Project Hail Mary

Okay, I’ve only read this book once, but I can tell you I’ll be reading it again. It’s that good.

It's a classic amnesia story. The hero wakes up from a coma and has no recollection of who he is. Over the course of the story, he discovers he’s a middle school science teacher. And he’s in a spaceship. Alone. And he may happen to be humanity’s only hope to survive.

Wow! Talk about a new spin on the amnesia trope. I’m rooting for Ryland Grace from the jump. No matter how crazy bad it gets, and it gets bad,… show more.

This book was just fun. (And informative!) As my editor, Lisa Poisso, put it (paraphrased), “I’ve never seen an author manage to build so much narrative tension around something so simple as, ‘And now I have to push this button.’”

So yes, Weir continues to be awesome at making hard sci-fi fun and thrilling. What really stuck with me most, though, was the relationship the main character, Ryland Grace, forms with his unexpected interstellar buddy, the Eridian he dubs Rocky. The care and thought Weir puts into every aspect of their interactions… Those were the moments that got me. Never… show more.

I love the fast-paced, imaginative plot and the hard science.

Andy Weir takes a futuristic “what-if” and plays it out with vision and relatable characters. This follows the tradition set in his previous book, The Martian. 

Having been a substitute teacher myself, the protagonist, a Junior High School teacher, is delightful. 

As something I would never have chosen to read, this book club pick had me gripped from the start alongside our hapless protagonist Ryland Grace, a middle school scientist who wakes in a spaceship and discovers he has to single-handedly save the world. He joins forces with Rocky, a giant blind spider-like alien.

The moment they pull off their mission and Rocky puts on his ‘best’ clothes to celebrate is a golden scene that made my cheeks ache from smiling. I found it to be one of the most original, clever, and funny books I’ve ever read. 

Despite Weir’s books, this one included, being science-heavy, his storytelling is very compelling. The characters he creates, both human and extraterrestrial, have depth and appeal. 

The story reminded me of an Indiana Jones-style adventure set around a science lab in space. The fate of the human race and even more hinges on the success of a mission to deep space to help save our sun.

While reading the novel, I felt both entertained and educated. I thoroughly enjoyed Weir’s novel.

I loved the alien, Rocky (the nickname given to him by the astronaut from Earth because he looks like a big spider made out of stone). I literally could not put it down.

It was fascinating watching the two learn to communicate with each other and work together to solve a common problem, which was the reason their respective races sent them on this mission.

The biggest question they have to answer is why each of them survived while all of their other shipmates perished. I fell so much in love with Rocky that my heart stopped when it seemed… show more.

I loved Andy Weir's first novel, The Martian (the one that was adapted into a terrific Matt Damon movie). I didn't think it would be possible to top it, but Weir manages it in Project Hail Mary.

On a spaceship far from home, Ryland Grace is on a mission to discover why Earth's sun is dimming – a mission that is humanity's only hope. There's an alien encounter like no other, page-turning tension, and wonderful characters to root for.

I just wish I'd been able to tell the friend who gifted me the book how much I enjoyed it… show more.

In Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, we encounter a well-balanced mixture of themes that come together to make a great story.

Weir’s emphasis on believable science within science fiction lends credibility to the story without bogging the narrative down with overt exposition. This story begins with the protagonist waking up in a troublesome scenario with no memory, lending an air of mystery to the narrative as the character slowly discovers the nature of his predicament.

It is written with an easy-to-read, often humorous tone but also addresses some rather heavy topics as the main character comes to terms with his… show more.

Science fiction was my first love. I read every sci-fi book in the juvenile section of the local library when I was young and then snuck into the forbidden adult section and devoured that.

Thankfully, the librarian turned a blind eye. Since then, I have wandered widely into other genres, but my husband recommended this book and Weir’s first book, The Martian, was outstanding. I wondered how he could top that one, but he did.

There are some similarities in that an unlikely hero, a high school science teacher, has to use his wits to survive in the deadly environment… show more.

Talk about a book I could not put it down. In Project Hail Mary, Weir starts with his main character waking up without any memory of who or where he is.

As he slowly regains knowledge of the who, where, and why, Weir takes us on a journey which (as he did in The Martian) requires his main character to muster all his ingenuity and fortitude (along with a lot of cool science) to survive and... well, I don't want to spoil it. Pick this up. You won't be able to put it down.