PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir

With this latest novel, Andy Weir has created another entertaining love letter to the power of science, technology, and nerds. The story opens with a man waking up on a spaceship with no memories of how he got there and why he's there. But as he begins to regain his memories, and armed with just his knowledge and instincts, he realizes that the most impossible mission has been placed on his shoulders, and the fate of the entire world is at stake. 

One of the big critiques that some people had about Weir's smash debut, The Martian, was that it read like a science textbook at times, with its repetitive focus on the protagonist sciencing the hell out of one problem after another. I partially disagreed with that but if you felt that way about The Martian, then stay away from Project Hail Mary, as it beefs up the sciencing to 100! There were times when it felt a bit tedious detailing every step in Ryland Grace's problem-solving, sort of like a science computer game. But dammit if Weir has a real knack for making this stuff pretty entertaining! There are great, clever twists that I didn't see coming and one of the things that really worked was how we discover bits of the past as Ryland begins to regain his memories, and we piece together the entire backstory, with surprises throughout. A very effective way to deal with exposition.

It's best to go into the book knowing as little as possible about the plot, so I'll just leave it here. If you can make it through all of the science, you'll find an effective, escapist read, and just might learn something new along the way!

GRADE: B+