Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Adventure / Science Fiction
Copyright: 2021 by Andy Weir
Length (optional, in pages):476
ISBN:978-0-593-13522-8
Affiliate Disclosure: This review contains affiliate links to Amazon, Bookshop.org, and other retailers. If you make a purchase through the links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Why I chose this book
I picked this up because of the movie “Project Hail Mary“. The movie stars Ryan Gosling. As of May 17, I still have not seen the movie, even though I have heard excellent reviews. My intention was to compare the book and the movie.
Quick Summary
Science teacher Ryland Grace finds himself recruited, albeit not always willingly, to save the Earth from destruction. To do this, he must work with the world’s leading scientists to develop solutions for space travel with no margin for error. And to do that, all the Earth’s accumulated knowledge is available to Ryland Grace for this trip. Then he must visit a star system experiencing the same phenomenon as our sun, find out why that system is not dying, and send that information back to Earth. All within 30 Earth years.
My Impression
The writing style reminds me very much of the movie “The Martian”. A single man fighting for survival. Friends aided him, but he must act mostly alone. The author does a good job of creating situations that are not necessarily scientifically possible, but plausible, and mixing scientifically accurate solutions to the problem.
I like the story, not complicated. This isn’t a whodunnit story. The protagonist’s goal is simple. Gather the information needed to save the Earth. By whatever means. It isn’t easy to critic each action the story turns to if the action is explained scientifically. At least, that is how I see it.
Recommendation
If you enjoyed “The Martian”, then you will enjoy “Project Hail Mary”. The story will remind you of one and the other. Similar, but also not.
INTERESTED IN THIS BOOK?
You can pick up a copy through:
Or support your local bookstore.
© 2026, Norman. All rights reserved.