that feels conversational, like speaking to someone you know.

Amazing book, couldn't recommend more.

The Martian was great, and I don't think I need anything else from this guy

August Stone

Andy Weir, in my opinion, has never really found a standard-novel-format voice/narration style that suits him - Martian avoided the need substantially with its format; Artemis was fairly boring in all respects, but inoffensive; this is way "richer" in terms of plot, characters And voice, but the last was annoying enough ("witty" and "irreverent" are words I imagine people that enjoyed it would use) that I dropped it 2/3rds of the way in.

Caelan

such a cute, quirky, sweet read. a look into what it means to be human and how friendship comes from many places. fun science bits as well that make this a fun sci fi read 

Daphne Li-Chen

Very good, a nice plot twist, got me emotionally invested in the characters whilst doing the normal Andy Weir play of nerdy details throughout, enjoyed it very much.

Fred Rivett &
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

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