Project Hail Mary is the third book from Andy Weir following the very popular The Martian and Artemis. Overall, it is another masterpiece of writing and storytelling from this author and I enjoyed it.
Astronaut Ryland Grace awakes on his ship, the Hail Mary, disoriented with no memories. As time goes on, he remembers who he is and what his mission is. He remembers he has been sent to Tau Ceti, a star slightly less than twelve light years from our solar system, to save humanity from extinction.
Earth is in danger of entering a global ice age because of the dimming of the Sun. This is being caused by a type of cosmic virus called 'Astrophage.' If left unchecked, the Sun will dim enough to cause a planet wide food shortage. It seems all observable stars are suffering the same fate as Sol, the star at the center of our solar system, except for Tau Ceti. Grace and two astronauts sent with him are to determine why Tau Ceti is not being affected, hoping to find a solution.
Unfortunately, Grace is on his own. His fellow astronauts didn't survive the trip.
Grace, formerly a molecular biologist turned middle school science teacher, is a likeable character who knows his stuff. He loves teaching and his students enjoy his classes. He isn't aware of the problem until he is "recruited" by a United Nations official to use his expertise in discovering why the sun is dimming. When he learns what the problem is, he throws himself into the work.
After he finds the problem, he is sent to train three astronauts to travel to Tau Ceti to find a solution. Grace himself becomes a reluctant member of the Hail Mary crew because of an accident that killed the science expert and the back-up scientist during training. One can sympathize with Grace's reluctance since it is planned as a one-way trip. If Grace finds a solution to the problem, he is to load his data onto four small probes to be sent back to Earth.
Grace makes it clear he doesn't want to go on the mission, but is left with no choice by the U.N. official who has an unimpeachable mandate to solve the problem.
My favorite plot point is when Grace spots a ship from another solar system with a being onboard who has the same mission. Grace is a very resourceful scientist, while his counterpart on the other ship is a genius engineer. Between them, each has the expertise to do some amazing things, once the language barrier is breached.
The author goes into some detail about how the language barrier is overcome and it was for me the most interesting part of the story. The cooperation between the characters adds a great deal of depth to the story and creates an emotional rollercoaster ride for the reader. There are several humorous moments in this story, but there is also sadness, terror, and disappointment. Mostly, the banter between Grace and his counterpart makes Project Hail Mary a fun story to read.
Weir tells this story from two points of view. First is the happenings at Tau Ceti. The other part of the story is told through memory flashbacks in preparation for the Hail Mary mission. The flashback segments are scattered throughout the book and fill in the story's entirety, but they also serve to create suspense as the history of the mission unfolds. The form makes the reader want to get to the next section because, most times, Grace's mission chapters often end with cliffhangers. It is a very effective device to hold the reader's attention.
All the supporting characters appear in the flashback chapters and are developed well.
Project Hail Mary is compelling on many levels. There are great characters put into situations showing problems solved through cooperation. Grace's situation on earth was full of conflict between people's ideas, ideals, philosophies, and methods. However, in space, there’s no room for conflict when a crisis develops. It was through listening to his alien friend and his friend listening to him that led to lifesaving measures and to move the mission forward; a lesson we can all take to heart.
I give my highest recommendations to Project Hail Mary. It is great Science Fiction, and just a plain good story.
Recently, I listened to an episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast, StarTalk Radio featuring an interview with Andy Weir discussing life in the universe as it relates to this book. It is available on YouTube under the title “What Do Aliens Look Like.”
There is also a film adaptation in development. If it happens, the film will star Ryan Gosling (First Man) in the role of Ryland Grace.
Andy Weir built a two-decade career as a software engineer until the success of his first published novel, The Martian, allowed him to live out his dream of writing full time. He is a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of such subjects as relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. He also mixes a mean cocktail. He lives in California.
Well, there it is…
Qapla!
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