Synopsis (From Goodreads)*
*edited. Going into this book fairly blind is best in my opinion.
Ryland Grace is on a desperate, last-chance mission–and if he fails, humanity and the 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 his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.
Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian–while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.
My Review
4 out of 5 stars
If you enjoyed The Martian and wouldn’t mind more science fiction in your Andy Weir books, then I would pick this one up. I think it’s great to go into this one blind because the main character wakes up in a situation where they don’t know where they are, so you can literally find out everything along with them. It just adds to the thrill of the story.
The book is told like The Martian in that you’re getting the inner monologue of the main character. It is very similar to Mark Watney’s. The monologue has in-depth scientific breakdowns of the problem or situation with some occasional humor; you’ll think think it’s Mark Watney 2.0. I didn’t mind this as I enjoyed The Martian and Mark’s point-of-view a lot, but don’t go into this expecting a completely brand new character here.
There are some points where I just had to suspend my disbelief. Again, it is like The Martian with a space survival scenario. The Martian works well because it does feel like a feasible mission that would happen in the real world. The science behind it all then feels really important and like something that will actually work.. This one is much less likely to happen in the real world, so some situations don’t feel like they would actually play out in such a convenient way. Again, as long as you don’t mind some more fiction in your science fiction, and you like Mr. Weir’s first book, you will likely enjoy this one.
I received a free eARC of this from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
See this review on Goodreads.
Mad Scibrarian 