Have you ever started the audiobook of a book and within the first fifteen minutes or so you know you’re going to thoroughly enjoy it already because the narrator or bloody awesome and the writing itself lends perfectly to them? Well that was Project Hail Mary for me!
Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product.
In fact, I think I only picked up the physical copy of Project Hail Mary once during my time with it became Ray Porter, the audiobook narrator was so perfectly depicting how I wanted the character to sound and how I wanted the writing to be read.
In quick summary: Project Hail Mary tells the story of Roland Grace when he wakes up in the vastness of space and has to piece back memories as to how he got there and evenly more importantly, why.
Project Hail Mary plot – 4.5/5
Project Hail Mary is a wonderfully written book. I don’t mean in that you’re going to come out of this book with a large vocabulary or a better understanding of the English language but that Andy Weir clearly has a style and stuck to it throughout. It’s gripping, fast-paced and absolutely filled with light-hearted humour.
When Grace finds himself waking up in space, alone and with no idea how he got there, memories slowly start coming back to him about how and why he ended up where he is. We as the reader also unravel these at the same pace (allowing for some big revelations).
I adored the no-BS way that Weir decided to race through plot, science and characters to make sure us as the reader just had a damn good time.
However, my biggest couple of caveats were that there was a lot of science in this that just “explained things away” and also there was never really ever a feeling of true dread, despite the incredibly difficult position Grace finds himself in. The plot overall, despite the incredibly enjoyable writing never quite hit the peak I was hoping for. But I still very much enjoyed it!
Project Hail Mary characters – 4.75/5
The absolute best thing about Project Hail Mary was the characters. So very rarely do you get a main protagonist with so much personality. Too often they’re simply a vessel to progress the plot along and so can’t have too strong of a personality in case it gets in the way of the story. But Ryland Grace is brilliant.
Weir himself clearly has a great sense of humour and is incredibly knowledgeable about science stuff, so Grace himself is a primary school teacher filled with humour and incredible knowledge of science stuff.
Weir also embeds a little humour into nearly all of his characters, making you really truly enjoy their interactions.
There’s also a relationship that happens a little way into the book (which I can’t reveal as it’s a big plot spoiler) that will have you absolutely riveted. It’s deep, emotional, funny and, by the end, a relationship you’ll absolutely adore.
Project Hail Mary final rating – 4.75/5
Project Hail Mary is yet another book that you guys have chosen for me to read that is an absolute sensation. Andy Weir’s combination of no-BS writing, witty humour, deeply lovable characters and a plot that has just enough depth to keep you enticed has resulted in such a fantastic book. The plot is hampered at times by some weak pacing a bit too much is just explained by “science” but other than this, I properly enjoyed Project Hail Mary and can definitely see it featuring on my “best books of the year” list come December.
Pick up a copy of Project Hail Mary from Amazon
