Project Hail Mary

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Synopsis

Dr. Ryland Grace awakens on a ship in deep space with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or what he's supposed to be doing. All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very long time, and he's now the sole survivor of this mission, his other crewmates having perished while he was in a coma. As his memories slowly return, he recalls that our sun is dying, leaving Earth facing an extinction level event. He and his fellow astronauts were sent to the distant star, Tau Ceti, to determine why it appears to be the only sun in the universe that hasn't fallen prey to the same ravenous alien life form that's gradually killing Sol. With the only humans he knows light-years away, Ryland faces having to figure out this problem all on his own. But then he discovers an unexpected ally who's dealing with the same thing, and if they work together, they just might find the solution that will save both their worlds.

Review

Project Hail Mary is a stand-alone, hard science-fiction novel that takes place in the present or maybe a near future, where our sun is dying because of an alien life-form dubbed Astrophage that's feeding on it. Governments around the globe band together to start figuring out what to do about it. They create Project Hail Mary, their attempt to address the problem through a space mission to Tau Ceti, a star light-years away, but the only one scientists have found that isn't being eaten by Astrophage. Enter Dr. Ryland Grace, a middle-school science teacher beloved by his students. Several years earlier, he authored a paper that is of interest to the leader of Project Hail Mary, so he gets tapped to be among the first to experiment on this new life form. Because he discovers things about it that others haven't yet, he ends up on the team as an expert. I don't want to give away much more background so as to not be too spoilery. Suffice it to say that the story opens with Ryland awakening on a space ship in deep space with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or what his mission is. He's also the sole survivor, as he discovers his crewmates have died. Readers follow along as the story jumps back and forth between his present circumstances and the past, as he slowly regains his memories and figures out what he's supposed to do. Ryland thinks he's going to have to do it all alone, though, until... he chances upon a fellow space-traveler who is also trying to save his home world from the same fate. Two heads are better than one, but whether they can stay alive and come up with an answer that will prove to be the Hail Mary both their people are looking for is very much in question.

From the moment I found out how much his students like him and what a cool teacher he is, I instantly liked Ryland. The paper he wrote wasn't well-received by the science community, which is part of why he ended up as a teacher, but it was precisely the thing that got him put on Project Hail Mary. While that theory was quickly side-lined, he did discover other very important things about Astrophage that got him permanently placed on the team. When Ryland wakes up on the Hail Mary in deep space, it takes a while to process what's going on without his memories, but they gradually start coming back to him. He clearly has highly developed critical thinking skills, which one would expect from a scientist, as he tries to make sense of his circumstances, as well as later on when he has to start experimenting to figure out why Tau Ceti isn't dying like other stars. He has a brilliant mind that doesn't give up on finding the answers, even when he runs up against difficulties and things not going as expected. He also has a strong psyche that weathers being alone well, but thankfully he doesn't have to stay alone for too long. Ryland chances upon Rocky, a fellow astronaut who is in the same predicament. I don't want to say too much about him, because it's more fun to learn about him along the way. But he, too, is a genius, especially at engineering. He's also funny, kind, and curious, and I loved him to pieces. These two share amazing friends chemistry from the moment they meet.

Project Hail Mary is a really hard book to review, because I'm trying not to give too much away. This is one of those books that you just have to read it to find out for yourself how wonderful it is. Jumping back and forth in the timeline can sometimes be jarring in a story, but not here. Ryland remembers what he needs to remember when he needs to, either for what he's doing or for character development, so it flows surprisingly well. This book is very science heavy, which I had slightly mixed feelings about. On the one hand, I felt it added to the authenticity and believability of the story, because it relies mostly on existing technology and that which is more advanced isn't just fantastical like it would be in a space opera. On the other hand, it could sometimes be a little hard to follow and kind of slows the pace of the story a bit. Ultimately I got used to it and was very much immersed in finding out whether Ryland and Rocky would be able to save both of their worlds. I was also very much invested in their friendship, which is superbly rendered. I was very impressed with both of them for their curiosity about one another that far outweighs any fear. It was a beautiful moment of unity for a greater purpose. There's a fair bit of humor throughout the story, so it never gets too heavy. There's a decent amount of suspense, too, as the characters make strides and have setbacks in their quest. I was a bit surprised by some things that are revealed about the past as Ryland regains his memories. The ending likewise wasn't what I was expecting, but it ended up being absolutely perfect for the story. Project Hail Mary may have gotten off to a slightly slow start (hence the half-star drop), but as the plot progresses and Rocky is introduced, it became very engaging. I would highly recommend it to fans of science fiction. This was my first read by Andy Weir, but I'm very interested in reading more from him. I'm also looking forward to checking out the movie version and hoping that they do the story justice.

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Andy Weir