Author: Andy Weir
Published: 2021
Pages: 496

I was an avid reader in my youth, but as I grew up, reading became one of the activities that fell by the wayside. I’ve replaced a lot of the time I put towards reading with adult life responsibilities, more movies and TV shows as well as just doomscrolling on the internet because I am weak and lack willpower. 

But you know what will always motivate me? Ryan Gosling. 

When the trailer for the movie adaptation of Project Hail Mary released not too long ago, I heard many complain about a big reveal in the trailer that was a surprise to readers. I go to the theaters too often to avoid trailers but I also didn’t want to be spoiled. So there was really only one path forward: read the book before I’m spoiled by the trailer. And so here we are. I have read the book and I have some thoughts. 

Point 1: On Brand Premise

I’m sure you know at least one of Andy Weir’s books – The Martian. That was his first book and it was a smash hit, leading to a hit film starring Matt Damon. His second book was slightly less acclaimed. Artemis went further into science fiction, setting the story on the moon with the plot generally revolving around a heist. After the mixed reviews to that, Weir clearly decided he needed to return to his wheelhouse – dude alone in space. And now we have Project Hail Mary.

See if you can find any parallels between the Martian and Project Hail Mary. Someone who wasn’t supposed to be alone is now alone far away from Earth. The whole plot revolves around them trying to problem-solve. They are astronauts but their main field of study is not space in and of itself. They are instead more just very good at science in general and use that knowledge to figure things out. 

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the template for Project Hail Mary was already established by Weir almost a decade prior. That doesn’t mean that the story is derivative at all though.

I’m gonna talk about the general premise and setup of the book here, but I assure you everything I discuss here will be contained to the early parts of the book and even then I’ll be vague with anything important. Just warning you in case you wanted to be completely blind. 

So here’s the premise: The protagonist wakes up in a spaceship from a coma unaware of who or where he is. The whole book goes back and forth between him figuring out the spaceship and his purpose as well as flashbacks that bring him along in that process. Without getting into details, it is discovered that a space phenomena is going to cause the end of the world and the only potential answer to this problem might be many light years away. 

I’ll let you discover the details of that yourself, but suffice it to say I was gripped the whole time. It was such an ingenious thing to come up with and lead the reader through. I know this is a cliche, but this is a page turner if there ever was one. Just the concept was cool enough on its own, but the explanations and the constant discoveries were paced perfectly. The back and forth of current day and past events never got old either as there was always something more you wanted to know in each place, which is great writing to keep you hooked instead of groaning because you want to stick to one or the other.

Point 2: Talk Science To Me

Andy Weir loves science. And I mean he LOVES science. I’ll tell you right now: if you don’t like science, don’t read this. That doesn’t mean it’s unapproachable though! That is Weir’s real writing skill. He explains the science so that if you have good knowledge, it all makes sense, but if you don’t, he holds your hand enough that you are still able to follow. It’s neither too dumbed down nor too presumptuous to alienate the audience. 

Personally though, I loved just following his explanations. Weir sets it up by making him a school teacher, so that it makes it more organic to explain things more simply. That plot device allows the writing to be on a level that the reader can more easily follow. I particularly loved everything that led to understanding the threat to Earth and the steps they took on Earth to deal with it in the short term. There was a lot of flipping well accepted concepts on their head yet still justifying it through science.

I can’t really get into my absolute favourite science stuff without spoilers, but I was having a ball reading that part. Very generally, the protagonist makes new discoveries that don’t match preconceived notions on Earth and reverse engineers new assumptions to understand how these things can be what they are. Every new thing that was explained tickled my brain. I really loved just finding new things that needed to be explained.

Point 3: Oozing Charisma

When your story is about space travel and being deep in science, you’ve got to balance it out with characters being relatable and charismatic to ensure that you don’t lose audiences who might be a little less into that. 

The protagonist in that sense is the perfect balance of smart and goofy. He knows what he is talking about, but he is a very PG cool school teacher about it all. He sees every problem as something to solve and you just can’t help but root for him. His inner monologue is always dorky and funny.

I know I made a whole point about this oozing charisma, but unfortunately to discuss it, I’d have to go into spoilers and I’d rather not. But I still think it’s worth pointing out this point because it really is what carries the latter two thirds of the book. The pace slows down a bit in that part of the novel and it would be an easy place to fall off, but the charisma is what carries your interest to see it out. It’s just a wholesome and endearing read throughout for a premise that is so unbelievably dour. It almost reminds you to find the light even when it’s so much easier to focus on the darkness. In the end, the story is really about friendship.

Point 4: Big Screen Adaptation

Although there’s plenty more I’d like to discuss about the book, the most interesting things are spoilers, so I’ll instead shift my focus to the upcoming 2026 film adaption. I’m a huge Phil Lord and Chris Miller fan. I love the Jump Street movies they directed and find them to be some of the best comedies of the 2010s. The Lego Movie is also up there in terms of ingenuity in the animated space at its time. Although they haven’t actually directed a movie since 22 Jump Street, they’ve been very involved in the Spider-Verse films as well as the underrated The Mitchells vs. the Machines.

All that said, I found them to be an odd match for a movie by the writer of The Martian, which was very well directed by Ridley Scott. Drew Goddard has returned to write Project Hail Mary after also being the writer for The Martian, so that was at least a common thread. Goddard also boasts a great resume with cult classics like Buffy, Angel, Lost, The Good Place, and Daredevil in the TV space as well as Cloverfield and The Cabin in the Woods (director also) in the movie space. 

However, once I read the book, the Lord and Miller match became very evident. The very goofy and comedic tone mixed with the earnestness that’s baked into every aspect of the movie lends a lot to their sensibilities. Ryan Gosling also fits that mold perfectly. 

The biggest question is how they handle THAT aspect. The aspect that was spoiled in the trailer, but also everything that has to do with that for the rest of the movie. I can’t wait to see their take though. I would trust them to take on any property, but this is a right in their wheelhouse and I have no doubt they’ll knock it out of the park.

Project Hail Mary is a great book about finding hope when all hope seems lost. The great writing, funny tone and wholesome characters will make you turn the page until you’re all the way through. In my opinion, they landed the ending in a better way than I could have expected. I highly recommend this read!