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abby_reads_books's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, and Kidnapping
jackelz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
I read The Martian back in 2019 to satisfy a reading challenge prompt — science fiction. I don’t read a ton of sci fi unless it’s a graphic novel, which is weird because I love science, and I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read. I picked up Project Hail Mary because it was the Pooches and Pages Book Club pick for January, and I’m glad I did. The chunky size of this novel was intimidating, but I made tabs to motivate me to finish in time. I’m happy to report that I finished early because there were nights that I couldn’t put it down.
I loved the alternating timelines as Dr. Grace gained some of his memories back. I can’t say that the “twist” shocked me, because we got to know Stratt really well in the flashbacks. As the flashbacks got less frequent, I really enjoyed how Dr. Grace occupied his time on the ship and stayed relatively positive the whole time. My favorite, though, was his new found friend Rocky and I didn’t want to see them go their separate ways. I didn’t see that ending coming but it put a huge smile on my face!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Confinement
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, and Kidnapping
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Drug abuse
isa_almeida's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My favorite 2021 book. A scientist that thinks like a scientist (he uses scientific method to do everything) wakes up and can't remember a thing. We have mysteries and the stakes are very high. Heartwarming, terrible funny with the best science (and teachers') jokes ever and oh, also the best alien ever, we love you, Rocky
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
bharxhav's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Kidnapping, and Medical content
skai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a brilliant book, in my humble opinion. Not only are the characters well crafted, they are also ones you start to care about. This is definitely a plot driven book, but the characters are what stands out. Some of the scenes had me close to tears because I cared about the characters deeply enough. Just... really well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Dementia
Minor: Cannibalism and Gaslighting
annapox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Vomit
morganish's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In case you've been living under a rock, Project Hail Mary is the latest scifi story by Andy Weir. It features his trademark action-survival plots, where the protagonist puzzles out solutions using hard-science-y, jargon-heavy deductive reasoning.
I haven't actually read his other books, but having seen The Martian film and then having read this, it's about what I expected the book version of his stories to be. Which isn't a bad thing! It's rare that I read something so inline with the expectations set by marketing, at least in terms of tone, plot tension, and delivery. The storytelling is fast-paced and tension remains high for a large part of the book. Andy Weir is like brain candy for people with especially technical brains (or people who think they have especially technical brains). There are a lot of references and viewpoints about the role of science and the nature of life that weave in here and there, but I can't confidently say there's a core overarching theme that the book is laying out. Treat this book like a good time, don't expect much more, and you'll probably be satisfied.
In terms of the plot, lots of people are comparing it to The Martian, saying that it's the same plot, essentially. I'd say the main story problem and the solution methods are the same (survive/solve logistical problems using hard-science deduction and knowledge), but the plot is very different. And while I can't say much without giving away plot points, I'd say this one has a surprisingly emotional element that I don't remember from The Martian.
I'm not personally fond of the writing style, but it's straightforward and similar to a lot of pop fiction that becomes really mainstream. A weird and kinda laughable reliance on the sanitized, "acceptable" versions of swear word replacements stood out a bit. Also, there are elements of the American MC working with an international team, but while the technical details are largely in-depth, the depictions of other characters or the intricacies of communicating across cultures doesn't get the same treatment. This probably makes it much more consumable for mainstream American audiences, but was a little disappointing as someone who geeks out over stories that lean into the differences and complexities of other cultures, both real and fantastical.
The only other thing I'd note is that there are some times and ways the MC have of speaking that are... very cis straight white guy, for lack of a better explanation. So while there aren't a lot of moments that are clear missteps, subtle things like the way he thinks about success and failure, about sacrifice and heroism, about the likelihood of cooperation versus brute force, were noticeable at least to me. It's not the most problematic thing, but something I'm always sensitive to, so thought I'd mention it in case that's a big turn off for anyone else, or just something a reader would rather be prepared for going in.
Overall, I got a lot more emotionally invested in it than I expected, even if there were some times I wished it was a little bit shorter or the technical explanations were condensed. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes mainstream, plot-heavy, fast-paced fiction and isn't overwhelmingly daunted by science jargon or long-form analysis (think about it like the scifi version of reading a Sherlock Holmes book, in a way). However if your brain absolutely shuts down at jargon, this might be something to take a pass on. Or if you like plot-heavy stuff that gets to the point quickly, you might want to read the first few pages before buying, to see if the opening grips you.
I haven't actually read his other books, but having seen The Martian film and then having read this, it's about what I expected the book version of his stories to be. Which isn't a bad thing! It's rare that I read something so inline with the expectations set by marketing, at least in terms of tone, plot tension, and delivery. The storytelling is fast-paced and tension remains high for a large part of the book. Andy Weir is like brain candy for people with especially technical brains (or people who think they have especially technical brains). There are a lot of references and viewpoints about the role of science and the nature of life that weave in here and there, but I can't confidently say there's a core overarching theme that the book is laying out. Treat this book like a good time, don't expect much more, and you'll probably be satisfied.
In terms of the plot, lots of people are comparing it to The Martian, saying that it's the same plot, essentially. I'd say the main story problem and the solution methods are the same (survive/solve logistical problems using hard-science deduction and knowledge), but the plot is very different. And while I can't say much without giving away plot points, I'd say this one has a surprisingly emotional element that I don't remember from The Martian.
I'm not personally fond of the writing style, but it's straightforward and similar to a lot of pop fiction that becomes really mainstream. A weird and kinda laughable reliance on the sanitized, "acceptable" versions of swear word replacements stood out a bit. Also, there are elements of the American MC working with an international team, but while the technical details are largely in-depth, the depictions of other characters or the intricacies of communicating across cultures doesn't get the same treatment. This probably makes it much more consumable for mainstream American audiences, but was a little disappointing as someone who geeks out over stories that lean into the differences and complexities of other cultures, both real and fantastical.
The only other thing I'd note is that there are some times and ways the MC have of speaking that are... very cis straight white guy, for lack of a better explanation. So while there aren't a lot of moments that are clear missteps, subtle things like the way he thinks about success and failure, about sacrifice and heroism, about the likelihood of cooperation versus brute force, were noticeable at least to me. It's not the most problematic thing, but something I'm always sensitive to, so thought I'd mention it in case that's a big turn off for anyone else, or just something a reader would rather be prepared for going in.
Overall, I got a lot more emotionally invested in it than I expected, even if there were some times I wished it was a little bit shorter or the technical explanations were condensed. I'd recommend this for anyone who likes mainstream, plot-heavy, fast-paced fiction and isn't overwhelmingly daunted by science jargon or long-form analysis (think about it like the scifi version of reading a Sherlock Holmes book, in a way). However if your brain absolutely shuts down at jargon, this might be something to take a pass on. Or if you like plot-heavy stuff that gets to the point quickly, you might want to read the first few pages before buying, to see if the opening grips you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child death, and Kidnapping
shaney_swift's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, and Kidnapping
emsavors's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Confinement, and Drug use
Minor: Cannibalism