furkell reviewed Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Review of 'Project Hail Mary' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Espectacular
English language
Published June 10, 2021 by Penguin Random House.
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that’s been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it’s up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Part scientific mystery, part …
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.
His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that’s been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it’s up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.
And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian–while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.
Espectacular
This is less of a novel and more of a fourteen hour cool war story told over beers on a Friday. If you know a scientist, software developer or engineer who hasn't read this and doesn't read much give them a copy. It is somewhat US centric but a fun read in anyway.
Como escritor me parece regulero, los personajes principales de sus 3 novelas tienen la misma personalidad y están cortados por los mismos patrones, y aún con estos defectos te mantiene enganchado totalmente con sus explicaciones científicas y su historia.
A fascinating book that, like "The Martian", contains a few specific 'hand wavy' parts, but for the rest, strictly follows the rules of physics as we know it, and features a protagonist (or two) that can science (and engineer) the heck out of things to solve problems.
The book starts with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, along with fellow dead crew members. As he explores the ship and his memory of recent events starts to return, we learn that Earth is in trouble. A lifeform that is literally breeding on the energy of the sun has been discovered. As it multiplies (exponential growth), the sun gets dimmer, with catastrophic consequences for the Earth. Ryland learns that other nearby stars are also dimming, except for one: Tau Ceti. And he's on a mission to that star to discover why it's not …
A fascinating book that, like "The Martian", contains a few specific 'hand wavy' parts, but for the rest, strictly follows the rules of physics as we know it, and features a protagonist (or two) that can science (and engineer) the heck out of things to solve problems.
The book starts with Ryland Grace waking up on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, along with fellow dead crew members. As he explores the ship and his memory of recent events starts to return, we learn that Earth is in trouble. A lifeform that is literally breeding on the energy of the sun has been discovered. As it multiplies (exponential growth), the sun gets dimmer, with catastrophic consequences for the Earth. Ryland learns that other nearby stars are also dimming, except for one: Tau Ceti. And he's on a mission to that star to discover why it's not affected before it is too late for Earth to survive.
At that star, he will make a voyage of discovery as he uses his wits and scientific knowledge to make deductions and test them by making experiments. He will encounter problems and solve them with intellect and skill, only to move on to the next one. But by the end of the story, just when you thought all the problems have been solved, one final one is presented that will require him to make a decision that may well end his life, for the sake of friendship.
This is a story of solving problems with science and engineering, yet not forgetting that you sometimes have to put them aside to do what seems to be the right thing.
This was a flawed book, but I still liked it. I definitely understand why Andy Weir wrote very few characters for The Martian. The quality of the book definitely dipped in the sections with a bigger cast.
A good one from the author of "The Martian" that I read in just 3 days! The story didn't get boring but be warned, this is not hard sci-fi. Certain liberties are taken, but the overall plot works well.
I loved this book and the narrator was perfect.
I feel in love with rocky and got very upset when ever he was in danger.
I also loved that the hero wasn't an unthinking unselfish hero, he was very human.
Not sure I loved the ending but it worked.
I really enjoyed The Martian but wasn't as impressed by Artemis so I wasn't sure whether I'd like this one or not, but in Project Hail Mary it seems as if Weir is back to The Martian form. The book features Ryland Grace, who awakens from a coma to find himself the only surviving astronaut on a spaceship on a mission of which he has no memory... in fact, he doesn't even remember his own name, let alone how he got there or what he's supposed to do. Fortunately for us, this turns what could otherwise have been a rather weighty chunk of science exposition into almost a whodunnit mystery, as Ryland slowly starts to remember who he is and what his mission is in flashbacks, while he deals with the immediate problems of figuring out where he is and what he needs to do next, and dealing with more …
I really enjoyed The Martian but wasn't as impressed by Artemis so I wasn't sure whether I'd like this one or not, but in Project Hail Mary it seems as if Weir is back to The Martian form. The book features Ryland Grace, who awakens from a coma to find himself the only surviving astronaut on a spaceship on a mission of which he has no memory... in fact, he doesn't even remember his own name, let alone how he got there or what he's supposed to do. Fortunately for us, this turns what could otherwise have been a rather weighty chunk of science exposition into almost a whodunnit mystery, as Ryland slowly starts to remember who he is and what his mission is in flashbacks, while he deals with the immediate problems of figuring out where he is and what he needs to do next, and dealing with more than a few unexpected events along the way. Another fun, gripping, interesting, and (as far as I can tell anyway) reasonably scientifically plausible novel that's a worthy follow-up to The Martian.
Couldn't put it down. As good or better than The Martian. Math and Science FTW!
I love some rad alien hard sci fi
I don't read so many works of fiction but this came highly recommended and I can see why. You can hardly say anything about it without it being a spoiler. It took a while for the story to hook but it was a clever story almost reminiscent of Star Trek but with a with only two main protagonists. If you enjoyed The Martian, you'll also enjoy this, maybe more. The book is a 10 hour audiobook: I'm not sure how it could be made into a 3 hour movie without dropping essential plot events but I guess it could work. I’ll definitely watch the movie too.
While there are some new developments in this one, it very much feels like another 'The Martian' with a slightly different story. The protagonist is almost the same exact character and a bunch of the other elements feel very similar. I'm still happy with this book, because the elements that are new, are wonderful.
The 'The Martian formula' made some plot points a bit predictable, but I think he did a very good job on this one. This may seem like I'm bashing the book, it's still a fantastic read. I hope he is not sticking too much to his formula in the future, because it was noticeable, though this was still an absolutely worthwhile story to jump into. Please don't stop writing.
Truly enjoyed this. Only thing I didn't like was the ending, because it ended.
True to form. Mr. Weir has told another very readable yarn about how science can solve dire situations, as long as you can survive the scientific process.
Knock-knock-knock. No, that's not creepy at all. Being in a spaceship twelve light-years from home and having someone knock on the door is totally normal.
Outstanding novel! This book delivered in every way and I may have enjoyed it more than The Martian because of the relationship Grace develops.
Andy Weir unloads a lot of science in this book but it never feels cumbersome. What is the nitrogen level in an atmosphere? What spectrum of light can humans see? How about a sprinkle of physics? These scientific references are added in fairly often but work to enhance the story and avoid turning it in to a scientific article.
There is also plenty of science fiction in here but it doesn't seem out of place with current technologies and capabilities.
Weir allows his characters to get in to a bind and requires them to combine MacGyver skills and critical thinking to …
Knock-knock-knock. No, that's not creepy at all. Being in a spaceship twelve light-years from home and having someone knock on the door is totally normal.
Outstanding novel! This book delivered in every way and I may have enjoyed it more than The Martian because of the relationship Grace develops.
Andy Weir unloads a lot of science in this book but it never feels cumbersome. What is the nitrogen level in an atmosphere? What spectrum of light can humans see? How about a sprinkle of physics? These scientific references are added in fairly often but work to enhance the story and avoid turning it in to a scientific article.
There is also plenty of science fiction in here but it doesn't seem out of place with current technologies and capabilities.
Weir allows his characters to get in to a bind and requires them to combine MacGyver skills and critical thinking to bail them out. I didn't know what to expect with each chapter and had some pleasant surprises and twists. There were even a few moments where I laughed aloud, which is an impressive feat.
You and I found each other. That's something.
The relationship between Grace and Rocky was surprisingly wholesome and emotional. For me this is where Project Hail Mary excels over The Martian (but yet both get four stars). This added a very enjoyable layer in to the story and allowed for a nice blend of comedic relief against the impending doom of the mission.