Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Returning to Form in Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir is back with another dramatic science fiction novel! Famous for his novel, The Martian, fans (myself included) were curious to see if he could repeat the success of that novel/movie. We have Project Hail Mary, and it’s safe to say he’s done it again.

Ryland Grace is the only human around for millions of miles. He and his crew had taken on a desperate mission, one that would potentially save the entire human race. Now, his crew is gone, but the mission still holds.

Grace must learn how to operate his ship, conduct his investigation, and find a solution to the problem the human race currently faces. And he must do it all before time runs out. Thankfully, one twist left will help to even his odds.

Writing

I have good news for you if you loved The Martian and hoped to see that formula picked up and thrown into a new scenario. Project Hail Mary proves that Andy Weir can learn from his success.

Project Hail Mary takes place at two different points in time. One follows Grace’s journey out in deep space. The other is set before the mission started, back when Grace was still on Earth. Surprisingly, both storylines are equally compelling, throwing intrigue and tension into an intense read.

Readers will notice many things in common between Ryland Grace and Mark Watney. They’re brilliant, clever, funny, and totally isolated for long periods in their novel. Sound familiar? Honestly, even with those traits in common, the novel is solid. Grace’s character is charming and arrogant in equal measures, and it’s easy to see how he would both end up in this situation – and stand a chance at surviving.

Let us not forget the science included. The science! There’s so much scientific information packed into this novel. Some of it is grounded, while other bits are totally of Weir’s own making (it makes sense within the plot). It’s that aesthetic that fans have come to hope for and expect.

Development

Despite being almost five hundred pages long, Project Hail Mary is quick. There’s always something happening in Grace’s story. Most of it involves him babbling about science or struggling to survive.

It’s a chaotic mix that is very much true to form. In the case of The Martian, the novel was originally written and released in serial format online. That affected the pacing – something had to happen with every upload to keep readers returning.

While Project Hail Mary was written with a different intent (straight to novelization), it still reads like it could have been a serial. Grace’s quest is full of bumps that feel evenly spaced out. On the bright side, that means there is never time to get bored or even begin to raise expectations for what will happen next.

Conclusion

Overall, I found Project Hail Mary to be a very enjoyable read. I loved it as much as I loved The Martian and admittedly enjoyed it more than Weir’s second novel (no offense meant). It’s the perfect combination of elements for fans craving comedic yet tense science fiction.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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