All Alone, at the Edge of the Universe... Or Not..? (Project Hail Mary sci-fi book review)

It’s hard to imagine someone who hasn’t wanted—at some point in their lives—to be an astronaut. 

Scratch that. Assuming most people are more like me—the non-science-y sort—and less like actual astronauts—aaaaall about the science stuff—then it’s probably more accurate to say that by and large, most of us have probably dreamed of going out into space. (As a passenger. A salesperson. The ship’s cook. Whatever.)

The thing is, we know it’s just a fantasy; in our lifetimes, the tiniest fraction of humanity will venture out into space (whether on a vessel created by NASA and/or its worldwide counterparts, or on something kooky and cool that Elon Musk’s SpaceX team is frantically working on). 

But what if—by the strangest sequence of events—you (science-y or not) were to find yourself on a mission to a distant, essentially-uncharted corner of the universe… one member of a tiny three-person team on a cramped little spaceship, and when you wake up, from an induced travel sleep? You discover that not only are you the only surviving member(!!!) of this unexpected—and frankly, unbelievable—situation… but that you have no idea who you are, or how you got into this predicament, in the first place.

Such is the stage for Andy Weir’s latest space thriller, Project Hail Mary.

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Although I actually read Project Hail Mary prior to its release, “life” happened around that, and the result is that I’ve fallen behind in both my reading and my reviewing. I’m penning this, therefore, knowing full well that most people who were eagerly awaiting Weir’s next novel have probably already done so.

Still… I can’t let this one go without my own little shout-out, because I. Frakking. Loved. It. 

Without spoiling it—because I’m not about to start doing that, now—I have to urge anyone who hasn’t read this one to check it out, posthaste. Really, it’s that good.

I laughed. (Weir is a master of “regular people” internal—and external [solo, talking to oneself]—monologues, and, just as he did so brilliantly in his debut, The Martian, he uses that skill to fabulous effect again, here.) I cried. (More than once, I was unashamedly misty-eyed.) I held my breath. (Like the very best that sci-fi has to offer, Weir has once again captured hope, uncertainty, and outright terror… and melded them into something completely accessible, even for those of us [me] who are decidedly unscience-y.)

To be fair, though, about that: science. There were passages where my eyes glazed over a bit, because—no matter how well Weir’s protagonist, Ryland Grace, was explaining something (and, as a junior high school teacher, Grace was doing as bang-up a job as would be possible), I’d invariably get a little lost (and a little bored—sorry! not a science person!!). Did that put me off the story even one iota, though? No, it didn’t. Not. One. Tiny. Bit. 

In Project Hail Mary, Weir gave me everything I could want, and more; there's heart, intelligence, wonder, and chills-and-thrills, as well as some of the most beautiful images of friendship, compassion, and collaboration I could imagine… and I feel like a better human for having read (and loved) it.

~GlamKitty

[Fun little aside: I met and interviewed Mr. Weir at a convention back in  the summer of 2014 (which was months after I’d blazed through The Martian, and recommended it to everyone I knew). He was funny, nice, and very ordinary… in the best way possible. :)]