Imagine waking up on a spaceship in a strange galaxy with no memory of how you got there. Your fellow astronauts are dead. Luckily, you are a scientist and love math. Unfortunately, you soon remember the objective of Project Hail Mary. Save Earth from certain destruction from microbes eating Earth’s sun. Regrettably, you also realize that your ship doesn’t have enough fuel to make it back to Earth. You signed up for a suicide mission and don’t remember why…but you might as well save Earth while you’re here!
Once again, the author of The Martian has created a beautiful and human story that tugs on the heartstrings while also teaching why science and math are important. Did I understand all of the science here? Surprisingly, with only a semester of college inorganic chemistry, mostly I did. The book explains complex ideas for lay readers well. I’m sure some scientists will talk about inaccuracies eventually. But this is speculative fiction that seems very believable to me.
I have one suggestion. I’m grateful that you stopped to read my review. However, avoid reading other reviews that may contain spoilers that will ruin some of the stunning surprises in the book. If you read it “blind”, you are in for a treat that rivals thrillers in plotting and twists! I can’t recommend Project Hail Mary highly enough. Even if you hate science, just skim those explanations to get to the heartwarmingly human story beneath. 5 stars and my favorite book so far this year!
Thanks to Ballantine Books, Random House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.