Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Andy Weir, author of The Martian, returned in 2021 with Project Hail Mary, another story about a lone astronaut aboard a spaceship. Ryland Grace is a school teacher and former biologist who wakes up from a coma aboard the titular Hail Mary, suffering from temporary amnesia, and slowly trying to piece together where he is and what he is doing there.
While reactions to the novel in our September 2025 book club discussion varied between the enthusiastic and the unaffected, many readers found much to admire in the book’s upbeat tone and optimistic message, as Maryam so eloquently puts it:
Maryam’s Take:
”A joyful, joyful, joyful ride through the stars, sponsored by science, Velcro and jazz hands.”
Project Hail Mary was not only a fun read but also an excellent example of accessible sci-fi that knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers it with confidence. It offers a refreshing take on cosmic fiction, not centered on horror or doom, but on what can be achieved with duct tape, stubborn childlike curiosity, and a love for science.
While Andy Weir’s writing is enjoyable on the page, it creates mini worlds that feel destined for the big screen to reach their full potential, which is often the case with space sci-fi. It does not try to compete with hard science or intricately built sci-fi universes like The Three-Body Problem, The Culture, or Dune, but instead confidently holds its own space.
Despite the criticism it received in our book club, I still see it as a love letter to problem-solving and cosmic optimism.
Iffy was another one of our readers who found plenty to celebrate in the book’s feel-good essence, while acknowledging its escapist appeal (beware of spoilers):
Iffy’s Take:
”Did it cure cancer? No. Did I love it? Yes, and I’ve listened to it 4 (ish) times!”
I love this book.
I really love this book.
I’ve listened to it 4 (ish) times, and I probably will listen to it again in the months and years to come. But if you had asked me why, I wouldn’t have been able to give you a straightforward answer. The book just feels… good to me. So, this is my rambling attempt to do a little self-reflection, to pull something out of my subconscious, and turn it into a coherent piece of writing. By the end of this, hopefully I’ll be able to give you an answer, but no guarantees on it being straightforward.
Science fiction is one of my comfort genres, especially science fiction that takes the reader to far-off worlds, or ahead to a distant future.
As I become older, I recognise that I find comfort in it because it allows me to indulge in escapism, which has become a crutch for me in recent times. From the stresses at work, from the drama in the family, from the dying oceans, from the worry that my daughter won’t be able to witness the stars in the night sky because of the growing light pollution problem due to urban sprawl and those fucking Starlink satellites that Elon Musk has been chucking into orbit.
I escape into books and imagine instead. Space, stars, far away galaxies, and other assorted venues away from real life’s problems.
Project Hail Mary allowed me that escape. It took me to a different world, but not in a bedtime-story kind of way. As a somewhat sane adult with a finite amount of disbelief to suspend, you must convince me for the duration of the read that what you’re saying is real.
The author had me believing that aliens exist. That mankind was able to achieve interstellar travel. That mankind was able to come together all kumbaya-like and problem-solve their way out of an extinction-level threat. For those 16 hours and change that was the length of the audiobook, the author had me believing I was not… here *gestures at everything*.
Character-wise, Andy Weir went back to what made him famous with his first book The Martian — the White-Science-Nerd-Who-Is-Also-A-Cool-DudeBro.
Blame colonialism and the Caucasian-centric media bias, end of the day, the damage has been done and it has been thoroughly internalized — I love White-Science-Nerd-Who-Is-Also-A-Cool-DudeBro. If you liked Schwarzenegger in Predator, aka White-Dudebro vs Aliens, you’ll love White-Dudebro vs Alien germs.
The author did manage to avoid being called a one-trick pony though (marginally). Around a third of the way into the book, we are introduced to a loveable alien sidekick named Rocky. I did not see it coming, and the reveal was an absolute nerdgasm moment for me.
The chemistry between the main character and alien sidekick was a lot of fun. It felt quite natural, made me want to be friends with them both. I enjoyed the montage of them learning to communicate with each other and learning about each other’s cultures. Tonally, it balanced out the doom and gloom that expectedly comes when faced with a world ending scenario, allowed the characters a bit of reprieve from the dire situation that they were in, and made for moments of humour. It also raised the stakes as well, so you were not just rooting for humanity – you were rooting for Rocky-anity (?) too! The main character has plot armour by default, so you were never truly worried for him, but Rocky and by extension, his people? He never came across as invincible to me, and that delicious morsel of risk had me like a carrot on a stick.
The story was paced well, and the tension was kept tight throughout the book. The author used some clever devices to allow for exposition without making it feel distracting. The main character was a schoolteacher, so he’s explaining the sciencey bits in a dumbed-down way which made it feel like I could do space travel on the weekend if I wanted — and the only reason I haven’t yet is because I don’t have the time. There were moments of sacrifice, teamwork, and danger that had me hanging on to the edge of my seat, urging the narrator to read faster to know what happens next.
A convenient sprinkle of temporary amnesia helped the exposition to be drip-fed, instead of dumped on you all at once. That kept the suspense going, allowed for a nice little character backstory twist right towards the end, and made the main character’s big hero play a lot sweeter.
Lastly, I want to touch on the format. I didn’t technically read this book — I listened to it in audio format. In my opinion, the book works a lot better in audio, and it felt like it was made to be listened to. The narrator was fantastic, and sounded just like a white Dudebro. Felt like I could could crack open a beer and hangout with the main character even though I never have had a beer, and I also don’t have any white friends that I hang with. The alien musical sounds that was used to convey Rocky’s speech were a nice touch as well.
Did the book make me realise anything profound? No.
Did it introduce me to any philosophical concepts? No.
Did it cure cancer? Also no.
Did I love it? Yes, and I’ve listened to it 4 (ish) times!
From the other side of our discussion table, Shumoos was unable to hide her disappointment, nay even resentment toward the book, finding it to be little more than a shallow superhero narrative, overloaded with tedious science talk (spoilers again):
Shumoos’s Take:
”Indeed, Hail Mary and other saints to get me through reading this book”
Andy Weir would be an excellent author for children science books with all his passion about science. This supposedly adult science fiction narrative however fell flat for me.
The characters were one dimensional, the protagonist is a cliché science nerd with a simplistic, almost child-like manner; that we know he was never in a serious relationship. He has no stable friendships on earth and no mention of family or any healthy human relations. The other human characters are reduced to flat stereotypes and the flashback narrative is trying and disruptive.
The one concept I liked in the book was the single cell alien life form. While it felt original, the way it was handled was disappointing as the story ultimately devolved into another narrative where a lone white man single-handedly saves humanity.
The intelligent alien character, Rocky, never feels truly alien. Despite the hype, Rocky's quirky personality makes him sound more like another eccentric human character.
The long, overly detailed scientific explanations that fill the book only served to slow the pacing and lose my interest.
Ultimately, Project Hail Mary has clever scientific elements, but these are not enough to compensate for its underdeveloped characters, lack of depth and predictable plot structure.