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ticktock's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
samara's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, War, and Vomit
keepsleep's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and War
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
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
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
2023 Reread: RTC
Original Review:
I agree with other reviewers that it's best to go into this book knowing as little as possible about the story, so this review will mostly be about my reactions, in general terms:
I loved this story! I also loved The Martian and Artemis, so if there was any doubt, Andy Weir is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time. For those who didn't love both his previous books, I'd say this one is a bit closer to The Martian than to Artemis.
One of my pet peeves (I was going to say 'in books', but really also in real life...) is stupid people doing stupid things, so I really enjoy how Andy Weir's books are about intelligent people solving problems through science and logic.
Original Review:
I agree with other reviewers that it's best to go into this book knowing as little as possible about the story, so this review will mostly be about my reactions, in general terms:
I loved this story! I also loved The Martian and Artemis, so if there was any doubt, Andy Weir is definitely one of my favorite authors of all time. For those who didn't love both his previous books, I'd say this one is a bit closer to The Martian than to Artemis.
One of my pet peeves (I was going to say 'in books', but really also in real life...) is stupid people doing stupid things, so I really enjoy how Andy Weir's books are about intelligent people solving problems through science and logic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexual content, and Suicide
stormywolf's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Audiobook Read by Ray Porter
Unabridged Length: 16.2 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, a great performance and production on all counts. I think the only way to improve it would be to make it a full-blown audio-play with a larger cast and sound effects, but as audiobooks go there's not much I could ask for. Definitely a great experience for audiobook regulars or newbies alike, and I'd especially recommend it to anyone who might not be comfortable with the technobabble and science terminology that gets passed around at various points. Heck, just getting to hear Rocky is enough reason in itself to give the audio a try, so what are you waiting for?
Unabridged Length: 16.2 Hours
Listened at 2x Speed
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, a great performance and production on all counts. I think the only way to improve it would be to make it a full-blown audio-play with a larger cast and sound effects, but as audiobooks go there's not much I could ask for. Definitely a great experience for audiobook regulars or newbies alike, and I'd especially recommend it to anyone who might not be comfortable with the technobabble and science terminology that gets passed around at various points. Heck, just getting to hear Rocky is enough reason in itself to give the audio a try, so what are you waiting for?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Drug use, and Sexism
ethereal87's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Confinement
Minor: Cannibalism
wanderingkatie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Excrement
Minor: Cannibalism