Project Hail Mary
Ratings2,233
Average rating4.5
Very similar to The Martian. Better in my opinion.
Unfortunately the humor is (still) not a complete match for me.
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.
Ryland has woken up on a spaceship, somewhere, in some universe and he doesn’t have a clue why. The only people who could tell him passed away during their journey. But as he starts to remember why he is in his current predicament, Ryland realizes he’s the last human left who can save the Earth.
Project Hail Mary is steeped in science and experimentation. While in the background the reader is conscious of the time limit Earth has, the tension isn’t really felt throughout the story. Instead, Andy Weir focuses on the tension built up from events caused by the initial experiments done on the unknown substance threatening all life as we know it. The enthusiasm Ryland feels as he progresses in his experiments and uncovers information is unmistakable. Each step forward is like an awakening and makes the setbacks hit emotionally harder.
Ryland’s story is told from a shifting perspective of past and present. As he wanders the ship and begins to unlock his memories, readers will start to see the ever-evolving story of Earth’s newest threat. Andy Weir was clever in syncing the timelines, allowing readers to see how Ryland interacted with those around him in the past and bringing in dialogue and character development that would have been stalled viewing only Ryland in his ship.
My favorite part of this novel was Ryland’s developing understanding and relationship with another life form. From the way they learned how to communicate and work together, to their quick thinking problem solving using their various backgrounds and abilities was phenomenal. Ryland is introduced as a frustrated scientist with few personal connections. Watching him form a bond with someone else and the internal thoughts he went through establishing their relationship was fascinating.
I would recommend this book if you enjoy science and engineering. Math and science are used to describe details in a way to up the ante for those who can understand the language. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people and I found myself missing out on more physical based action and tension. However, Project Hail Mary is a good book, it just isn't the book for me.
Originally posted at www.behindthepages.org.
Rocky might be one of the best characters I've ever read! Loved this roller coaster of a book. For me it had all the juicy science and wit as The Martian, which is exactly what I wanted.
I hadn't read The Martian but enjoyed the movie. This book came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It was not what I expected but better than I could have hoped for. The great story telling and thorough science explanations along the way made this feel real instead of just a story. Looking forward to checking out more of his work. Fist Bump.
A Good SciFi story doesn't necessarily need quantum theory, just like life doesn't necessarily need water to form.
The reading journey was an immerse of fun. I was so into it that I kept reading it at all times possible. It's worth it.
Blehhhhhhhh. Like many other reviewer‘s, I really enjoyed “The Martian” and couldn't put it down.
The first few pages of “Project Hail Mary“ were promising. But then, the main character (whose name I can't remember and who clearly is a dullsville version of Mark Watney) just starts doing all kinds of formulas and writing on his skin and I just didn't care. I tried to stick with the story because the book has had so many glowing reviews, but it continued to get sillier and sillier. So, I DNF at 85-ish pages.
5.00/5.00
This book is masterpiece of scientific storytelling. I could not put it down. The creative amalgamation of astronomy, relativity, propulsion mechanics, astrobiology and yes, evolutionary science is a stunning story to read. I could not put it down. I could not put it down.
There are places where the story gets bogged down in too many details, which are not interesting enough to pay attention to.. but those are just the flaws you need in a such an incredible work of science fiction. I do not want to see this become a movie. That will simply ruin the science fiction aspect and overplay the friendship between Grace and Rocky.
This one makes it to my top 5 books.
An amazing love letter to science, discovery, and spirit. Do yourself a favour and go into this blind. Has just become the best science fiction book I've ever read.
This was a pretty shocking read both in terms of the quality of the novel itself but also considering how it has near universal praise.
I was very surprised at first that this read more like cosy sci-fi than the hard science fiction that I was led to believe that Andy Weir wrote.
At first it felt like a bit of a school science teachers wet dream a sort of remake of Under Seige where instead of a bunch of terrorists it's some intergalactic bug and our protagonist is “just” a school teacher rather than just the “cook”. However, there was far more drama and tension in that crappy old film than in this book despite the stakes being the survival of everyone on the planet.
None of the characters have anyone other than tired stereotypical traits. Our protagonist is practically invincible and able to do everything, ‘cause that's what science teachers do.
I'm fine with cosy fiction and quite like unlikely hero's saving the world but this was such a hard read. Felt more like a giant vanity project read more like pretty poor YA, not that I'm dissing YA.
Don't think I'll be risking another one of his.
Apesar da escrita agradável e das situações interessantes, a primeira parte do livro me pareceu um pouco derivada de várias outras obras espaciais recentes, desde Interstellar até Story of your life, em partes. No entanto, a partir de algum lugar perto do meio, a meu ver, Weir transcendeu todas essas sementes identificáveis para criar algo novo e original.
Com uma narrativa fluida e leve, intercalada entre flashbacks e o tempo “presente”, o texto corre muito bem e as duas partes se conectam com sentido. A aplicação do método científico aos problemas apresentados me interessa muito e fez minhas engrenagens girarem algumas vezes. Além disso, apesar dessa centralização da ciência, o erro continua sendo grande parte da humanidade da narrativa, causando tantas curvas na história quanto as descobertas.
Outro aspecto digno de nota é a visão otimista da humanidade frente a uma crise mundial. Relativamente distante da típica distopia centrada no caos, Hail Mary prefere focar na busca por soluções e na união em torno de um objetivo comum.
Por fim, minha quinta estrela sempre é subjetiva, e dessa vez ela veio quando Weir pegou diversos flocos dramáticos trabalhados ao longo de 400 páginas e deu conclusões satisfatórias a todos nos capítulos finais, deixando qualquer coração quentinho, apesar de apertado.
El mejor libro de ciencia ficción que he leído nunca. Lo he gozado como nunca.
This was amazing. By far the best audiobook I've ever read/listened to. I would HIGHLY recommend the audiobook - Ray Porter kills it. They also do such a cool thing with the audiobook that I would argue it works better here than it would as text.
This came with high recommendations from my whole family. I finally caved when my sister said it might be her favourite book of all time. I think it might be one of mine as well.
Ihan mielenkiintoinen scifi-kirja, joka ei kuitenkaan saanut minua kiinnostamaan tästä kovin syvällisesti. Kuuntelussa meni ihan ok.
Päähenkilön ja Kivisen välinen suhde oli kiinnostavin ja varmaan paras osa tätä teosta.
Entretenido. Con una buen historia (idea), pero, en mi particular opinión sentí que estaba leyendo una película de Hollywood (personajes, humor, desarrollo, etc), se que los libros se vuelven películas, es lo mas común, pero en este caso sentí que era una película en libro (seguramente que cuando se escribió se imagino en ese sentido).
If you enjoyed Andy Weir's ability to make science cool in The Martian, then you will love Project Hail Mary. Ryland Grace is that funny, charming science teacher you had back in the day. And Weir is able to weave a tale of grandeur, hope, and loss all into one.
Dare I say it's better than The Martian? It is.
I'm a big fan of The Martian and I heard good things about this one so I was ready to fall in love with another sci-fi engineering thriller. It's good... But it has some flaws that I think drag it down:
1. Every character feels the same. They're all slightly different versions of the narrator, and I found the narrator to be kind of one dimensional.
2. The plot is a little lazy at times! I don't want to spoil much, but the author tends to wave a magic wand and solve problems for the main character when they become inconvenient for the story he's trying to tell.
I don't know... I liked it, but it feels unpolished or maybe a little rushed. It did have a lot of cool ideas and there are some unexpected plot points that are cool if you don't get them spoiled for you. Very solid 3/5 for me. Worth the read, but don't expect greatness!
Never have I wanted to get fisted by what looks like a rock more than after reading this book.
That probably sounds weird out of context, but in context it is wholesome af, almost as wholesome as you'll feel after reading this book! Favorite read of 2022
3.75 stars. Extremely fun concept, explored in a beautiful way. Writing is readable and makes complex events easier to follow. Unfortunately, the writing feels a little rushed, and as a result, just not readable. Loved the ending and would recommend to others