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marippe's review against another edition
4.5
I thought this was a fun read. The relationship developed between Ryland and Rocky was really sweet, and I came to really like Rocky (even though he's described looking like a spider...)
Even though the book is very scientific and has a lot of the jargon that I don't really understand, I wasn't too lost. I think that goes down to Weir's ability to simplify it.
I really liked Stratt- everything she does feels consistent in her character.
Even though the book is very scientific and has a lot of the jargon that I don't really understand, I wasn't too lost. I think that goes down to Weir's ability to simplify it.
I really liked Stratt- everything she does feels consistent in her character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Suicide
shlymiller's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death
danimain's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
emiliejade_bigelow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: War, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Vomit
jennaaps's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.25
Overall an enjoyable read. The juxtaposition of very complex concepts and YA writing style was a bit odd, though. It’s not bad, but let’s just say that this book is for the stem nerds and not the literary nerds! And sometimes you just need a little swearing. If you’re going to talk about relativity, you should just say the word piss because two characters getting into a “peeing contest” is silly.
I digress! It was a nice story and the exciting parts made up for the slow and difficult-to-understand bits, which were largely unimportant anyways. The simultaneous timelines were perfect for unfolding the story, too. And we love Rocky.
I digress! It was a nice story and the exciting parts made up for the slow and difficult-to-understand bits, which were largely unimportant anyways. The simultaneous timelines were perfect for unfolding the story, too. And we love Rocky.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
teabrewer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved this book! I loved the characters, the world-building, the references to other works of scifi, the surprising ending, the themes of friendship and the scientific sections.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Medical content
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Sexism, Suicide, Cannibalism, Alcoholism, and Vomit
lord1906's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Vomit
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism
flooooo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A bit cringe sometimes. Also way less funny and waaaayy less believable than the martian - still a pageturner. And obviously Rocky rocks.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Death
bjjzoe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide
Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Alcohol, Cancer, Drug use, and Drug abuse
proudwing's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Loved the Martian yet found myself having to push through this at times. Much of the interplay in the Earth portions of the book reads more like a forum discussion than real conversation, and some of the dialogue and situations are cringeworthy to the point of wanting to hurl the book (the Courtroom scene and “Astronaut sex talk” particularly stand out). I found greater enjoyment in the sections set aboard the eponymous Hail Mary despite the protagonist (Ryland Grace) – academic exile and high-school science teacher – being no Mark Watney in terms of likeability or relatability.
The real star of the book (apart from Tau Ceti) is Rocky, the alien engineer. While this little guy does seem able to resolve just about any problem (Deus ex Petra?) that issue is overshadowed by the fun his character brings to the novel. The later chapters are much more enjoyable, with the plot now focused on the two explorers overcoming their barriers and resolving their shared problem with believable technobabble and high tension action set-pieces, elements which Weir seems particularly adept at writing.
Bit of a rocky road but overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to those who enjoyed the Martian with the caveat that it presents a situation far less believable.
One thing to note is that despite the fact the book is only a few years old, it feels surprisingly dated at times. Seeing the real-world struggle to resolve COVID makes the effective and united international response to the threat of astrophage seem… unlikely. And frequent references to the effectiveness of ROSCOSMOS and Soyuz, again seem… misplaced given their current reputation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Cannibalism and Drug use