Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Once again, Andy Weir brings the goods with Project Hail Mary, his latest novel featuring an inventive astronaut and a thorny science problem. Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship far from home, unsure how he got there, who he is, and what he is supposed to do. Grace’s slowly recovering memory reveals that the earth’s sun is dimming due to a microscopic life form that is draining its energy. He is the only surviving member of a crew which has been sent to a nearby star to find the cause and hopefully discover a solution.

The narrative jumps between Grace’s present situation in the nearby galaxy and the past leading up to the trip which has brought him there. Each time we learn a little bit more about who Grace, a middle school science teacher, is and how he became involved in the project that ultimately sent him into space. The memory fog helps us learn about Grace as he learns more about himself with recollections that come back bit by bit.

Grace needs to find a way to complete a mission that was originally designed for three people and solve the problem in time to save Earth. Nothing is ever a straight line in a Weir novel and a series of obstacles and human error have to be overcome to complete the mission. It takes cleverness, some luck, and some science to come up with a solution. Lots and lots of science. Weir has a gift for making the science both digestible and fun. He even manages to make materials science a lot of fun in this story!

Weir creates characters that find their inner strength and ingenuity, are warm, colorful, and funny. He also describes a multinational group that pulls together for one objective, albeit led by one strong-willed, ruthless character and as they are facing planetwide extinction. The story is full of tension but also heart-warming, funny, and full of fascinating science.

Project Hail Mary is an entertaining ride that will carry you from the first page to the ending that is both unexpected and surprisingly touching. Get in on the ground floor because everyone is going to be talking about this book and you will not regret a moment spent reading it. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.