byAndy Weir
4.0 out of 5 starsConfused man saves the world. A good read.
Reviewed in Canada on May 11, 2021
First, I enjoyed the book very much. I will try to avoid spoilers because the book takes a lot of twists.
The book isn't so much a novel as a series of vignettes, half of them going through the years prior to the opening scene. The second half, interleaved with the first, are the chronicles of the protagonist, going on from that first scene. For those familiar with The Martian, we again see the universe, and Murphy, working together to present endless challenges which our hero defeats (for the most part) with the diligent application of Science. The book is wrtten almost entirely in the first person. Each of the scenes are easy reads, and many I read multiple times, because they're fun! (Court battle.)
While this format is distracting it is entertaining. It probably slowed my reading down, which could be good or bad.
The author uses foreshadowing ... alot. At least half the twists i saw coming. Between that, and Murphy, you knew when things were going well, it was going to crash.
But it was STILL an easy and very entertaining book.
Literary Alchemist
3.0 out of 5 starsA diversion, but not anything spectacular
This is like a pulp version of the movie Arrival. The tone is much too light. The dialogue was laughable at times. The characterization was inconsistent. Anytime an author uses exclamation points in dialogue it's a bad sign. Good beach read. Some neat extra terrestrial discussions/theories. Not nearly as strong as The Martian, which I thought was fantastic; one led me the the other. I'll pass on his other novel.
22,092 global ratings | 3,503 global reviews
Josh S
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Reads like it was written by a high-IQ teenager.
I was looking forward to this after reading all the positive reviews, but was quickly disappointed. If not for the interesting-enough plot and twists, I would have given up on it early on. It reads like it was written by a high-IQ low-EQ teenage boy. There's no depth. The characters were 2 dimensional and there was too much focus on all the technical problems. Lots of inner monologue. I had to really suspend my disbelief because many of the scenarios were not at all realistic. What bothered at me the most was when the main character had to learn a new language and it happened way too quickly and his level of fluency and comprehension were just not believable based on the circumstances. The main character makes a lot of assumptions that if this were a real situation, he'd be taking some major risks.
Foursuns
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!!
Mr. Weir, you've done it again. You've written another great science fiction book built on real science. Such a great story! The disaster that you have created for earth to overcome was masterful and fascinating. The alien species that you imagined is credible. The fact that your alien was cooperative and interesting instead of frightening, gives me some faith that our real future contact may be positive and beneficial. Your writing is intricate and your descriptions are fascinating. As a former professional engineer, I find your scientific descriptions very satisfying and your imagined new technology interestingly plausible. I'm looking forward to reading it again. Please keep writing. I look forward to your next book with great anticipation.
Trese O'Reilly
5.0 out of 5 stars Andy Weir would be an amazing teacher.
Reviewed in Canada on May 5, 2021
I am on page 98. It's gaining momentum.. Andy again takes time explaining mind-bending ideas of space, time and physics then gives us a comparison we can relate to. He still writes with the nerdy mannerisms of a teenager, but his mind is simply amazing. For the rest of us mere earthlings, sit back and enjoy reading about what's happening...somewhere else.
Joe Canuck
3.0 out of 5 stars Well its ok.
Starts off with gusto. World ending from a Sun eating virus. What is humanity to do? There is a lot of interesting parts, good science, etc. But to have a Bugs Bunny kind of character meet another one is a stretch for me. It is not The Martian but there are glimmers of what made it great throughout
glennx
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
For this new book Andy Weir looks beyond the solar system but still manages to write a great book where the science hangs together. I love his attention to detail and the fact there are no completey unbelievable scientific advances in order to make the book work.
I loved it. I meant to read it a chapter a day since an Andy Weir book doesn't come around that often. In the end I read it over a weekend because I could not put it down.
Jacques Carrier
5.0 out of 5 stars A very, very good book.
Andy Weir has really outdone himself with this story. It is sometimes funny, sometimes serious, and brings you through all kinds of emotions. But more importantly, it is very good at explaining an large amount of scientific concepts, while telling a very well written story about humanity (and aliens) in the face of dangers and disasters.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
I really enjoyed The Martian and so I chose to read this book also by Andy Weir. I was not disappointed. I really liked the way we gradually learn what happened through the device of Grace's memory gradually returning. I loved Rocky...surprising because I don't like spiders! I hope to read more by this suthor.. If you like sci gi
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read Sci-Fi!
Project Hail Mary is a fantastic science fiction book. It is captivating and suspenseful. I could not put the book down. It is engaging and full of adventure right from the beginning. There are many surprises and intriguing situations. The character is very interesting. I loved this book and highly recommend it!
Patrick Barré
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story, couldn't put it down. Just loved it
I didn't give it five stars and here is why. The story is very complicated to follow. It's all about physics, chemistry and astronomy. There is a lot, I mean A LOT of details about physics and chemistry so it's easy
to have a hard time following the story. That is why I did not give five stars. Otherwise, the story is just incredible. I loved it and could not put it down. I really recommend it.
Guy E. Moosburger
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite the ride!
I usually don't like endings because they suck. His didn't. That's the kind of care he takes when writing a book.
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