A review by just_one_more_paige
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 
It's been a while since we've been able to get ourselves together (2022 has been a busy year so far!), plus the last couple picks I had actually already read: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and When the Moon Was Ours (both great choices), so this is my first long-distance-book-club read this year. It is definitely not one that I would have gone for without the group impetus, but for how long it was, it went by so fast once I got into it. 
 
When Ryland Grace wakes up in what appears to be a long-term medical lab facility with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or any sight of another (at least not another living) human being present, he is, understandably, very confused. But as the days go by, his memories (and his innate knowledge of science and ability to logic through clues around him), he realizes he's essentially on a last-chance mission to save the Earth, and all of humanity, from certain doom. No pressure. As he begins to work through the impossible task facing him, the daunting prospect becomes ever more hopeful as he finds a (very unexpected) ally with the exact same goal. Together, they just might be able to solve this interstellar ticking time bomb of a scientific mystery (and themselves, in the process). 
 
This is a very, what I would consider, typical/traditional sci-fi thriller type story. I know it won the Goodreads Choice Award for SciFi last year, and I can see why. It's very grounded in the world we know, sci-fi in a speculative sense (environmentally and scientifically) with a human MC and Earth-centered plot, not necessarily in the world-building/space opera style of sci-fi (which is my personal preference). So, while there is quite a bit that is not the normal, everyday human reality, everything that happens is adjacent to or compared to that recognizable reality in some way, making it much more widely accessible topically. It also has a very linear plotline, clearly delineated science and parameters, and a plot that has a major drama/thriller build that does keep the reader turning pages. All that being said, while it felt really solid and kept my interest (I did truly want to know how things played out, how the story would be wrapped up, and how our MC found alone himself in space as humanity's last hope to save the Earth), I was never really blown away by it at any point. 
 
Let me give you a little more of what I liked about this novel. It was smoothly written; nothing spectacular in the writing, but nothing cringe-y either. And Grace's internal (and at times external) dialogue had a nice touch of humor to it, which was necessary to help cut what would otherwise have been an (only) incredibly tense and likely quite depressing story. Similarly, the back in forth from Grace's flashbacks as his memories of his pre-spaceship days return and his present-day race to find answers to Earth's alien dilemma helps give more movement to what would otherwise have been a very dull story (like, being alone on a ship doing science experiments and getting one's memory back seems exciting, but in reality gets quite repetitive as far as "telling" about it goes). As we did get more and more of Grace's history, and actually the "reveal" at the end about how he ended up as part of this elite crew in the first place, I appreciated how human and real he was, the recognizability that came with some of his uglier self-realizations and recollections. It helped keep the story grounded (pun intended!). The alien lifeforms we were introduced to were creative, and very scientifically grounded. In fact, all the science was very real. Now, I am not at all a science person, but from biology to mathematics to physics to chemistry to astronomy, this novel felt incredibly well researched on that front. In fact, I cannot lie to you, there were a few points (especially towards the last third) where I definitely skimmed some of the science aspects. I don't feel like they were actually ever too much, I just got to the point where I wanted to know how the story ended and I was just fine taking the science for granted as I got there. Personal preference, but I want to be transparent about it. 
 
Finally: the ending. I was really happy with it. It did not end at all like I had expected and honestly I was into that. It was unexpectedly sweet and poignant, while still being as realistic as it could be, by which I mean not too perfect or with too much closure under the circumstances. While maybe that was an easy out for the author, as far as not having to give the reader all the details, I was still happy with it because I felt like any more and it would have bridged into either the unbelievable or the "right" ending, which no one would have wanted to read (it would not, should not, have been an "all wrapped up in a nice happy bow" situation). Sort of along these lines, I liked that the ending included Earth NOT finding out too much (re: Grace's extracurricular discoveries while in space), because there’s no way we would handle that knowledge well; humans as a species suck too much for that. However, the interactions and decisions of our one MC are much more understandable and believable in an individual sense. So, while that’s vague, I know, it felt right. 
  
A few things that felt less right included some of the borderline commentary from our MC that has some uncomfortable judgmental implications. I mean, I know I said I liked that he was messy/human, but still, when his first reaction to realizing he had lived in a bachelor-style apartment was that he must have been single or gay (like gay people can’t be clean or decorate or live together), just came across a little iffy. There was also some uneven pacing that kind of made it hard to get a real feel for the timing of the plot and also had me skimming more or less in varying patterns. Though overall things happened at a fast enough clip to keep me mostly invested.  And, of course, there was the overall feeling that while this was a good book, it never tipped over into really good, great, or spectacular…it was creative, but never inspired, at least for me. 
 
All that being said, I was definitely entertained by this story. And I am excited to discuss with my book club, because I think there are some very interesting concepts raised, especially about questions pertaining to morality versus survival and priorities as a species. I’m curious to hear what the others thought! 
 
“When the alternative is death to your entire species, things are very easy. No moral dilemmas, no weighing what's best for whom. Just a single-minded focus on getting this project working.” 
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