Starting this review for Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary was difficult, to say the least. Seriously, I stared at the computer for about half an hour trying to figure out how I felt about this book. And it’s not because the book is bad, far from it. I loved The Martian and Artemis, and this book has joined them easily. This review was difficult because I couldn’t put into words how Project Hail Mary transported me to another world while keeping me firmly on this one’s.
Maybe that’s a good place to start.
Despite the fact that this book travels light years away because of a problem in our solar system, you don’t feel like you’re out of your depth. And this is coming from someone who didn’t understand half of the technical jargon in any of Andy Weir’s books. It’s not because I’m slacking. It’s just that I’m not a scientist, an astronaut, or someone as well versed as Weir. But I didn’t feel like I was being talked down.
I mattered to this story and me understanding what was going on was of paramount important. That’s why the book had so many flashbacks to the discovery of the problem on Earth and what humans did to solve it. Those flashbacks helped ground us and explain things, while showing us the way to the stars thanks to Weir’s masterful writing. Yes, I said “masterful” and I’m not taking it back.
Some people might not find Weir’s writing style as engaging as I did. But it’s the same Weir that we’ve had from The Martian and Artemis and I found both of those books so entertaining that I had to know what was going to happen next. That could also be said for Project Hail Mary‘s Ryland Grace, our protagonist. He was engaging, funny, honest, real, and reacted in ways that I would’ve too because being in space with no memories is a trip.
Without giving too much away because you really should read this book, I was nervous 75% of the time while reading this book because so many things could go wrong when you’re out there in space and all alone. Or…are you? Maybe an unexpected guest comes around and changes your whole perception on life, what’s brought you to this moment, and how crazy things can get because two minds are always better than one.
What you get from Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary is one of the best books of 2021 that leaves you wanting for more long after it peels back the layers of why this adventure is so interesting. And if this is your first Weir book, I hope you go back and check out The Martian and Artemis. They’re just as brilliant and make you wonder what adventures await us out there in the stars.
Project Hail Mary is now available to purchase here.
