Review: Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir, 2021

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Definitely not as good as The Martian but not as bad as Artemis.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 2021

Project Hail Mary is set in our near future about a high school teacher, Ryland Grace, turned interstellar traveler. He wakes up from space-hibernation and slowly recalls the events that led him to where he is and what he is supposed to be doing. It's partly a first contact story and partly space adventure. A lot of real science is peppered throughout the novel. Told with humor, the science explanations snuck in between aren't jarring to the dialogue, and delivery remains entertaining.

The story started out very strong for me. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in the first few chapters, but less so as the book wore on. The jokes were still there, but it was just kind of repetitive. I also think the story could've been shorter. I feel the problems the main character faced were pretty repetitive in type, just dressed a little differently each time. I found myself towards the end, looking forward to completing the audiobook faster. It just got a little bit too tedious for me.

If you are new to Andy Weir, I suggest starting with The Martian. It's by far a stronger narrative. If you are not a stranger to Andy Weir, then skip Artemis and go straight to Project Hail Mary.

I rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

#Taumeba #Taumoeba #AstroPhage #RockyandAdrian

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"The Martian" by Andy Weir, 2014

"The Martian" by Andy Weir, 2014

It's good to be an engineer.

This book is nothing short of brilliant. Astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and has to survive 1,412 days until he can be rescued. He only has what was left behind by previous expeditions to live on; mainly a Habitat, 300 liters of water, rations for 50 days, a scrubber, two vehicles, and twelve potatoes.

This book is a hard sci-fi novel in the likes of Arthur C. Clarke. It's also about human ingenuity. And boy, you can't help but root for the underdog.

Though the book was billed a "survival thriller" by the endorsements found on the back cover, I found the driving force of the book isn't tension, but of humor. The Martian makes the tale of an engineer stranded on the red planet gripping.


I disagree with how others describe this story as a "Castaway" on mars, Die Hard, Gravity or Robinson Crusoe. Although I see why other may see it that way, I do feel this book a "stand-out" in the hard sci-fi genre. It's full of action with humor at unexpected moments. I was rooting for "Martian". I caught myself saying, "oh shit," "crap", and laughing out loud at moments.

I can only hope the movie adaption releasing in the second half of 2015 will do the book justice.  

My rating: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5 stars)