Project Hail Mary begins with an amnesiac astronaut waking up in a room with two mummified bodies, and needs to remember who he is and what he’s doing. Turns out, he’s on a space station hurtling through space. Through a series of flashbacks we learn that the hero, Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher, is humanities sole hope in what is surely to be a cataclysmic event causing the end of all life on Earth.
If you’ve read Andy Weir’s previous books (The Martian and Artemis), then you’ll be acquainted with his voice. Each of the characters are plucky, pun-ridden, and sassy, no matter the situation. While Weir’s writing style offers puns, jokes, and pop-culture references that inject levity and fun, they’re shoe-horned into characters in high leadership positions facing humanity ending crises, it just feels wrong in the end.
What starts as a space flu stealing the heat from our sun, and expanding to dozens of nearby stars, Project Hail Mary establishes the science that forms the bedrock for the rest of the plot. While the mystical astrophage is fantastical, I like that Weir establishes its properties quickly, then has those properties come back again and again to create unexpected problems for the characters to solve. I also like that it feels like Weir has done his homework, just like in The Martian. The Science feels researched and real, and inspires excitement when a character can take a scientific approach and apply logical steps to their situations.
Project Hail Mary is an approachable hard Sci-Fi, first encounter tale, as it’s filled with optimism. Curiosity and excitement are the main emotions the heroes feel and display, which is great for someone like myself who doesn’t read a lot of Sci-Fi in the first place. I got caught up in the adventure and discovery that Project Hail Mary promised, and I was enraptured when Blip-A first appeared. It never got mired down in fear, war, or politics, as many Sci-Fi books do. Rocky very quickly turned into a snarky human-esqe character instead of an alien with its own personality and culture, I nevertheless enjoyed the ride.
The parts that felt contrived were Rocky’s magical material that seemed to be able to fit any situation. On the other hand, I do like that its qualities came back to bite the characters in the ass. Also, once Grace remembered enough about his missions, I felt the flashbacks became unnecessary. It was establishing some of the character qualities that Grace no longer exhibited in the present story. He’s a coward, but he preforms death-defying EVAs without a moment’s hesitation. He’s selfish, but he very quickly sacrifices himself to save his friend. I felt the flashbacks went on just a little too long and near the end, I found myself really wanting to return to the present story.
I enjoyed Project Hail Mary. It was a fun, optimistic adventure, and I recommending it despite my criticisms, especially to anyone who enjoyed the Martian. I don’t think Project Hail Mary will convert those who bounced off Weir’s previous books, but for returning fans, this adventure tickled my love of discovery and was an incredibly fun read.
