Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir, 2021
Of course I found this book in a list of the best science fiction and fantasy in The Guardian and it is a solid four star on Goodreads which set my expectations high. Andy Weir’s first book, The Martian, was a runaway success and has also been made into a movie starring Matt Damon. According to Wired, MGM has picked up the movie rights to Project Hail Mary so Weir definitely has touched the science nerd in all of us.
Here is another isolated scientist in space against a world ending threat story, totally a true hard science sci-fi genre with a single protagonist, a spaceship (amaze), and a mission to save the earth. I cannot really go into the plot without giving away spoilers but the writing was totally absorbing with enough tension and catastrophe to keep me turning the page to find out what next.
...the writing was totally absorbing with enough tension and catastrophe to keep me turning the page to find out what next.
- Jane Cowell
Ryland Grace, our scientist, wakes up on a spaceship with amnesia and two dead crewmates. What follows is the alternative chapters of the slow reveal of his returning memory dealing with his past on earth, and his present challenges of managing the spaceship and finding out his ultimate mission. Grace is a quirky nerd who loves, loves, loves science.
There are some very funny moments, and while the science and calculations can overtake the story in parts it is a very enjoyable read and Grace is an engaging character, especially as he learns more about himself and his crewmates as his memory slowly returns. And Weir does like the science to be as accurate as possible – however outlandish his plots are which conversely engage the reader more.
This is a rollicking adventure of hard sci-fi – enter the spaceship Hail Mary if you dare and I for one, cannot wait for the movie. Especially as I have already read the book!