Who’s Ship is this?
Andy Weir, the author of our favorite stranded Martian, has returned with another space adventure that checks all the right boxes: Project Hail Mary. Project Hail Mary was released on May 4th, 2021 to overwhelmingly positive reception. Clocking in at 496 pages, this work of soft science fiction would make an excellent addition to your personal library.
Here’s why: close your eyes if you will and clear your mind. Now, imagine going on a one-way trip to save humanity from energy indulging algae that is devouring the sun. But there’s a catch: you don’t remember how or why you got on this spaceship, you’re crewmates are dead, and you’re almost to your destination. Oh, and you’re not the only one with this apocalyptic problem. Sounds like a good time, doesn’t it? Then it comes as no surprise that Andy Weir’s latest space adventure became an instant bestseller. Let’s get into it.
Quick Synopsis
Here’s a quick, spoiler-free synopsis, and by the synopsis I mean here’s what the inside of the book jacket says:
Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission-and if he fails, humanity and 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, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurdling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery, and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.
Or does he?
Humble Opinion
Andy Weir does a great job at piecing together this coma-induced puzzle. From the moment that Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up on the ship, I was just as lost as he was in the fog of mystery, yet I found myself wanting to uncover the truth just the same. The flashbacks that he experiences are perfectly timed exposition scenes that flow really well with the pacing of the story. To make it even more enjoyable these flashbacks are triggered by something that he is doing and/or thinking on the Hail Mary, making each moment have a driving purpose. Sometimes this seemed like a bit of a cop-out to magically allow the protagonist to conveniently figure out how to solve a problem (sometimes too easily), but It doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Dr. Grace problem-solves his way through task after task while adding some grounded humor, making this adventure feel more human than most. This isn’t a wild space epic or another sci-fi story about exploring other worlds and meeting all different kinds of alien life. No, this is a personal story that showcases situations that make you feel like you would’ve made the same decisions and suffered from the same mistakes. He makes for a relatable character in a story that can be bogged down by science jargon and minor pacing issues from time to time.
Verdict
Project Hail Mary makes for a quick, enjoyable weekend read. There isn’t any hardcore background information on different space-faring companies that you will have to remember and you won’t have to remember why a political event resulted in some joe killing his only partner for the pride of his country. No, this story is a nice laid-back adventure that kept me sucked in page after page. In the end, this is a tale that won’t disappoint.