Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir’s (The Martian) third book, starts with Ryland Grace waking up from a coma. He doesn’t know who he is or that he’s even in a space shuttle. He does know that he is utterly alone – his crewmates are dead in their beds. As his memories start to come back to him, he realizes he’s on a suicide mission to save Earth. If he doesn’t complete his mission it could be the end of the human race. After teaching himself how to pilot the ship and continuing towards his destination he discovers that he might not actually be alone in space, because a giant space ship has just appeared on his radar. I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll have to read it to find out what or who he discovers!
Much like The Martian, Weir does not skimp on the math and science in this book, but luckily he does it in way that doesn’t totally make your head explode. I really enjoyed this book – clocking in at close to 500 pages, I finished it in just a few days. Ryland is a great narrator – funny, sarcastic, brilliant, and sympathetic. I thought that the slow reveal of his memories (presented as flashbacks) was really smart. If you loved The Martian then you are sure to love Project Hail Mary.
