This book is simply incredible! I was so excited to receive this ARC copy, and wasn't disappointed! Andy Weir's writing is an incredible mix of humour, suspense and profound reflection that was so well paced and balanced. Some moments I was anxiously reading as quickly as I could, just to find out what would happen, and other times I was smiling fondly at Grace's sarcasm! I expected this to be an intense, realistic sci-fi like The Martian, but was pleasantly suprised by the direction the story went. I loved all the characters (even those I loved to hate, or strongly disagreed with) - all the characters were well-rounded, likeable and flawed at the same time. And I am astounded at the amount of research that must have gone into writing this; Weir does an incredible job at answering any of your questions in enough detail to satisfy without alienating the non-science-buff reader. I'll be picking up more from Weir in the future - and this better be made into a movie!!

I worried at first that Project Hail Mary would be too similar to Andy Weir's first book The Martian and though it's also the theme of peril-in-space, the story is different. Dr Ryland Grace is a science teacher and microbiologist who wakes up alone aboard a spaceship with no idea of who he is and how he got there. His memory returns slowly and is given in alternate back-on-Earth chapters sharing how he ends up going to space. Turns out he is part of a mission to save the world after the sun starts dimming. The story is filled with interesting science information (though at times it becomes overwhelming) and plenty of action and drama. A fabulous read.

Project Hail Mary is in some ways, a return - and also a departure, of sorts.

Let's begin with the premise. Astronaut Ryland Grace awakes in space, suffering from amnesia and unaware of just where he is, or why. To make things worse, the people who might have helped him are dead from unknown causes.

Sounds like the start of a horror story, doesn't it? You'd be justified to think so, as amnesia and mysterious locations aren't new to sci-fi or horror. But Andy Weir refuses to go down that same path. Instead, this presents the first major departure from the familiarity of sci-fi - and also a return to what Andy Weir is great at: SCIENCE, FUCK YEAH!

That's essentially what Project Hail Mary is - 1 part mystery, 1 part highbrow space opera, 1 part memory flashbacks, and 7 parts scientific research. For the most part, Ryland's PoV is full of discovering what exactly he's supposed to do in deep space, and once he does, how to do it, all of which take the form of him experimenting and using scientific concepts to 'figure shit out'. It's a refreshing turn from the implication at the start - not every story that happens in space needs a lunatic slasher or extraterrestrial parasitic form to make it engaging. What makes Project Hail Mary engaging is really the enthusiastic, almost childlike glee with which Ryland figures out things and slowly pieces the world around him - you can't help but get sucked into that enthusiasm. It's not entirely hard science as well - key concepts in the novel scream 'The Expanse' at some points, and Weir's admitted to lifting those concepts, plus a certain character, off a failed space opera project of his - but that looser, more handwavy approach actually gives Project Hail Mary an epic scale that fits in really nicely.

Another thing I really liked about this novel is the improved character work. I disliked Weir's previous novel, Artemis, because the protagonist was simply far too jarring for me; their 'dudebro' tone just felt entirely out of place. Here, that's not the case, as Ryland is revealed to be a high school science teacher (who had a promising career in certain scientific fields), and while that selfsame dudebro tone remains, it feels less out of place. Afterall, Ryland teaches kids - wouldn't it make sense for him to narrate things as if he were narrating it to his own students? The side characters in the novel were also quite memorable, with one in particular having amazing scenes and interactions with Ryland, and it's genuinely fun to read.

I also want to take a moment to mention just how much I liked that Ryland is a clearly flawed character. Throughout the novel, it's implied that he's a character who shies away from doing the hard thing, because he's afraid. While he does go through some changes by the end of Project Hail Mary, that innate personality trait never quite disappears, and again, this just makes so much sense. Yes, we might change, but that doesn't mean we dump our personality traits entirely. We just try to overwrite them as best we can, and that's not always cleanly done.

Having said this, I do think Project Hail Mary suffers from some flaws. The most notable one to me is with how the memory flashbacks follow a linear, sequence, going from A-Z instead of being jumbled up. I'm no medical expert, but this seems a bit too convenient. I get why Weir did it - a coherent narrative avoids confusion - but I do think mixing it up a little would have been nice. As it stood, the flashbacks just ended up being exposition. Not the worst thing ever, but it could have been handled a bit better. There's another notable flaw to me, but I'm going to refrain from going into that as it is a huge spoiler - let's just say it regards communication, and how it felt far too easily handled.

If I had to summarize this book, it would be this: "Project Hail Mary is a marked improvement on Andy Weir's previous novel; while the MC, Ryland Grace still narrates things in a certain laid-back, 'dudebro'-style, it fits a lot better due to the context of this novel. And to add onto it, Weir has managed to create fascinating, engaging side characters that display a brilliant back-and-forth with Ryland. Beyond that, his slacker grasp of hard scientific notions - unlike his first two novels - has helped to create a much more engaging, high stakes story that belongs up there with some of the better contemporary stories sci-fi has to offer."

If you've not picked up this book yet, it's well worth reading, and I would suggest checking out this interview on Goodreads once you're done, as I found it to be a really illuminating view of what Weir tried to do differently this time around: https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/1546.Andy_Weir

dnf at 6%
so go at look other reviews for tw

trigger warning
<spoiler> memory loss </spoiler>

A guy wakes up, and while his thinking seems to be working just fine, a computer reminds him that he doesn't know any personal informartion, starting with his name and why he is where is he is. And where is he, anyway?

This reminds me a lot of Jonas Jonasson and the Hundred-Year-Old Who Got Out From the Window and Went Away, or whatever the English title is. Book one was unique, was fun, it got hype so the author wrote on, continueing with the thing that was so innovative at first, but with each following book it read more stale to me.
If you genuinely liked The Martian for what it was instead of that it was new, you are probably going to like this because it's survivalism of a possibly-white almost certainly cis-guy in space. He does maths and physics and stuff, it's first person narrator, and you can follow his reasoning. If you can.

I am simply not the target audience for this, and I should have realised sooner so this arc could have gone to someone else. I am sorry for that.
Three stars because it's okay. It does what it sets out to do as far as I can see. Go look at other reviews for more in-depth analysis. Have a nice day.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

I read The Martian and Artemis by Andy Weir, so I was intrigued to read Project Hail Mary. There was a massive amount of science in this book, and I was most definitely lost for most of it. That being said, I enjoyed Project Hail Mary. I found myself fully invested in Grace’s fate, and the fate of the world. This is the kind of book that can be hard to get into, but I found once I stopped focusing on the science stuff, I really enjoyed the story itself.

I don't even have the words to express how incredible this book is. If you like your science fiction with a heavy dose of science, this is for you! The way the story is told in a mix of present day and flashbacks was crafted to perfection, and kept you completely on the edge of your seat while you waited for the blanks to fill in. The action and suspense was at its page-turning best. While I expected many laughs and opportunities for learning through Weir's storytelling, I definitely did not expect to be as emotionally impacted as I was. Weir's characterisation is fantastic, I was so invested in the friendship between the main characters that multiple scenes had me in tears. Overall, I can't see this not being one of my favourite books of the year. Could not recommend highly enough!

This book is without a doubt science fiction at its absolute finest. It doesn’t get any better than this - yes it is that good. Project Hail Mary is in fact absolutely and utterly brilliant.

This is the story about a junior high school science teacher who, due through some rather unfortunate events during a global crisis, becomes the last hope for humanity and the entire Earth as we know it. It’s about charging forward and never giving up no matter what problems you may face and no matter how dark the future may seem. Project Hail Mary is a book about finding a friend in the most unlikely of places and how precious friends are.

Project Hail Mary literary has it all; perfectly imperfect and likable characters, a captivating plot with twists impossible to prepare for, more than a little humor (loads of humor and wit really) and of course - space travel and extraterrestrial life. On top of that, this book is one of the most scientifically accurate sci-fi books I’ve ever read which makes the plot so much more believable.

Since I’m not only a book nerd but a science nerd as well (especially in theoretical physics and astronomy) this book was the perfect kind of nerdy. It was actually the major reason I wanted to read Project Hail Mary to begin with. While I haven’t read the Martian (yet) I loved the movie and had heard much about how Andy Weir focuses a lot on the science part in science fiction. And I was not disappointed. Project Hail Mary met all my expectations and then some. This is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in my entire life and that is not something I say about every book I read.

Despite the science-talk in the book, in doesn’t require much previous knowledge in physics or other areas in order to appreciate the brilliancy and intricacy of this book.

I truly cannot recommend this book enough! If you like science fiction you’ll most likely enjoy Project Hail Mary - and if you’ve read and/or watched the Martian reading Project Hail Mary is a must! Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this!

***Thank you Random House UK, Cornerstone for giving me a copy of Project Hail Mary in exchange for an honest review.***

Gah I want to scream about how much I loved this book but its SO hard to talk about without giving away spoilers! For those coming to Project Hail Mary expecting the similar wit and emotional roller coaster we got in The Martian, you wont be disappointed. But, whereas The Martian could read as almost non-fiction, Project Hail Mary tends towards the more fantastical side of science fiction, and while the plot twist sent me for a bit of a loop, I quickly became invested in the characters and story line and think I may have possibly enjoyed this more than The Martian.

The Earth is dying, tiny life forms called Astrophage are slowly sucking the energy from the Sun which will cause an extinction event. Ryland Grace is a high school science teacher, who left the scientific community after one of his papers caused a slight uproar, so when Eva Stratt shows up and informs him she needs his expertise he's partly wary and partly excited. He soon realises he has no choice in the matter. Stratt has been given unlimited access by nearly every country in the world to find a solution to Astrophage, and Grace has no idea how pivotal to her plan he is.

The story is told in a mix of present and past tense. In the present tense we find Grace on the Hail Mary in the Tau Ceti system, looking to find out why their equivalent of the Sun hasn't been affected by the Astrophage. When he initially wakes up from his coma, he learns that he crew mates are dead and he is the lone survivor on a spaceship he has no recollection of. Through flashbacks we learn all about how he came to be here, and about Project Hail Mary, the last ditch plan to save Earth. As his memories slowly start returning he understands the gravity of the task he has before him, but he also remembers that this is a one way trip. Grace is determined to do what he can to save Earth and his 'kids.'

Grace is a kind of lovable rogue style character. Weir's writing style make him someone you can't help but empathise with. When he realises his trip is one way, he doesn't hesitate before trying to find a solution. He has all the wit and charm we come to expect from Weir's MC's, but he also isn't afraid of his emotions. There is happy crying and sad crying, and most of the time I was doing it right there alongside him. The more his memories come back, the more he learns about himself (not all of it good) but he is determined to save humanity, no matter the cost. There are other characters that I want to mention but I can't because spoilers! But suffice to say, Project Hail Mary has a fantastic cast of side characters, all who have a significant part to play in the story. My favourite, without a doubt, would be Rocky. The parts of the story he was in were by far my favourites, and his character adds to the emotional and the humorous tone of the novel.

I struggled to get into the story at first, we spend quite a bit of time with Grace trying to figure out who he is, why he's there, where there is. And whilst that was sometimes humorous, the story really picked up when Grace finds his 'unexpected ally.' I just wish I could talk more about this without giving away major spoilers because it was by far my favourite part of the book. As soon as this ally appeared I couldn't put the book down, and stayed up waaay past my bedtime. Weir's writing style makes the story really flow, and once it get's going there is no good part to put it down. Exciting, emotional and funny things happen in every chapter and it makes it an easy read to fly though.

As with The Martian, Project Hail Mary is quite heavy on the science side. Grace goes into a lot of detail when running his experiments, or simply thinking things through, and while most of it should have gone over my head (and some of it definitely did) Weir manages to make it so even those of us with little to no science knowledge will still get the gist of what is happening. It does get a little dumpy in parts, but I have a love of Space so enjoyed trying to get my head around all the science going on. To keep the story flowing, Weir gives us plenty of plot twits, as well as some eureka moments, and some that had me white knuckled glued to the page. These helped make sure we didn't get too bogged down in the science, but also made sure we stay invested in the story and the characters outcome.

Overall I loved this book, it was funny, fast paced and took me on a wild ride emotion wise. Weir has a unique talent of making something that should be extremely sombre bloody hilarious and at times I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud. Fans of The Martian will definitely not be let down and I can't wait to get my hands on anything else Weir writes.

Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary is very much like ‘The Martian’ in that the plot is propelled forward by a heck of a lot of problem solving and especially at the start I felt I was in a point-and-click puzzle game. But niggles aside, I really, really enjoyed this fast-paced space adventure.
It’s full of the wonder of science and the joy of figuring stuff out. Although a lot of the science went way over my head I kept up just fine thanks to Andy Weir’s skill and Ryland Grace’s enthusiasm and teacher qualities. I was completely hooked and cheered with every breakthrough and groaned with every setback.

Project Hail Mary is a terrific and very entertaining sciency fiction with an endearing cast and a surprising and satisfying ending.

Engaging, fun and un-put-downable

I was excited when my request to read this book was approved on NetGalley. I pretty much solely read fantasy, but I have been wanting to delve more into sci-fi. I am one of those readers that hasn’t read anything by Andy Weir (not even The Martian) until now, so I did not know what to expect.

Project Hail Mary centres around Grace Holland, a man that wakes up on a space ship. He does not know who he is, where he is or why he is on a space ship. The only thing he knows is that he has been asleep for a very long time.

Project Hail Mary makes the reader hooked from the very first page. You follow Grace Holland while he slowly remembers who he is and why he is on this journey. Project Hail Mary takes a fascinating look at an astronaut’s life and the countless challenges you can face on a space journey. Grace Holland encounters challenges mentally, physically, technologically and even culturally, making this book feel unique and fresh. As you get answers to your questions, new questions arise, making this book such a page-turner. Grace Holland is a charming, funny, self-aware, and sarcastic character, and I enjoyed following his journey. The flashbacks work well in this novel and added depth to this story and character.

The strong point of this book is Andy Weir’s writing. The writing is filled with funny one-liners, sarcasm and humour. As you are reading, Weir is slowly unveiling what is going on, which keeps the reader hooked. Somehow, Weir is able to make the heavy scientific parts enjoyable to read by making the reader understand the stakes at play and mixing some funny one-liners into his explanations. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t understand any of the heavy science, but I enjoyed reading about it for the most part. Although I didn’t understand the science, I never felt ‘stupid” while reading about it. Moreover, the pacing and characterisation is fantastic!

Weir concludes this novel perfectly. It is a satisfying conclusion that will leave the reader in awe and wonder how vast, scary and fantastic space is.

My only criticism is that the section of the book from 50% -75% focused a bit too much on the science, for my taste. I appreciate Weir explaining to the reader how everything works, but it just felt a bit tedious at times.

In conclusion, I loved this book. It feels fresh and unique, and I felt so invested in Holland’s journey. Project Hail Mary is a heartwarming, humorous and exciting take on an astronaut's life, and I would highly recommend this book. I will be adding The Martian to my tbr!

4.5 / 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a genuine 5 star, feel-good book. I finished this story with a smile on my face.

I would recommend this book for science-fiction fans. You may need to push through some of the maths (I was happy to skim read) at the start of the book to get to the really good stuff, but it is worth it. By the end of the book I loved our two main characters Dr Ryland Grace and Rocky. I found myself immersed in the plot, the journey I took with Grace and Rocky was exceptionally entertaining and the ending was perfect!

Even though The Martian and Project Hail Mary are both set in outer space, I found that they were quite different books, with a different feel about them, and if you liked The Martian you will like Project Hail Mary. I would also like to note that I would be happy to give this book to my teenager to read. It is refreshing to read a book without a plethora of profanities. So, I would definitely recommend this book.

- The blurb from the publisher, as they do it best -

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.


Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK, Cornerstone, Del Rey for an advance copy.

Links to Amazon etc will be added once approved.

4.5 Stars

Oh this book made my little geeky science nerd heart sing. It was so geeky and sciencey and exciting! it was a real joy to read and I really couldn't put it down powering through it in just under two days.

I will admit I had trepidations going into this one as I wasn't the biggest fan of Artimis and I have actively avoided the Martian. This is due to having the pleasure of previously working with and still being friends with Botanists that actively research plants that have been grown aboard the ISS. I was worried about the Science of that one. Reading Project Hail Mary has encouraged me to give the Martian a go too.

It is definitely a Science heavy book. The physics mostly goes over my head but Weir has created such an empathetic main character whom utilizes his skills as a Science teacher to explain these concepts in a fantastic way that links the beautifully with the Story but also doesn't feel patronizing to the reader. I really liked Dr Grace as a character, he was compassionate and caring like many good teachers I know but he also had just the right level of snark, like good teachers I know. I liked how he had experienced both the world of research Academia and teaching and how he used those various experiences throughout the book to logic his way through all the problems that were thrown at him.

I honestly don't want to say more about the actual plot because of spoilers, but it is filled with exciting discoveries, real emotional moments, and some conversations that just made me giggle. I loved how flashbacks into Dr Grace's life before finding himself aboard the Hail Mary deep in space, help us piece bits of the mystery together as well as how we learn more about this universe with Dr Grace. There was some really interesting explorations of what climate changes can do on earth, exploring disaster science and its predictions. The outer Space elements were also really interesting particularly when it all started to come together to solve the mysteries.

I just found this so entertaining, Despite it being heavy on the science there is a silliness and light-heartedness to the book that just made me love reading it. The ending is just beyond silly but again it really made me love this book. Is just just such a good balance of the silly out there space opera, and climate level disaster Science that just works so well.

Ryland Grace wakes from a coma and has no idea where he is. He gradually realises that he is onboard a spaceship from Earth which was sent on a suicide mission to save the Sun. There were originally three people but Grace is the sole survivor. Humanity is counting on him to succeed but he can't remember at first, but his memories gradually begin to return. Just when he thinks that he doesn't stand a chance, he finds outside help which may just be, not only the key to success, but allow him to return home again.

This book is summed up in three words: science, humour, and aliens - yes, Grace is the first human to make contact with an alien life form and it's not what he expects. The story alternates between Grace's present-day and his recent past when he was still on Earth, preparing for the mission. There's a lot of science to wade through in parts, I'm not an expert and I have no idea if it all checks out, but it lost me at times as I've never been great at maths. Luckily, the humour and the developing friendship between Grace and 'Rocky' rescued it, even if Rocky was kind of a 'Gary Stu' character. Overall it was an agreeable quirky read but be prepared to suspend your disbelief for that ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK/Cornerstone/Del Rey, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This book demonstrates the same story=telling skill and attention to detail that made The Martian so successful. As with The Martian, it is packed with science and space facts and details, but manages to make it understandable and credible. The efforts to save planet earth from extinction due to the sun being drained of its heat take Ryland into a survival mission, discovering himself alone in a space craft. The story moves between the events leading up to the flight, and the mission itself. Andy's story-telling around the interaction with extra-terrestrial life form was amazing.

Project Hail Mary is the latest release from best selling author Andy Weir. He and I have something of a mixed past, I adored The Martian but was less than impressed by his sophomore offering, Artemis. With that in mind it was with some trepidation that I opened my copy of Project Hail Mary , but I am happy to say that my fears were not warranted and it soon became clear that this was going to be a book that I would enjoy immensely.
The book opens with the awakening of a man we will later learn is Ryland Grace, the last surviving man on a desperate mission to save the Earth from a catastrophic event that could end all human life on the planet. Grace himself does not even remember this at first, as he awakes from his induced coma with no memories of who or where he is , or why he is there. As his memories start to return we are told the backstory in a series of flashbacks that explain what has gone wrong on earth and how he ended up on the mission. Once again there is a lot of maths and science incorporated into the storytelling, something I know is not for everyone but I personally liked it. I will say that Grace's character is very like that of Mark Watney from The Martian, in terms of his determination, his skillset and his sarcastic sense of humour. I didn't really mind this, but I am sure that some people will find the similarities a little too much. There is one very big difference between Mark's story and that told here however, and that is that Grace is not alone, and the burgeoning friendship that develops between Grace and his unexpected companion is the real heart of this story. I found this book much more emotionally engaging than I ever expected, and I was completely hooked not just by the story being told, but also by the skill of the author. Fans of Weir will not be disappointed.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher, all opinions are my own.

Categories: Spacing out / Tau Ceti and other stars / Alien biology
•
I’m torn with giving a rating for this one. The first third was a solid four stars for me — the characterisation was interesting, and I wanted to know what was going on! I thought it an interesting choice for the author of The Martian to use an engaging first-person style of narration in a very Mark Watney-esque way, but have it so that he’s a middle school teacher and never swears. It seems perhaps a reaction to some criticism of his debut but I think it was handled with deftly enough in this one.
My issues began about a third of the way in, which I guess worked out to be partway through the second act. I had a problem with how the narrator interacted with a certain character, and also about how that character was written. It felt cheap and lazy and reductive. There were some interesting science/space/biology things happening, but it all felt undermined by how this character from a vastly different culture was described. Also: if what a character is saying is being translated, why should their words be written in pidgin English? It bordered on the realm of xenophobia for me, and soured a lot of what happened throughout the rest of the novel.
The last chapter was decent and I didn’t mind how it ended, but too much of what came before prevented me from rating this four stars. I had high hopes for an engaging sci-fi romp after loving The Martian, but unfortunately this didn’t quite do it for me.

After enjoying <i>The Martian</i> and being deeply disappointed with <i>Artemis</i>, I hesitated for a while about starting this one (I had a pre-release review copy via Netgalley). I'm happy to report that it's a return to the elements that made <i>The Martian</i> work for me.

Weir's two greatest faults - the science infodumps and the "?!" - are on full display still, but at least he's not trying (and notably failing) to write a female protagonist or a heist. He's returned to what made <i>The Martian</i> successful: man alone, far from Earth, using science against the universe. He seems most comfortable (and capable) when his character is like himself: a white, American, STEM-educated man. In other words, there's a thing he can do, and he does it well, and he should probably stick to it rather than try to do something else for which he's ill-equipped.

His main characters all sound a bit alike, in fact - though not to the level of Scalzi, who's incapable of writing a character who doesn't have his exact voice. Ryland Grace is distinct from Mark Watney mainly in that (at least early on; the schtick gets dropped after a while) he swears euphemistically instead of full-out.

This isn't just a rehash of <i>The Martian</i>, though; we have an escalation of the premise. Mark Watney's stakes were his own survival; Ryland Grace's stakes are the survival of billions. We have, in fact, a motivated protagonist in a dynamic situation, which is a great place to start a novel.

And here we come to what makes these books work for me, and I suspect for many other people. It's not the science infodumps; the books work despite those rather than because of them. It's the emotional beats: the terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles. In this, Weir is doing something that a lot of "hard" science fiction fails to do: giving us characters with agency who protagonize wholeheartedly, rather than just observing events too big for them; and drawing us into their emotional world, making us care about the things they care about and root for their success. While a lot of the emotional beats boil down to "sudden problem arises (usually at the end of a chapter, when the character is congratulating himself on how well things are going); science ensues; problem solved," it's not just the same thing over and over without variation, and there's the larger story problem holding the whole thing together.

The other difference from "hard" science fiction is that, despite all of the actual science spewed onto the page, a lot of what goes on is not that plausible. In fact, for someone who thinks of himself as the "realistic science fiction" guy, Weir certainly spends a lot of time building his plot out of impossibilium, powering it with unobtainium, and facilitating it with unlikely coincidence. I don't have enough background in chemistry or physics to critique those aspects in depth, though there are elements that seem pretty dubious to me, but I do know enough to tell you that his biology is hokey and full of big holes. And there were a number of questions I had which I'll put under a spoiler tag:

<spoiler>Why do the Eridians bother to build a space elevator and go to orbit if they have no reason to go further into space? How does their hull robot work if they don't have transistors?

And while I'm talking about the Eridians, I found the character of Rocky, the Eridian engineer, a bit too much like a convenient genie in a bottle. He did also have the important role of giving the protagonist another being to interact with, but he was very much a sidekick; the lone American man ended up saving two entire intelligent races with his help, more than in collaboration with him. That trope of American exceptionalism is a bit of an irritation for me.

I did feel like the ending was the right one: a return to where the character began, emotionally but not physically. Sure, it glides over exactly what the fate of the Earth was (in detail, rather than in the big picture), and leaves us to imagine disaster or triumph to our own taste, and that's a bit of a cheat; but to do otherwise might easily have distracted from the resolution of the story.
</spoiler>

With the unlikely elements, the infodumps, the exclaimed questions, and the limited range the author's showing, this doesn't make it to my Best of the Year list. But I was entertained enough to give it four stars anyway.

“Am I barreling toward the sun, or away from it? It’s almost academic. I’m either on a collision course with the sun or on my way out to deep space with no hope of returning. Or, I might be headed in the sun’s general direction, but not on a collision course. If that’s the case, I’ll miss the sun … and then fly off into deep space with no hope of returning.”

Project Hail Mary is the third novel by American author and self-confessed space nerd, Andy Weir. When he first emerges from the coma, he has no idea where he is, or how or why. It seems to be a spaceship, he’s the sole survivor of a crew of three, and the onboard computer is insisting he proffers his name before allowing access to certain areas, but he can’t remember that either.

“This is like being in a video game. Explore the area until you find a locked door, then look for the key. But instead of searching bookshelves and garbage cans, I have to search my mind. Because the “key” is my own name.”

His memory is spotty, coming in fits and starts; gradually, the fact that he’s a junior high science teacher reveals itself; he’s Dr. Ryland Grace, formerly a microbiologist who spent his career working up theoretical models for alien life. And he’s a long, long way from San Francisco.

The “what” Grayson remembers fairly quickly: a dire problem facing his home planet, and the importance of his mission is clear, a mission to save mankind. The “how” poses a challenge that his scientific mind relishes. When Grayson recalls the “why” that has placed him on the Hail Mary instead of a highly-trained astronaut, he’s dismayed and angry. What is quickly obvious is that he is facing a suicide mission. All alone.

Except it turns out he’s not.

More is difficult to reveal without spoilers, but Weir has neatly constructed a narrative in which flashbacks/memories slowly reveal the exact how and why, but also just what the ship is equipped with and can do. Weir gives the reader sci-fi that doesn’t get too bogged down with dense sci-facts but is interesting and thought-provoking.

Weir’s protagonist is a delight, smart and resourceful; his ever-inquiring mind and excellent deductive powers see him maintain his optimism that he will complete his vital mission. Ultimately, Grayson surprises himself. He’s also got a great sense of humour, so his inner monologue, asides to the computer and other conversations entertain:

“The computer finishes its boot process and brings up a screen I’ve never seen before. I can tell it means trouble, because the word “TROUBLE” is in large type across the top.”

This is a tale with an action plot, twists and surprises, featuring a planet Earth where greenhouse gases are welcome and the Sahara is covered in foil. There are philosophical discussions on behaviour and intelligence, lots of space walks, vodka, beetles and five-legged spiders, laugh-out-loud moments and the odd lump in the throat. Brilliantly funny, clever and original sci-fi.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone

Imagine waking up with no memory. Alongside two dead crewmates. In space. With no clue of who or why or, well, anything... This is how we first meet Ryland Grace. We soon learn that he is on a mission to save the world. Although he still doesn't know how or what from...! Bus as his memories start to come back, as the sheer impossibility of the task ahead of him comes to light, there's a glimmer of hope. There's another ship...
And that's all I'm saying about this, the highly anticipated new book from the genious that is Andy Weir. Oh My Gosh - just as good as his previous books - if not better... His imagination is outstanding, especially with regard to Rylands new friend Rocky - who I will leave you to meet as the author intends rather than spoiling anything here.
OK so it's a bit sciency but the science is either well explained and mostly understood or, if not, easy to just accept. Well, that's how I got through anyway. And, along with previous books, this one contains very few characters for the majority. But, again as with previous books the author has created such a brilliant character in Ryland that, well, he's all you really need. I took to him right from the start, that bond strengthening as I got to know him - well, also as he got to know himself!
And, well, Rocky... I love that guy - hopefully you will too! And together, even though as chalk and cheese as you can get, well... together they battle on through...
All in all, a cracking read that exceeded every expectation - and believe me I had high ones! A book I am chomping at the bit to get in Audible so I can re-listen... Oh and maybe a film - I'd love to see that... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author, Andy Weir, for providing a copy of Project Hail Mary. I have reviewed honestly.

Project Hail Mary features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ Sci-fi
○ Space travel
○ Scientific research
○ Interstellar
○ Extinction-level Threat

My overall rating for Project Hail Mary is…

5 Stars!

Wow. I am.. speechless. I was utterly unprepared for this story. Andy Weir is a genius. The amount of thought and research he put into 'Project Hail Mary' is remarkable! I can't even function right now. Project Hail Mary is tale of desperation, survival and discovery. It's mind boggling, complex and bloody brilliant! The main character is an average man with the literal weight of the world on his shoulders. His tale is impossible. The characters we meet along the way are exceptional in their own ways; with one especially who all readers will love. This is one of those books that will stay with readers for years. Unforgettable.