Book Review: Project Hail Mary

 

Project Hail Mary is a science fiction book written by Andy Weir which was originally published in May 4th 2021.  I knew of Andy Weir for a while prior to picking and reading this book, having watched the movie adaption of his previous major success; The Martian.  Every time I went into a book store since it was published, I kept seeing a lot of feature displays for the book with high praise and testimonials accompanying it. The most recognizable trait behind Weir as a writer is his expansive scientific knowledge.  What many people found compelling behind The Martian was its ability to take a hypothetical scenario and ground it in a lot of genuine science and theory.  Project Hail Mary while a bit more exceptional in terms of it’s set up, continues Weir’s trademark approach to fictional stories based in real-world science.  

After a less-than-ideal awakening, Ryland Grace finds himself stranded on a space shuttle hurtling through deep space without the foggiest idea of who he is or why he’s there. As time passes and he explores further through the ship, he begins to piece together crucial details about the mission he’s tasked with. One of the key things that he soon comes to realize is this mission is tied behind the very fate of the human race. The more he comes to remember, the graver the situation becomes and while hope soon begins to dwindle, Ryland will find aid in the unlikeliest of ways on his mission to save Planet Earth from mass extinction.

The setup behind the narrative of this books exudes a supreme quality you’d be hard pressed to find in many other science fiction stories. It’s clear how much effort Weir put into planning the entire scope of this story from beginning to end.  The whole idea of introducing the key components of the story through the perspective of someone with amnesia is quite smart, as it allows the reader to absorb key information when it’s necessary to the key beats of the plot.  I think the initial parts of the narrative falls into a formulaic tendency in the way the Ryland will face an immediate problem in the present day and then conveniently remember something from his past to solve it.  As the story progresses though Weir relies less on this format and allows the story to progress in a more natural format and by it’s end it does wrap up in a truly satisfying way. 

The core strength behind the writing is Weir’s ability to back it up with a lot of scientific reasoning.  While I appreciate the extent he goes to, I do feel like the story can often deviate into a science lesson too often and it risks losing the momentum key scenes build up. I know this is the format in which Weir tells his stories and I fully appreciate it’s his unique motif, but I personally struggled to keep up with a lot of it for the most part.  Weir does attempt to generalize a lot of his points to be more digestible, but again it often just ends up cutting the engagement you have in a scene short before starting all over again. 

What really helps this story present a strong impression is its emotional core.  Ryland as a character is written to be a truly compelling protagonist. His drive to solve his immediate problems and figure out a way to save Earth is a really relatable concept and Weir is able to transcribe that into Ryland’s personality with an equal balance of humour and empathy throughout the course of his journey. 

On the whole, despite the difficulty I initially had with engaging with the book’s scientific foundation, I would happily recommend Project Hail Mary to any avid science fiction fan.  Its narrative setup is strong and it’s fleshed out with a competent form of writing and characterization.  It’s a story which reflects the very best of humanity’s ability to persevere in the wake of daunting circumstances. I look forward to reading more of Andy Weir’s books in the future.