Project Hail Mary

To provide perspective, I loved The Martian and haven't yet read Artemis. I read The Martian after having seen the movie and still loved it. It was the only fiction book I read in 2021 that I rated 5 stars, so hearing people say Project Hail Mary was even better set some pretty high expectations.

Those expectations were not met. Don't get me wrong. I ripped through Project Hail Mary in just a few days and spent time devouring it at every opportunity. It motivated me to read, and if every book went down as easily as that one I'd be able to set my reading goal at 100 books or more. There were even a couple of times when I felt very sad, thought it didn't bring me to tears.

My biggest problem is that I defy you to read that book after watching The Martian and not see Matt Damon in that role. Ryland Grace is essentially Mark Watney, and that did a lot to take me out of the story. Now Stephen King writes a lot of authors as main characters, and each reflects him at least to some extent, but there are differences between them. We have a much smaller sample size with Andy Weir, but I hope he pushes the bounds of his characters beyond that prototypical science guy.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll be vague. I did enjoy the mystery that unfolded, and the structure of the plot worked very well for me, at least in the episodes that were pure flashback. The science seemed solid and interesting, though I didn't spend time trying to assess each and every decision and fact. I suspended my disbelief and rode with it, which worked for me. I was there for the story, not the science.

I felt that things were explained pretty well, and didn't feel there were any gaping plot holes, so I was satisfied with the ending and the decisions he made along the way. The stakes were very high, but at no point did I think, “Gee, he's gonna do it. He's gonna give us an unhappy ending.”

So ultimately the book worked for me for exactly what I wanted. I'd been reading The Brothers Karamazov and needed a palate cleanser before diving back in to that. I had intended on hopping back and forth between them, but Project Hail Mary did engross me way too much for that to happen. It was a good yarn, an escapist adventure that is easy to enjoy, quick to read, and enjoyable.

It did, however, make me more interested in reading Artemis despite many people saying it is the inferior book of the three. I appreciate that.