Book Review: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir (Weir)

This is another exciting, engrossing space tale from the guy who gave us The Martian and Artemis.

 

The story opens with Ryland Grace, middle-school science teacher, waking onboard a space vessel with no idea who he is, where he is, or why he is where he is. The book initially moves between flashbacks and current time as he, and we, eventually learn the true nature of his mission and his attempts to work out a solution to save earth. And we meet an alien!

 

Andy Weir is always about the science when creating his stories, but don’t let that deter you. He makes it mostly understandable for the non-scientist group. Just read it, there’s no test at the end of the book. Yet he makes it interesting how Grace solves his problems. Not to mention how Grace and the alien use science to introduce themselves and communicate.

 

The humor is wonderfully snarky and laugh-out-loud:

 

“I have to say, though, the cutting torch Rocky made for me
works like a charm. A little Astrophage, an IR light, some
lenses, and I have a freakin’ death ray in my hands.”

 

And the ending is perfect. (DON’T READ AHEAD!)

 

There is also a film in development staring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace.

 

For those who prefer an audio book, the narrator does an excellent job (I bought my own copy) and makes Grace and the story come alive. Currently the library has available a downloadable audio book only in Spanish. Check back to learn when additional editions are available.

 

( official Andy Weir web site )

 

See Charlotte M.’s review of Andy Weir’s novel The Martian in the April 2014 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!