Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

PROJECT HAIL MARY

Let me start by saying this. This book has made me look up at the night sky in a completely different way. I do not have a scientific bone in my body. How I ever got past the exams in school is beyond my comprehension. I love sci-fi films but rarely read book in this category and in our #bookstagram journey we want to push ourselves beyond the parameters of the genres we usually enjoy. 

Project Hail Mary, published this year, an instant bestseller from acclaimed author of The Martian, is science fiction with the emphasis on SCIENCE. If I’m being honest, I understood approximately five of every ten sentences. Imagine if Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory decided to write a novel about space, based on the actual scientific calculations it would take to get there. This is that book.

Ryland Grace, wakes up on a spaceship from a coma, afflicted with amnesia. The teacher turned astronaut gradually remembers that he was sent on a suicide mission to find a way of reversing a solar dimming event that will cause the extinction of humanity.

The narrative is fragmented to reflect his memory ebbing back and forth which gives this a pace I enjoyed. It is exceptionally saturated with scientific detail and made me realise that I understand almost nothing. At times I found it hard to get through however because of the propulsive aspect I did want to know what happened. 

Fans of this genre utterly adore this book, with astronauts and scientists praising the believability of the story. For someone like me, it was highly enjoyable if a bit over my head, though the dry wit of the main protagonist lifted the entire experience.

~ Chaya