Project Hail Mary is by the same author as The Martian. While The Martian’s story is grounded in current science, Project Hail Mary adds more sci-fi without violating scientific principles.
The other difference between The Martian and Project Hail Mary is the scope. In The Martian, Mark Watney is stranded on Mars and needs to get home. In Project Hail Mary, a phenomenon is destroying the Sun, and Ryland Grace must travel to a distant star to save Earth.
The protagonist, Ryland Grace, is a science teacher who ends up as the sole survivor of the Hail Mary traveling to save Earth. After waking from a coma with no memory of how he got there or who he is, Ryland’s memory returns gradually.
As Ryland solves problems aboard the Hail Mary, his memories return. We see the Project Hail Mary mission planning on Earth and how someone “chose” Ryland for it, along with the sacrifices made for the mission.
The writing is engaging and fun. You can grasp the point without understanding the math, and it makes sense. This is a unique aspect of Andy Weir’s style. He loves this stuff. He researched and discussed “what if” scenarios with real scientists and astronauts. After The Martian’s success, he has a wealth of resources.
This story isn’t typical sci-fi. It could happen. Ryland’s science-based problems felt realistic instead of forced plot twists. I imagined what happened in a standard action story. Instead, we get a great tale about somebody solving extraordinary issues.
An excellent book, and I can't wait for the movie!
