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witcheep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The plot captivated me with the incredibly high stakes and unexpected partnership in solving the main mystery/problem. My only regret is that I didn't read this book sooner!
The book delivers a very intelligent and resilient main character Ryland Grace, who finds himself on a suicide mission to save the Earth and the humankind. He must solve a huge scientific problem caused by an alien microscopic life force that threathens to power off the Sun. He is sent to another solar system to research how to make this alien species harmless.
There he comes across an alien on a similar solo mission – and they team up to solve this huge problem both of their solar systems share. I enjoyed the way they find ways to communicate and to co-operate, becoming fast friends. This dynamic is among the greatest aspects of this book!
A word of caution, though: at times (or if I'm being honest, often) the highly scientific details made me feel dumb or lazy, like I was trying to keep up with a lecture without doing my homework beforehand. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the plot, however, since I don't need to be an expert to appreciate the attention to detail in which the main characters' love for scientific thinking is expressed. I can see how that could make the reading experience tedious, though. I think listening to the audiobook might have made the experience better for me, otherwise I might have struggled to get through these parts or chide myself for just skimming them.
A word of caution, though: at times (or if I'm being honest, often) the highly scientific details made me feel dumb or lazy, like I was trying to keep up with a lecture without doing my homework beforehand. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the plot, however, since I don't need to be an expert to appreciate the attention to detail in which the main characters' love for scientific thinking is expressed. I can see how that could make the reading experience tedious, though. I think listening to the audiobook might have made the experience better for me, otherwise I might have struggled to get through these parts or chide myself for just skimming them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Suicide
Minor: Sexual content, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and War
morris42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Dementia
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, and Cannibalism
skai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a brilliant book, in my humble opinion. Not only are the characters well crafted, they are also ones you start to care about. This is definitely a plot driven book, but the characters are what stands out. Some of the scenes had me close to tears because I cared about the characters deeply enough. Just... really well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cannibalism and Gaslighting
skudiklier's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book made me feel things I haven't felt in years—not since I first read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green. I was so excited reading it, and despite how long it is I couldn't put it down, and finished it the day after starting it. I would really, really recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi, and especially anyone who enjoyed The Martian. Major spoiler: I just really like non-hostile first contact stories I think. When Grace first waved at the alien and then it waved back, I actually teared up a little. (Just saying "the alien" to have as few spoilers as possible.)
Some of the big eureka moments made me want to screenshot them and send them to friends—like, as if they were real and we could all get excited about this huge discovery together. It's definitely a good book for a book club or to read with friends.
Compared to The Martian, this felt like it had more suspense/higher stakes, because The Martian basically had a sad ending or a happy ending (and I always assumed it would be happy). Project Hail Mary has a lot more room for complexity in terms of what a "happy" ending looks like, so I definitely felt unsure about how certain parts would end.
I'm also glad I didn't really read the description of the book before reading it; all I knew was it was by Andy Weir (and that Hank Green liked it). It allowed me to truly learn everything along with Grace, and to be surprised by even basic functions of the plot in a really rare and enjoyable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Some of the big eureka moments made me want to screenshot them and send them to friends—like, as if they were real and we could all get excited about this huge discovery together. It's definitely a good book for a book club or to read with friends.
Compared to The Martian, this felt like it had more suspense/higher stakes, because The Martian basically had a sad ending or a happy ending (and I always assumed it would be happy). Project Hail Mary has a lot more room for complexity in terms of what a "happy" ending looks like, so I definitely felt unsure about how certain parts would end.
I'm also glad I didn't really read the description of the book before reading it; all I knew was it was by Andy Weir (and that Hank Green liked it). It allowed me to truly learn everything along with Grace, and to be surprised by even basic functions of the plot in a really rare and enjoyable way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Ableism and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Kidnapping, and Murder
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