Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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Web ID: 1505590328 reviews
Had me (a non-reader) absolutely hooked!
I picked up Project Hail Mary back in June thinking it would just be another overrated generic sci-fi story. Oh boy was I wrong and I’m glad it wasn’t! Project Hail Mary introduces a known concept but with a unique twist: it had me thinking on the scientific information it provided, happy about the results of finding a possible solution to the central issue, angry when it the said result turned to be false, and at the edge of my seat as the main character gets into life threatening circumstances beyond his already grim situation. In simple terms, this book may of gotten me back into reading! Would recommend to readers and non-readers before the movie comes out!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wow!
I think I bought this book. I do remember where it was the last time I saw it. Anywho, I read it not knowing anything about it other than it looked interesting. I was not disappointed. Twists and turns to excite any SF fan. Your life is not complete without reading this book.
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A addicting page turner
This got me so excited for the movie! There’s so much science in this book but Weir does an excellent job of making it easy to understand. Definitely recommend it
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I Loved it!
This is now my favorite book ever. It was so technical but also hilariously, two of my favorite things. It made me think and laugh and I’m so excited for the movie!!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Compelling Plot and Fascinating Characters
So, since I am not a fan of science fiction, I will be honest by saying that I looked at the number of chapters and determined my “assigned reading” for each day so that I would be able to complete the book by the time our library book group met again. I was pleasantly surprised that the book entertained me and kept me reading past my assignment at times since I got absorbed in the story. I liked the characters, especially Rocky the alien, The plot was complex and I got somewhat bogged down in the physics and math, but since I could skim those parts and sill understand the story, I just kept reading. The ending was a nice surprise twist, so all in all, not a bad read. It didn’t convert me to look for sci-fi to read, but it was interesting and had a compelling plot. I checked out a copy of this book from my local library. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.
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Couldn’t put it down
Best work yet, even more engaging than The Martian
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Maybe wait for the movie instead
I really like stories on space travel so surprised that I ended up disliking this book so much. It’s written in first person from a quippy, obnoxious, arrogant male character named Ryland Grace. This book suffers from tonal and thematic issues, especially in trying to make Grace everything possible. He is a junior high school teacher, with a PhD in molecular biology and programming, engineering, and physics knowledge, can do complex mathematics and convert anything (metric to imperial, alien to human) in his head, can communicate with an alien species seamlessly, and can draw anything from memory to solve all his issues (after being in a coma for thirteen years). The narrative would launch into random scientific explanations and at the same time, use a more folksy, old-timey Americana language, referring to space equipment as “doo-hickeys” and “bull-puckeys.” Representation matters, and there’s no such efforts made here. The minor characters are one-note, stereotypical caricatures who use broken English (but in a way that’s not believable, as written by someone who thinks what bad English would sound like), which makes me feel like the author has never worked with colleagues from outside the US. In real life, a lot of scientists/researchers from many countries speak perfect English (I have many, many firsthand experience with this). To my point, an actual sentence in the book is, “They smiled and made happy Russian sounds” (…I wish I was kidding). The two other crew members are also… Russian and Chinese. Is this a near-future take on space travel or are we turning back the clock to the 1970s space race? I also thought the way climate science is handled in this book is very questionable. This was probably written with the intention of being turned into a movie (as what happened with The Martian) and not based on writing a book to be a good book…and unsurprisingly, this is turning into a soon-to-be movie. I watched The Martian and had high hopes for this book but ultimately, I think I would rather wait for the movie on this one, where the actors can breathe more life into the characters and make them more likable and believable and with a decent writing team.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
4.75
Oh, this book was so good. I haven't read a really good sci-fi book in a long time, but I have heard great things about Project Hail Mary. The book is definitely worth the hype. Ryland Grace is on a mission to save Earth from dying. Ryland, a junior-high science teacher and former researcher, is somehow on a suicide mission to save all life on Earth. He wakes on a spaceship with amnesia without his other two crewmates to help. They didn't survive the journey. Now, he has to do this mission alone. I loved this book. It is intense and the stakes are high, but there are moments of humor, and Ryland is just a goofy guy you have to love. His passion for science that you can feel, and he has to use his brain to solve a lot of problems. I liked the back-and-forth timeline we get as we slowly discover why Ryland ended up on this mission. I really enjoyed the mystery of it all. I think it didn't get five stars because some of the ramblings about science and math pulled me from the story. There were some moments that I feel could have been edited down. It was always when things got a little too detailed that I found my attention drifting. Still, the ending was poignant and bittersweet. I think it was wrapped up beautifully. I am so glad I decided to pick this up because I don't often read sci-fi. This is definitely worth jumping genres for me.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com