Project Hail Mary
Ratings2,217
Average rating4.4
“Gotta save humanity and stuff”
“AMAZE AMAZE AMAZE!”
This was such a good book, just a little too sciency for me - Not sure I'm smart enough for it. Funny and engaging throughout though, and I loved Rocky! Rocky jazz hands
Project Hail Mary is an absolute joy to read—possibly the most fun I've ever had with a book and without question my favorite novel I've read over the course 2024 (so far). Seriously, it's the very definition of a “page turner.” I devoured it over four evenings, doing my best to limit myself to 25% each night; I had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep, which was no easy task.
The story is packed with all sorts of science jargon of various levels of complexity, but Andy Weir makes it all accessible and fun, no matter how much (or how little) I knew about the concepts. It felt like I was right there, figuring things out alongside the main character, without ever feeling lost or overwhelmed.
I laughed out loud so many times while reading this—Weir's humor really comes alive in the interactions between the main characters. But it's not all laughs; there are moments that hit so hard they had me on the verge of tears. It's the kind of story that sticks with you, a truly unforgettable adventure. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's like a mix of The Three-Body Problem trilogy, Interstellar, and E.T.—packed with wonder, mystery, and so much heart.
It's hardly a groundbreaking opinion to say that Project Hail Mary is already a modern classic in the realm of science fiction. But if Hollywood gets the film adaptation right, this story has all the makings of a worldwide cultural phenomenon. The characters, the stakes, the sheer sense of adventure—it has the potential to become the next E.T., a feat no story has truly achieved since, well, E.T..
This book was exhilarating, heartfelt, and absolutely impossible to put down. Project Hail Mary is the kind of story that reignites your love for reading, reminding you of the magic a truly great book can bring.
He leido muy poca ciencia ficcioón pero este libro me ha hecho querer adentarme a este mundo, increíble que un autor se preocupe por que sus conceptos y algunos terminos usados sean cientificamente correcto.
La historia del libro te presenta la interrogante de que seriamos capaz de hacer por salvar nuestro mundo y que tal lejos podemos llegar al trabajar juntos como especie.
Los personajes son increíbles, estan bien construidos y te intereza saber más sobre cada uno, lo unico que podia criticar es que no hay una segunda parte en donde te cuenten algunas cosas que la historia deja en suspenso y te quedas con la curiosidad.
Pero sin duda un libro recomendable que me volveria a leer.
This is an unexpected kind of novel to come across in the 21st century: it reminds me more than anything else of Hal Clement's novels from the 1950s. There's the same childlike enthusiasm for an endless series of scientific and engineering problems, and the assumption that the reader will be as fascinated by them as the author.
This author certainly displays plenty of scientific understanding and imagination, though I have to take it all on trust because I'm not qualified to check it.
The story has a fairly simple plot and few significant characters. I found it quite congenial and entertaining, although I often skimmed through the scientific details. But so far I've read it only once, and I don't whether or how often I'll reread it in future.
I thought it rather a pity that the story focused on the adventures of Ryland Grace to the exclusion of the rest of humanity, which was simultaneously going through its own adventures. However, Grace had scientific problems while humanity had political problems, and the author's expertise is clearly scientific rather than political.
Andy Weir is absolutely brilliant. This book had me hooked from start to finish. The way he makes the science so understandable while keeping the stakes sky-high is mind-blowing. Grace and Rocky’s mission is monumental, and you feel every bit of it—the urgency, the ingenuity, and the heart. Rocky is one of the be most unique characters I’ve ever come across, and the dynamic between him and Grace is pure gold. It’s clever, emotional, and so satisfying. Weir’s storytelling is next level. Highly recommend!
As a biologist, I adored the science and attention to detail in this book. It was charming and shockingly gripping for a lab floating in space. It had just the right amount of suspense mixed with daily life and I absolutely loved Rocky.
Pros: interesting protagonist, optimistic SF
Cons: got a bit tedious at times
When Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship in an unknown location next to 2 dead astronauts he doesn’t know what’s going on or who he is. As the days pass he slowly pieces together that his mission is humaity’s last hope of stopping an invasive microscopic alien species that’s slowly devouring the sun’s energy. After arriving at his target, he learns that humanity isn’t the only species at risk.
This is a mostly hard SF novel. That is, there’s a lot of accurate science and math used to flesh out the made up scenarios. I appreciated that as an elementary school science teacher Grace explains complex things in simplistic terms, but towards the end the constant asides of formulas and calculations got a bit tedious.
The plot is interesting. Learning what happened on Earth via flashback’s that directly relate to what Grace is doing in the present was great. It allowed for character development and story progression. Rocky is also a wonderful character.
The book deals with alien contact in unique and often unexpected ways.
Humour is very subjective and hard to pull off well. I thought the author did a great job. While nothing was laugh out loud funny, I enjoyed how the author bypassed swearing. A few jokes were low brow body humour, which I am not a fan of, but I didn’t find anything particularly objectionable.
I loved how the world came together to build the Hail Mary. So often science fiction pits nations against each other, so having them co-operate made this feel more optimistic as a result, even though the situation was dire at times.
It’s a great book. I found it mostly fast paced and fairly quick to read.
Originally posted at scififanletter.blogspot.com.
I was looking forward to this as a follow-up to The Martian, which was enjoyable and thought-provoking. However, this felt more like an overinflated, standard sci-fi plot alternating with chapters from a physics textbook. Not that I hate physics; it's just that I didn't care for so much hard science mixed in with what is, essentially, a fantasy. The last third, in particular, was a bit of a slog.
Some strong ideas here about interspecies communication and the nature of humanity, but recommended mostly for hardcore science nerds and Andy Weir completists. For the rest of us, there are better choices.
OH. MY. GOD. What did I just read? Is this the greatest sci-fi ever? Well, I'm not the expert (this is only my second sci-fi), but I absolutely loved it!
It's easy to see why Project Hail Mary won Best Science Fiction on Goodreads. The writing is phenomenal—it hooks you right from the start. Dr. Ryland Grace's race against the clock to save humanity is filled with urgency, and the science jargon is explained in such a simple, engaging way. I honestly wish he had been my Physics teacher!
Why should you pick this up? Without giving spoilers, this book offers a fresh take on space exploration. The challenges and solutions presented are unlike anything I've seen in Hollywood or read elsewhere. It doesn't follow the typical ‘save humanity' formula, which is so refreshing.
If you're new to sci-fi, this is the perfect place to start. Read the spoiler filled review below (of course I would not give story changing spoilers), I can assure you it will only affirm you to consider Project Hail Mary.
SPOILER FILLED REVIEW! PROCEED WITH CAUTION (again, not so many spoilers too)
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Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship, confused and disoriented, with two dead bodies beside him. He can't remember his own name, let alone why he's there. Slowly, through flashes of memory, he pieces it together: he's in a completely different solar system. But why? And what could possibly be threatening Earth that a mere science teacher would be sent on this critical mission?
Well, here's where it gets interesting.
Ryland Grace may be a science teacher, but he's also a microbiologist with a controversial theory—he believes that life doesn't necessarily need water to survive. This idea becomes crucial when humanity discovers a microorganism called Astrophage, which is consuming the Sun's energy. The Sun has already dimmed by 0.01%, and if nothing is done, it will dim by 5% in the next 20 years, plunging Earth into an Ice Age.
Despite not being an astronaut, Ryland becomes a key figure in the efforts to solve the Astrophage problem. Tau Ceti, a distant star, is mysteriously unaffected by the microorganism, and the spaceship Project Hail Mary is sent to investigate. How Ryland ends up alone on this mission, light-years away from Earth, is something you'll need to read for yourself.
Along the way, Ryland meets an alien named Rocky from the planet Erid, who is facing the same Astrophage crisis. Rocky's entire crew has died, leaving him alone on his mission. Together, Ryland and Rocky work to save both of their planets, navigating language barriers, technological differences, and the challenge of cooperating on the biggest problem either of them has ever faced.
What I loved about Project Hail Mary is how it flips the typical extraterrestrial narrative. Instead of the usual triangular-faced aliens and UFOs, we get humble beginnings—extraterrestrial microorganisms. It makes you wonder what could evolve from such life over time. Plus, the bond between Ryland and Rocky is the heart of the story. Their problem-solving, technological exchanges, and camaraderie make this more than just a space adventure—it's a brilliant exploration of friendship and cooperation across species.
I've left out plenty of details, and I really hope you pick this up to experience the rest for yourself. Trust me, there's so much more to discover in this story!
PROJECT HAIL MARY by ANDY WEIR3/5 stars Minor Spoilers___________Going through the 1-star reviews, I found some common complains: the whole story is implausible; there are too many conveniences going on; the side-characters are stereotypical and shallow; the main character's wittiness and quirkiness detracts from the experience.Frankly, they're quite correct.Project Hail Mary's prose is not exciting and lacks panache, the first-person-narration being very repetitive and almost robotic when the main character, Ryland Grace (ugh), isn't busy being witty, sarcastic, and comedic. There's a lot of dry science in this, which Weir tries to spice up with Ryland's humor, and there was not a single second when I doubted the success of the mission. Ultimately, if what you're looking for is a beautifully-written rumination on the human species and interstellar life, you're not really going to find it here. At least, I didn't.What I DID find though is a lot of fun spectacle hiding behind science I didn't understand and a character whose humor was frustrating most of the time. You REALLY have to gel with the humor to stomach the writing, since Weir injects every page with it. I got used to it in about 60 pages, enough so that I laughed here and there, but if you want a serious story, it ain't it. This is very pulpy, borderline low-brow, and doesn't bother to be wholly consistent with its characters' personalities, motivations, etc. What Project Hail Mary is is an entertaining spectacle and specualtion on the panspermia theory. I didn't find more than that in here.And hell, what a spectacle it was! Yes, Ryland Grace is a Gary Stu and his name is as corny as literally everything else about the novel, the stakes are technically high but so downplayed by the Litany of Conveniences that they had no impact; the gravity of any given crisis was quickly overshadowed by Weir's writing; and the ending was abrupt and cheesy, somehow still underwhelming despite tying up loose ends. But still. It was mindless fun. My appreciation for the story might be skewed because of the fact I read it all in one sitting (which lasted too many hours for the poor slow-reader I am), and the fact it's the first book I read in a while, but hey, at least I read it!
I think knowing less about the premise of this book from the start makes this book even better. For anyone wanting high stakes in space that are somehow made to be strangely comfy despite the stakes of yknow casually saving Earth, this is the book. I'm a fan.
There's just really nothing not to like about this book. It's got some problems and I'm certainly not qualified to know if the science actually makes sense, but it's presented in such an easily digestible way that makes it all so fun. This time I listened to the audiobook which was really good, but I'm not sure I fully buy into the "it's better than reading it" narrative. Overall, just as fun as I remembered!
Rated up to a 4! I'm glad I went into this completely blind, otherwise I think there are parts during which I would've gotten bored with allll the science speak. Also, I am extremely, extremely unsatisfied with the ending and therefore cannot rate it higher.
Contains spoilers
Like many others, I really enjoyed "The Martian" when it came out. I made a pass over Andy Weir's second book, as I heard discordant opinions about it around me. But reading the abstract of "Project Hail Mary", I decided to give it a go.
Well, it turns out (like somebody else already reviewed elsewhere on HC*) that Weir seems to be a one-trick pony as a writer. Don't get me wrong: it's a pretty good trick and he writes nicely: this book really is a page-turner, the plot twists are all here where you expect them!
And that for me seems to be the problem: it's a little bit too expected. However enjoyable as a summer read, and however attaching the character of the alien is, Weir is no A.C. Clarke.
At least for me, once read this book will join the second-hand bins at the local bookshop. It does not call for a re-read. Pity!
See: https://hardcover.app/books/project-hail-mary/reviews/@MrWage
Contains spoilers
Its ok, but but it becomes clear very quickly that all problems will be solved - so there's no real feeling of jeopardy.
And Grace's relationship with rocky beggars belief. Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and the film Arrival do a much better job of first contact communication
Fantastic read!
Lots of science, and so is the humor!
To me, More than a science fiction about spaceship, it's a tale of a friendship!
9
Grounded and insanely creative science-fiction that charms you with how palatable and fun it is to read, turns into an emotional, intimate buddy cop-like story that will genuinely have you sobbing.
Writing is great, and can make the dumbest person out there slightly understand various types of science. Dialogue writing is great (the main character doesnt like to swear which makes him a little cringe but thats okay)
A really great story, perfect sci-fi, overall really well. But you have to sometimes just “go through” some less then perfect writing style ... Still, if you like Sci-Fi books, this is a top recommendation.
Learning that the world is ending is worrisome enough. Now imagine finding yourself on a suicide mission in space with no recollection of why or how you got there. Through perseverance and a sweet sweet friendship, you learn that all you need is someone to help get you through the hard stuff.
Before Project Hail Mary, I didn't know how much I would like the science fiction genre. Somehow, Andy Weir found the perfect balance of science and storytelling, which made this book so captivating. The way the scientific aspects were described throughout the book provided just enough explanation to follow along with what was happening, without feeling lost or underwhelmed by the nuanced intricacies of it. The story had good pacing, alternating between flashbacks and the present. The build-up of how Ryland got to this point was fantastic and had me waiting to hear more. I highly recommend giving this book a listen/read, even if you aren't typically a sci-fi lover.
