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A review by dejnozkova
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book was so surprisingly wholesome I was tearing up at the end. I love Andy Weir’s quirky but intelligent narrative voice coming out of the brain of sarcastic astronaut Ryland Grace. Weir makes EXCELLENT use of flashbacks/memory recall, using this device in a way that actually serves the plot in an unpredictable way, not only to add flavor to the delivery of this story but also in a way that allows Grace’s character to blossom in the last third of the book. Weir gives you just enough to provide context at just the right time, but not too much to where you’re still guessing, which I think really helps along a book that isn’t actually “action-packed” most of the time. This book offers a lot of fun in terms of science too. He details this journey with realistic scenarios and offers the science and math to back it in an easily digestible way.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Although this is where the first of my critiques enters. While Weir spent much time and effort on the STEM side, I feel like he kinda fell short on the xenoanthropology side. I’m not wholly convinced that it would be likely that alien life would have the same sense of humor or empathetic understanding as Ryland Grace, seeing as how even here on Earth there is a WILDLY diverse cultural and social landscape that makes these features difficult to bridge even among the same species. I thought it was a bit too convenient that Rocky was able to anticipate and also feel human thought and emotion after meeting one of us for the first time as well as Grace and Rocky almost immediately being able to communicate. For the sake of the story I accepted Rocky and I was actually in LOVE with him, I found him adorable and charming. But I don’t think he was fleshed out with the same professional thought as other aspects of the book (I enjoyed the speculation about alien physiology but was disappointed in terms of alien culture and customs).
My other criticism would be the flat, stereotypical portrayals of the peripheral human characters. Russians drink vodka, the Chinese are serious, the French are pompous, etc —not very imaginative in this area. I did enjoy Strat’s dry humor though. The only character in this book that had real depth was Grace but all other characters (including Rocky) seem 2-dimensional.
The thing is, the humorous narration, the style, the wholesome approach to alien life, the detail-oriented explanations, and the imagination surrounding plausible alien encounters all made this book incredibly enjoyable despite its flaws so I have to give it 4 stars anyway. The ending was beautiful and hopeful and full of love, Grace had a lovely arc, and it’s a relief to have a sci-fi that isn’t all doom and gloom. Despite its imperfections this was overall a fantastic book. I just really enjoyed it. I found it was an entertaining and inspirational piece of storytelling.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
Although this is where the first of my critiques enters. While Weir spent much time and effort on the STEM side, I feel like he kinda fell short on the xenoanthropology side. I’m not wholly convinced that it would be likely that alien life would have the same sense of humor or empathetic understanding as Ryland Grace, seeing as how even here on Earth there is a WILDLY diverse cultural and social landscape that makes these features difficult to bridge even among the same species. I thought it was a bit too convenient that Rocky was able to anticipate and also feel human thought and emotion after meeting one of us for the first time as well as Grace and Rocky almost immediately being able to communicate. For the sake of the story I accepted Rocky and I was actually in LOVE with him, I found him adorable and charming. But I don’t think he was fleshed out with the same professional thought as other aspects of the book (I enjoyed the speculation about alien physiology but was disappointed in terms of alien culture and customs).
My other criticism would be the flat, stereotypical portrayals of the peripheral human characters. Russians drink vodka, the Chinese are serious, the French are pompous, etc —not very imaginative in this area. I did enjoy Strat’s dry humor though. The only character in this book that had real depth was Grace but all other characters (including Rocky) seem 2-dimensional.
The thing is, the humorous narration, the style, the wholesome approach to alien life, the detail-oriented explanations, and the imagination surrounding plausible alien encounters all made this book incredibly enjoyable despite its flaws so I have to give it 4 stars anyway. The ending was beautiful and hopeful and full of love, Grace had a lovely arc, and it’s a relief to have a sci-fi that isn’t all doom and gloom. Despite its imperfections this was overall a fantastic book. I just really enjoyed it. I found it was an entertaining and inspirational piece of storytelling.