Project Hail Mary

I am a slow reader so a finished book for me is a big deal, but this one was worth every page. It is smart, funny, emotional and filled with the kind of scientific problem solving that somehow feels both impossible and completely believable. The setup is wild. Something is draining energy from our Sun, putting all life on Earth at risk. Microscopic lifeforms called Astrophage are at the heart of it, feeding on sunlight and spreading across the stars. But somewhere out there near a distant system called Tau Ceti, a clue to saving humanity might be waiting. Enter Ryland Grace, a reluctant scientist who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. What follows is a story full of heart, discovery and unexpected friendship. Andy Weir has an incredible ability to make complex science accessible and even funny. Every problem has a clever solution and every moment carries weight. It is hard sci fi with heart which is exactly my favourite kind of storytelling. I appreciate that a lot of people have already reviewed this book and said similar things, but it really is that good. Sometimes a story deserves every bit of praise it gets. This book reminded me why I love science fiction so much. It is not just about rockets or stars, it is about people, about survival, curiosity and connection even when the odds are impossible. If you enjoyed The Martian you will love this one too. Easily a five star read from me.

No spoilers paragraph: A plausible human extinction threat and tackling it with risky solution attempt that captures your imagination by its ambitious scale yet also on a human/person individual level. There's science and maths but I didn't need to understand it much merely to trust it, but I did enjoy the problem-solving and the character interactions, especially the outsider's view of us. There are minor errors, I noticed, including a fairly major one near the end, but they don't ruin the book nor diminish my great affection for it. Starting in the present day, in the middle of things, and using a series of flashback scenes and using 1st person point-of-view, all create mystery and keeps our hero's adventure immediate. Andy Weir also writes with good humour, and seamlessly includes actual humour, so despite dangers and possible doom it's not a 'dark book'; I heard myself laughing out loud at times. Andy Weir is a writer you can trust, in that for a while I was worried he'd go all Hollywood and unnecessarily kill off a major beloved character. The ending is very satisfying, no loose ends, and without the irritating Hollywood-style cliffhanger designed for a sequel - for me this self-containment increased the re-reading pleasure. I read it 3 times within 2 weeks and parts also. I've left it alone for a while to try and ensure this review isn't too visceral. Mild spoiler paragraph: This (and 'The Martian' also by Andy Weir) is one my favourite and most enjoyable sci-fi reads (I've been reading sci-fi since mid-1960s). One of the best 'buddy' novels too. Canny structure, as starting 'in media res' (in the middle of things) and the flashbacks, though extremely common techniques (dating as far back as the ancient Greeks), work well here by creating mystery right from the start and, importantly, enables you to start in the present. If Andy Weir had written the scenes in straightforward chronological order it'd've been dull and taken half the book to get into space - if you want to see what that's like, read the W_k_p_dia synopsis. I bought the book on Kindle, and several hard copy paperbacks for hubby and members of my family. There are a few, and varied, cultural references. With younger readers in my family I had to explain the 'Rocky' film references including a name/planet name, and also the reference to the text-game 'Colossal Cave Adventure' (1976; I played it 1979), and USA football 'hail mary' desperation play jointly referenced with Roman Catholicism's rosary 'hail mary [full of grace]' and the main character's surname Grace. It's led to unexpected but nice sharing of aspects from the book e.g. "watch me sleep?" The proof-reader missed several things e.g. (in the Kindle version anyway) a read-out of a scientific measurement should be in italics (as it's a different speaker). I believe the penultimate sentence should read "...speed of light, question?" which the editor should've picked up.

I read the paperback alongside listening to the Audio Book (Immersive Reading). This space adventure completely hooked me, even if it took a little bit of time to get my bearings at first. Right from the start, the story throws you directly into a dual narrative, constantly jumping back and forth between Ryland Grace’s past on Earth and his high-stakes present reality in deep space. I must admit that this structural back-and-forth threw me off a bit during the opening chapters, but it didn't take long to find the rhythm and really get into the story. Once you get going, be prepared because there is a lot of science packed into these pages and this is where having the narration really helped as it is filled with dense physics, biology, and math equations, as the book is just such a deep read it completely sweeps you up anyway. The characters were easily my favourite part of the whole journey. I absolutely loved Ryland's sarcastic, dry sense of humour, and his witty internal monologue keeps the tone light and fun even when everything is going wrong. But the absolute highlight of the novel is the lovely, heartwarming friendship that develops between Ryland and the alien lifeform. Their bond is built on genuine trust and shared problem-solving, and it gives the whole book an incredible emotional anchor. Just when you think you have the mission figured out, the plot hits you with a few totally unexpected twists. It all culminates in an ending that I did not predict.

What a terrific read. Full of carefully researched science with a fallible lead character and a wry sense of humour. The plot pans out beautifully with enough incidents and drama to keep you hooked. I loved it, but will avoid the film when it comes out as Hollywood will no doubt dumb it down.

I really don’t know how to begin with this one. I listened to the audiobook and read on Kindle at the same time, this was nice as I find this works great for my mommy brain and helped me concentrate on the story. Believe me when I say I WAS FULLY INVESTED. This book was nothing like what I expected it to be, and it almost became my first 5-star read of this year! So without further ado let me tell you what I could gather from my thoughts lol they are still everywhere, bear with me. This is the story of humanity and how one person and “his unexpected friend” try to save it, and not only. We follow the disastrous consequences caused by something that is eating away the sun’s energy, and the Earth is facing an apocalypse if nothing is done about it. What can we do? How can we do it, and where is the solution? Well, Stratt will be thinking about that, and she will do one hell of a good job, I don’t care what you think about her, she did the right thing, however morally grey her approach might have been had I had been in her place I would have done the same thing. So far, so good. We have the means, and we have the crew, but will it work out, or will everything just blow up in our faces? Man, I really loved how the story begins and how Ryland is slowly regaining his memories, and we go back and forth between the past and the present. This is done amazingly, and the whole science part was just wow. The scary part of it is that it could actually happen! I don’t know about the accuracy of the science in here, but you can tell aaaa ton of research has gone through, and Weir, my friend, you did a brilliant job conveying it in a science-for-dummies way to us poor creatures. I am honestly still recovering from what I experienced. The humour, the whole plot, the twists and turns were great and very well-written! I just loved the relationship between Ryland and Rocky. The science, how everything was explained and worked out in the end. Was just great. This book really was soooo close to getting my first 5-star review! It just came short due to the too many twists part. They were a tad too many for my liking, and I was expecting to see what actually happened to Earth during and after… I hope there is a second book tackling those topics I would be beyond happy to know more! It feels incomplete to me… Ryland Grace, Rocky, Hail Mary, Blip-A they all have a special place in my heart now. Damn, even Stratt does and those “children” at the end ah man… Overall, this book received 4.5 stars.

I absolutely fell in love with this book and have been recommending it everyone I know. At its core, Project Hail Mary is a story of survival, discovery, and unexpected friendships. We follow Ryland Grace waking up alone in space, with no memory, next to two dead bodies that he doesn’t recognise, and absolutely no clue where he is or why he is there. As he slowly pieces together his mission, and understands that the fate of the Earth is in his hands, he must use all of his scientific knowledge to face challenges which grow increasingly more complex and dangerous. Watching his memories come back piece by piece was such a clever and compelling narrative choice. The twists were so perfectly paced, right up until the end of the book you are still putting together the why’s and how’s of Grace ending up in space. I think this really added an emotional weight to the story as we learn Grace’s backstory as well as the enormity of the mission that he has been sent on. For me the best part of the book was the relationship between Grace and Rocky. It was so unexpectedly heart-warming and their growing camaraderie and cooperation felt genuine and hopeful in a way that was incredibly powerful. I also have to give huge credit to Andy Weir for the way that he weaves complex science into the story, whether it’s astrophysics, chemistry or microbiology, he manages to explain it in a way that feels smart but accessible and ultimately not overwhelming the reader. Beyond the science and the space adventure I really liked the emotional depth of the story, the moral and ethical decisions made on Earth by Stratt and the international community in their response to the danger as well as Grace confronting his own uncomfortable truths about who he is and the choices he makes. I grew up a sci-fi fan, I would watch Stargate SG1 religiously, and the whole array of Star Trek’s. Project Hail Mary reminded me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place, it’s smart, heartfelt and full of wonder.

A worthy read, failing a sequel to The Martian. I love the author's style and storyline. I love the science and engineering, I'm both. Great characters throughout, especially 'Rocky.' More?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars 🚫 Zero Spice lol This book is light years away from my normal day to day read, but turns out that did not matter because fudging hell, I loved it!! The book starts off pretty easy. There is humor and mystery, and honestly, I felt like I slipped into the book as easily as breathing. It is hard to even put into words why the book worked so well, but I will start with my highlights. The premise of the story itself, the high stakes, the risks, and this massive unknown all work brilliantly. As someone who is not particularly science minded, I would say that even with all the information and technical details sprinkled throughout the book, I was still completely invested. I normally dislike books that use flashbacks or things that pull me away from the main story, but here it felt like I was living inside Grace's struggling mind as he worked to understand for himself what in the world had happened to get him here. It made for the BEST mystery. I spent almost the whole flipping book convinced of one thing, only to reach the end and go OMG!!! I was wrong. It completely flipped everything on its head, and I loved it. It had me gasping and feeling awful for Grace when he learned the truth too. While Grace was, of course, the lead, and I really enjoyed his character, Rocky totally stole the top spot for me. He was so likable, and watching him become a little sassier, more fun, and more outspoken as the story went on had me rolling around giggling. I loved watching the pair bounce off one another, learn together, and simply try to do the best they could. I was honestly shocked by how much I liked this book because it somehow felt like it had both a lot going on and not much going on at the same time. It is such a weird feeling. Normally when I read a book there are so many characters that I need notes to remember important names, but here the story is limited and contained because of the environment and situation. The flashbacks give you lots of people, places, and events, but they all exist within Grace's memories. In reality, you are stuck on a small ship and almost completely alone. I felt like the author handled the back and forth between those two elements incredibly well, and I could not have been happier with it. A few things I struggled with were that some of the science became a little overwhelming for me, and I had to reread those sections. I also would have loved a more emotional reaction from Grace in a few places. There were moments where I felt he should have had a bigger outburst or more emotional turmoil. I know I would have been climbing the walls. Also, that ending... OMG!!! Perfect. I really liked how it ended, but I did have one massive question and one moment that made me gasp. I cannot say much more because I do not want to spoil anything for people who have not read it. Overall, a fantastic science fiction book!!

I absolutely adored PHM. It has everything: adventure, humanity, encounters with alien life forms, suspense, science, and, yes, emotion. I was in awe of the book. What a story. A rather ordinary science teacher is sent to a distant star to save planet Earth and meets an alien, Rocky, who is trying to save his own planet. A beautiful friendship blossoms between the teacher and the alien. It's such a beautiful story. Not a scientific person myself, I wasn't in the least put off by the science in the book. In fact, it's wondrous. This will stay with me for a long time. A truc sci-fi masterpiece and a great story, whether you like the genre or not.

Fun read, very exciting and difficult to put down. Rocky is a lovable character and as a long time sci-fi fan, I'm always down for the 'friendship saves the day' type of story. The movie is an excellent companion and I recommend reading even if you've already seen the film, they compliment and add to each other nicely. If you're looking for a nice and exciting space story to lift your spirits and escape from the slog of everyday life, this is a good pick.

I was not crying at the end of last the book, im sure there were ninjas cutting onions close to me. Seriously, I loved this story. Sometimes it gets a bit too technical, but it's a masterpiece if you like this type of story The Martian took me 3 days to read, this one I finished in one week mainly because I have a toddler, otherwise I would be done in 4 days for sure.

Great book finish reading 4 times, and decided to support the author with a hardcover copy, recieved in great condition in a nice little amazon box.

Weir yine bilimsel detaylar, denklemler, hesaplar vererek harika bir kurgu yazmış. Bitireli baya oldu hala daha üzerine düşündüğüm bir kitap.