Project Hail Mary

This book is absolutely fantastic. It doesn’t really pull you in untill about chapter 7. After that it’s such a fun/fast read. My only complaint is that the book ended. It was such a great story that I didn’t want it to end

Andy Wear is not only an excellent writer but is a great thinker. This story is so well told it draws you in to the point you feel you are there A great story.

Wow, what a well written, very unique novel. Andy Weir touches on over 100 different questions, each of which could be the basis for its own novel.Exceptionally well written, I easily immersed myself in it, and rushed to finish it, too soon, unfortunately, I accomplished my task.Like Andy Weir, I read science fiction for years as a young adult. I suspect he has accomplished a share dream, by becoming an internationally known sci-fi writer who will be read, and referred to for centuries.

What would happen on Earth if we knew the sun was dying? Space traveler, Grace, gets to find out. He works with another he meets in apace in the same circumstance. I don't want to give away too much. You should let it unfold as you read.

Is a great interpretation of space exploration and human willingness To survive any adversities. The 1 thing I would have said that Andy could have been done better is the transitions between the present and the past, The transition felt a little abrupt between the timelines. Overall it was an excellent read and I'll definitely recommend this book to anybody, Especially someone that loves Sci-fi.

This was one of the most intriguing books I’ve read in years. It’s a meaty, science-heavy book, but written with warmth and humour, and a compelling plot. It’s easy to get completely absorbed in the story and I’ve had a few late nights because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

Andy Weir does not disappoint. Yes, he takes you to the edge credulity, but supplies you with enough real science to pull you along in this amazing journey. He also makes you think about early humans as they expanded their knowledge beyond their known world and how they dealt with what they found.

He didn’t want to disappoint his students, so he turned down the science officer post on the Hail Mary. They chose him, anyway, so then he went 13 light years away to find a way to keep the Astrophage in balance. Rocky is an alien life form that teaches himEridian. Together they save both home worlds. Very intriguing story!

So, I never really read Science Fiction. This book was picked for our book club in May, and I really had mixed feelings. However, I was determined to read it.I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it . Andy Weir did a great job of combining humanity with all the complex emotions that come with it, space travel, and end of the world apocalyptic theory.My only complaint was the amount of time he spent on explaining engineering and science. A little less detail would be fine with me, but hey, I was a business major, so go figure.Definitely recommend reading.

Andy weir does it again, he brings you into his world of physics, mathematics, science, astronomy and chemistry. If you can get through the technical stuff the story is really fascinating, each character has a specific goal, but they work as a team to save humanity. Andy Weir’s voice is of a genuinely nice guy with a comic relief valve. I really enjoyed this book.

Totally recommend, even if you aren't a science nerd (which I'm not) A new twist on the earth is dying and a small group has to save the world. Literally. And aliens are the bad guys and others are the good guys. Enough twists and turns to keep pages turning pretty quickly, and enough emotional weight to keep you at the edge of your seat. Highly, highly recommended.

Another incredible novel by one of the best writers of our time.How far would you go to stop the apocalypse? How deep is your connection to humanity? How many questions can I ask to avoid massive spoilers in a book with so much well written excitement that I'm late for work because I had to finish the last chapters and write this review?!

Let me explain.I started Project Hail Mary hoping for the best, and expecting "good not great". There was a part of me that was skeptical that I would be as engrossed in Hail Mary as I was with The Martian. Why? Because of Artemis. I enjoyed Artemis, but it didn't suck me in like Weir's previous novel. I've read The Martian multiple times, and each time I do, I'm on the edge of my seat. I know I sound like a broken record by this point, but Artemis just didn't hit the same.Then comes along Project Hail Mary, and I'm immediately hooked. I blink, and three hours have passed. I notice I'm sweating, and my muscles are knotted up because I've been hunched over, watching as the pages fly by effortlessly. I forgot to freaking breathe. This book literally took my breath away.Andy Weir channeled the essence of a GREAT science teacher, because he managed to somehow make the hard science extremely approachable. He brought it all down to earth in a way that even as a self-described crayon eater like myself could follow. Protect this man at all costs!

A space novel with a single human tasked with saving the world, and all of humanity - he meets an unknown space alien from another universe. Together, they learn how to communicate and work together to solve an impossible problem. It's heartwarming and exciting and even death-defying!!There is a lot of science in there, but it's also uniquely explained and keeps you going from one hurdle to another.I loved it. Friendship, solving yet another problem and just surviving keeps one invested in reading this novel.As they say: Try it - you'll like it!

If you like hard science fiction you will really enjoy this book. Nothing in it happens without a scientific explanation. There is real substance here. It is also a pretty good story, and the main two characters are well developed and interesting.They say it is being made into a movie. That will be interesting, indeed, because the science is quite detailed. So either Hollywood will dumb it down to make it more palatable (and ruin the science), or they will include the science and make a great science fiction film that most people ( except us nerds) will find boring.Either way, I’m looking forward to it.

There are portions of this book that take a willing suspension of disbelief to buy into, that seem deus ex machina, and even some element of "Mary Sue." You know what? I didn't care. I was fascinated by both the premise and how it played out. Presenting it as a first person narrative was the perfect offset to turn blocks of hard science exposition into a compelling human storyline. Understanding the science helps, but it's not required to enjoy the ride on this rocketship -- so long as you're only tagging along in the virtual sense, and not actually trying to survive it in person.I will say that I wanted to know more about the head of Project Hail Mary -- particularly in light of the current state of our planet and its politics, that could have been a fascinating story in and of itself, and leaving it out was one of those deus ex machina elements. But even without that, the story entertained me mightily, such that I was willing to overlook the few stray ends and unanswered questions. Questions like, how much of what was shared with the reader, was logged to the beetle's harddrives? Was it just the hard science, or was it the full story, including the full circumstances of the Hail Mary's crew, the choices made and by whom, and the specific reasons behind those choices? Several other open questions would be spoilers to detail here. In fact, it's difficult to discuss at all without giving away more than a review should, so I'll simply say that this is a healthy helping of grand space adventure beads, strung on a hard science chain...perhaps even a xenonite one. ;-)

"“Computer! Painkillers!” “Additional dose available in three hours and four minutes.” I frown. “Computer: What is the current time?” “Seven-fifteen p.m., Moscow Standard Time.” “Computer: Set time to eleven p.m. Moscow Standard Time.” “Clock set complete.” “Computer: painkillers.”"Imagine waking up and not knowing where you are or how you got there. Imagine not even knowing your name. As your memories begin to come through little by little, you slowly figure out that somehow, Earth has entrusted YOU, a career drop-out, now teacher, to save the planet and all of humanity. Imagine being in space on mission lightyears away and you can't remember how you got there or why you were chosen? The why and how doesn't really matter though does it? What matters is you are Earth's last chance. This is Dr. Rylands Grace's new reality.This book was a phenomenal read! Science fiction is not my go-to genre but this was my book clubs current pick. I will say that the audiobook enhanced the experience a lot and would HIGHLY recommend listening to the audio, even if you have already read it. The narrator does an impeccable job. Project Hail Mary was everything you would want in a book. There is a tale of friendship, there is a heart-wrenching twist, and just absolute realistic comedy. The way this author threads together complicated astrophysics and other science with a practical yet enthralling narrative is nothing short of pure genius. I never once got bored, even while the characters were discussing very complex science. I devoured this book and I will be reading more from the author.If you liked the read or seen the movie the Martian, Project Hail Mary is written by the same author. Project Hail Mary is also set to be a major motion picture, staring Ryan Gosling and is to be released in 2026. If you like sci-fi and space and alien life THIS is the book for you. And if you don't... I STILL recommend it because it is that good!

If you loved the Martian in either book or movie form, Project Hail Mary will likely delight you.The main character (who I'll leave nameless to avoid spoilers) is nearly identical to The Martian's lead, Mark Watney. They have similar personalities, the same fundamental mission of surviving in a hostile environment, and both use real-world biology, chemistry, and physics to solve their problems from start to finish. The book provides an early test for whether or not you'll enjoy it: on page five, when our protagonist is being quizzed by an annoyingly paternalistic computer that is demanding to know the square root of eight, our hero replies with the smart aleck answer: "two times e to the two-i-pi". If you find this interaction amusing, all good; if it's off-putting, turn back now.In fairness, Project Hail Mary shares The Martian's flaws as well. The protagonist's character is a bit better developed - but only slightly. The conflict is entirely man-vs-environment. And though the protagonist is often in situations that might cause one to ponder the essential truths of the human condition, he never does. His personality and behavior as a sarcastic problem-solving scientist / engineer are pitch-perfect but the book rarely goes any deeper. He has an established motivation and a flaw to be overcome - but these are really just superficial grace-notes (see what I did there?). This is not Crime and Punishment. Instead, it's a page-turning action-hero book - where instead of firing shots, the action hero saves the day by doing science really well. Books that celebrate real science are rare, so if that's what you came for, you're going to love what Project Hail Mary delivers.Although largely similar, there are four main ways in which Project Hail Mary differs on the Martian so I'll touch on those now:1. The stakes are higher - much higher! In The Martian, Mark Watney is already a bit of a super hero - he's an astronaut after all - and all he really needs to do is stay alive. In Project Hail Mary, our hero is much more of an every-man and his job is nothing less than to save the human race.2. The Martian is told in chronological order. In Project Hail Mary, our hero awakens with a serious case of amnesia and can't even remember his own name. He starts his adventures at essentially the most dull part of his recent life. As time passes he both tackles dramatic new challenges and remembers the wild adventures that brought him here. Andy Weir does a fantastic job of interweaving the past and the present and the result is a very effective narrative framework that lands on a "Wow!" moment at the end of nearly every chapter.3. Project Hail Mary is a buddy story. In The Martian, Mark Watney is alone in his battle against the elements of Mars for nearly the entire book. By contrast, Project Hail Mary, once it really gets going, is absolutely a tale of buddy-bonding. This surprised and, ultimately, delighted me. It helps give the protagonist a bit more of a human side. And the team problem-solving scenes are, again, pitch-perfect.4. Project Hail Mary puts the 'fiction' back in Science Fiction. In The Martian, leaving aside the opening wind storm and the closing chapter of wish-fulfillment heroics, we are essentially in a very tightly written NASA simulation. I found this incredibly enjoyable - but one could reasonably ask, where are the big ideas? Where are the bold 'what ifs'? The answer is, they're in Project Hail Mary! The science is still real and omni-present, but the fiction is big, bold, and awesome. If you're main draw for the Martian was the NASA lore and you wished Weir would write an even tighter sequel detailing the Apollo 13 events, you may be a bit disappointed - but everyone else is going to love this change of pace!So that's it in a nutshell: Project Hail Mary is a fantastic next book to read after The Martian. It's a clear spiritual successor but brings new ideas and structure to the game. Enjoy!

According to a 2003 article on the NASA website, "NASA-funded scientists have recently learned that cloud-to-ground lightning frequently strikes the ground in two or more places ..." and that the third and fourth strokes of a lightning flash will follow the same path as the second stroke. In other words, lightning DOES strike the same place twice.But you don't need to search the web for this information. If you want proof that lightning strikes twice, just read Andy Weir's newest book, Project Hail Mary, and you'll see that Weir has created a giant sci-fi bestseller, in the same electric path as The Martian.Ryland Grace has a puzzle on his hands. He wakes up without a clue as to where he is, but he seems to be alone except for a computer AI that was keeping him alive. Unfortunately it didn't seem to be doing the same for two others in his ... wherever he is ... as he notes the decayed corpses in their creches on the ... well, it's a ship. A space ship. And bit by bit Grace puts the pieces of the puzzle together.An alien microbe has been discovered. Ryland Grace is brought on to the science team to learn more about the life form because Grace, currently a middle school science teacher, wrote papers about the notation that there does not need to be water to create life. Only in a biozone such as Earth's would water be needed, but other building blocks could be used in other systems.The science community as a whole mocked Grace, which is why he left and went on to teach kids, but now, he may be the best suited to understand this new life form. And as he remembers more and more, he also remembers that this life form is feeding on the energy output of the sun, which is decreasing the energy that gets to Earth, which spells disaster - as in the end of all life as currently known - on Earth if something isn't done.Scientists discover that Sol isn't the only star that is losing its energy output - likely due to the alien consumption, but that there is one star, in the center of all the known stars losing their energy, that remains constant with its output. In which case, the answer to the survival for Earth is likely found there, at Tau Ceti.The world's best scientific minds come together (by force and coercion) to create a ship that can get to Tau Ceti in twelve years (using the alien microbe as fuel) with shuttle pods to bring back answers to how to save the planet, but for the crew, it's a one-way trip.Knowing why he's there is only the first puzzle for Grace. Now he has to figure out how to save Earth. There's a very small window of time for him to discover the way to save the human race and get the answers sent back. Take too long and the shuttles will return to a dead planet.This book is amazing.Author Andy Weir brings us back to the magic that made The Martian so successful - an abandoned scientist trying to survive. But Ryland Grace's story is more complicated because he's not just trying to survive, but also help humanity survive.There's lots and lots of science - which is part of Weir's writing signature - and there's also a really wonderful story.It's hard for me to tell you just what I liked about this book because anything I write will be a spoiler and a huge part of the joy in this book is making the discoveries with Ryland Grace.Grace is our main character, but through the liberal use of flashbacks, we have a full cast of characters - at least one quite important to the story. Everyone is unique and individual which makes it easy to read, but just as with The Martian, where Mark Watney's personality carries the story, Ryland Grace here is the smart-mouth, sometimes funny, obsessed scientist infusing his personal tastes into his discoveries. He's also quite smart - which is good since he will need his intellect to save all of humanity.This is a page-turner. I did not want to put this book down. Neither did my 21 year old son who picked up my copy after I was well into it and finished it before I did. And days later he's still talking about how much he liked it and quoting sections of it to me at the dinner table.I hope Ballantine Books will do a very large print run because this is going to be huge seller and you definitely don't want to miss out on the biggest thing to come out in 2021.Looking for a good book? Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is proof that lightning strikes twice as this has all the excitement and energy of Weir's debut novel, with a more complicated storyline that will hold the reader all the way to the end.

I consider The Martian my favorite fictional novel of the last 15-20 years. The movie was incredible in that they actually followed the book closer than 99% of other films based on books. It remains my favorite movie of the last 15 years or so as well. I don't know anyone (personally) that loves either of them as much as I do.With that said, I was REALLY looking forward to Artemis. It was good...but, it was certainly not in the same caliber as The Martian was (at least not for me). I enjoyed it a lot, however and appreciated how author Andy Weir chose to go in a completely different direction and not just rehash another similar story, which I am certain would have been great as well.As a result, I was cautious regarding Project Hail Mary. It sounded a little too close to The Martian, but yet, also different in that the circumstances simply could not be more opposite and the stakes so much higher. I'm trying to figure out the best way to summarize without giving too much away from this utterly compelling novel. As I read several reviews, I noticed a recurring theme: SCIENCE. Lots and LOTS of science. Holy cow, they were right. Many years ago I read Apollo 13 and Jim Lovell and his co-writer, try as they might, simply could not dumb down Orbital Mechanics anywhere near enough for me to have even a minor clue as to what they were attempting to say...I just skipped 90% of it and hoped that the sentences written afterwards, would help to make sense of what I had just skimmed over. I'm a lot of things, but a math wizard is definitely not one of them. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) had an amazing talent for dumbing-down the science of what he was trying to explain in ways that genuinely made sense (most of the time). Not everyone has this talent, and I would say Andy Weir falls squarely in between. He's certainly better than Jim Lovell, but not quite as good as Crichton. But then again, outside of a science textbook, I haven't really read anything with quite as MUCH science as Project Hail Mary. So maybe he's just as good, but he just puts more science into his books than Crichton, maybe that's it...? Either way, be prepared for a lot of astonishingly interesting science within the pages of this novel...and I DO mean a LOT. I don't say this to make you wary or steer you away...on the contrary, Andy Weir has a special talent for making hard science truly entertaining.The book opens with an absolutely amazing and frightening premise: an astronaut awakes from an induced coma to find the only other two people on board have died at some point along their journey...but it gets worse. He has no idea who he is, or why he's on the ship, and oh yeah, they look to be a long way from home. A really, REALLY long way from home. In fact, the sun he sees isn't actually OUR sun at all. He's managed to leave our solar system entirely. And he has no idea why.((Minor Spoilers)) The book goes through some clever flash-backs, which set the stage for why the mission happens, and slowly, carefully explains how they managed to get so far away from earth in such a short amount of time. Basically, earth's sun seems to be dying. At the rate of decay, we have maybe 19 years left before the gradual cooling has catastrophic consequences resulting in the death of billions (best guess). Why the sun is dimming is quite the conundrum in the first place. Turns out it really isn't dying, it's being killed by an outside source...which turns out to be easily the greatest find in history. It's alien life, and they are using the sun for food, essentially. It's alien life, but not intelligent life. But still, wow! ALIENS, right???After this monumental discovery, and some tremendous research done by the most improbable scientist, the investigation into what is happening and why and what to do about it expands exponentially to other nations in order to pool all the resources possible to hopefully save the sun, and by extension, the human race as well. They learn. A LOT. A plan is put together, and with the help of the newly discovered microscopic alien life, which can also double as a power source (along with a few other nifty surprises), they begin to create one last, Hail Mary that could very well be the last chance we might have to save earth. It's audacious. It's dangerous, and it is absolutely critical that it succeed.As our astronaut's memory slowly unravels, so does his identity: Ryland Grace. He's a teacher on earth. Just a science teacher. Not even a college professor. He's amazingly smart, though. But he's no astronaut...and certainly not one who would volunteer to go on a one-way mission to another solar system to "try" and save humanity. Yet here he is. Alone. light years from earth, trying to solve the biggest riddle in all of human history. Ryland accepts his situation, such as it is, with relative indifference (for the most part). It doesn't matter HOW he got here. He's here now and he may as well use that time to be as productive as pos...