PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One half like reading a speculative sci-fi thriller, the other like reading a physics textbook. And in this case, it’s a combo that surprisingly works.

Fair warning: the narration is so corny you may die. It abuses stream-of-consciousness storytelling to the point it took me out of the book multiple times. But beyond that, this was a fair relative to The Martian. A little less charming with ramped up science beyond what I expected (and comprehended). But still a spiritual sequel with the same how-the-hell-will-he-survive-this twists and shocks to the heart. Humans just want to survive, and turns out it’s reliably fun to watch someone try to do it in space.

One thing that can’t be overstated is that Andy Weir must be some kind of genius. Some of the more literary aspects of his books aside, his ability to introduce and illustrate numerous scientific ideas in one coherent storyline is unreal. The space travel explanations alone are entrancing, but he goes on to cover civilization theories, human physiology, chemistry, the foundations of language, sociopolitical relations, climate change, the apocalypse, and so much more in this book alone. He simplifies being human in ways I’ve never thought mattered because that’s just the way we are built. We’ve never known anything different. And it was exciting to have that experience, especially when sometimes being human feels degrading.

I liked this better than Artemis, Weir’s second book, finding him back in tune with his strengths and his voice. If you’re into NASA, the possibility of the world ending, and a massive dose of science-y exposition, this is a pretty fun one. If those aren’t your forte, you’ll probably think this drags. If anything, come for the beginning amnesia mystery, stay for the unexpectedly quaint interplanetary relationship.