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A review by dcliz
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? No
4.5
I'm not generally a fan of science fiction, but enjoyed The Martian and had downloaded this book when it was on sale. I like Andy Weir's style of science fiction, which is set in the present or very near future, so all of the technology he describes could plausibly be achieved by present day Earthlings. His latest novel is a fast-paced, highly enjoyable thriller about a desperate quest to save humanity (and other living things), a hail Mary, if you will.
The book was published in 2021 and presumably completed before the 2020 pandemic. Weir pens a rosy vision of people working together across geopolitical boundaries to save the world, the kind of cooperation that failed to materialize in the face of a deadly global pandemic. It's an interesting thought exercise to wonder if he had written it after the pandemic whether he would have the same vision: offering a more optimistic outlook for what could have been.
Thought exercises aside, it's the kind of book that you look forward to picking up to be transported into its world and find out what happens next. It's also the kind of book that is very difficult to put down, which led to several nights of less than an ideal amount of sleep. While there are a couple of passages where Weir gets a little too deep in the science weeds that a firmer editor might have excised, overall it's an engaging story about how the characters react to the very extreme circumstances they find themselves in. I found myself rereading the end, and even now am planning to go back to reread a few key passages.
I loved it.
The book was published in 2021 and presumably completed before the 2020 pandemic. Weir pens a rosy vision of people working together across geopolitical boundaries to save the world, the kind of cooperation that failed to materialize in the face of a deadly global pandemic. It's an interesting thought exercise to wonder if he had written it after the pandemic whether he would have the same vision: offering a more optimistic outlook for what could have been.
Thought exercises aside, it's the kind of book that you look forward to picking up to be transported into its world and find out what happens next. It's also the kind of book that is very difficult to put down, which led to several nights of less than an ideal amount of sleep. While there are a couple of passages where Weir gets a little too deep in the science weeds that a firmer editor might have excised, overall it's an engaging story about how the characters react to the very extreme circumstances they find themselves in. I found myself rereading the end, and even now am planning to go back to reread a few key passages.
I loved it.