A review by luluwoohoo
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-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

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (audiobook narrated by Ray Porter)
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

▪️This audiobook won the Audie 2022 Audiobook of the Year and I can see why - Weir's unique brand of humour translates incredibly well to audio, with Porter outdoing himself to provide the full vocal spectrum of emotions experienced by Ryland Grace in the novel, as well as the plethora of impressively accurate accents from supporting characters too
▪️I'm not typically a sci-fi reader but Weir somehow manages to write novels that perfectly balance the technical jargon and information with plot and character development. Even when I don't totally understand the science it sounds accurate enough to believe and is explained in the simplest manner possible (read: I feel smarter after reading this book)
▪️ Ryland Grace is a brilliant main character whose reliance on humour to deal with problematic situations makes reading this far more enjoyable than it is stressful. Also Rocky and Stratt are equally entertaining and fleshed out supporting characters who have individual voices 
▪️Pacing a novel this length and with such intricate details is not easy but the action details are cleverly interspersed amongst the two timelines to maintain focus and necessary information is revealed at just the right time. I loved every minute of listening and wasn't distracted or bored at any stage
▪️ The ending of this book isn't what I expected, but I think it is definitely the right ending. I encourage anyone to read this book and embrace the emotional resonance of Weir's writing.

"I want to spend the rest of my life studying Eridian biology! But I have to save humanity first. Stupid humanity. Getting in the way of my hobbies."

"I was approximately as critical as toilet paper."

"The hardest part about working with aliens and saving humanity from extinction is constantly having to come up with names for stuff."

"You three are going to Tau Ceti. The rest of us are going to hell. More accurately, hell is coming to us."