Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary

By Andy Weir

Okay, I have taken a step out of my usual reading choice and stepped into the world of contemporary science fiction.  My first.  This book did not disappoint me.  Though because I am a massive nerd, and am currently taking astronomy, I got even more excited when I knew what in the heck the narrator was talking about.  There is a lot of science in this book, and that is what makes the book realistic.  It is the same reason as to why as you read Jurassic Park it is easy to believe there could in fact be dinosaurs wandering around. (Please, don’t do that, scientists.  Just don’t go there.) 

Any who, this book is about a man trying to save humanity from Sun devouring space organisms.  It is a suicide mission.  Cleverly told through flashbacks, we learn over the course of the book who our narrator is and how he got to be the one stuck in the Hail Mary orbiting Tao Ceti, a distant star that seems unaffected by the Astrophage (space star eating algae).  The amount of science and creativity that went into this book is magnificent. 

What if?  That is how stories like these begin.  What if the Sun starts to go dim, what if there is space gunk eating it?  What would we do to save our species?  Anything.  We want to survive above all else.  There is very little about this book in the way of plot holes, and there are plenty of struggles for Ryland Grace to overcome along his journey.  But the book is more than just a man trying to save the Earth, but it also asks what would you be willing to do?  What would you be willing to risk?  We, along with Ryland, make a lot of assumptions about these questions.  The bonds and relationships we make, sometimes that is all it takes to help guide our decisions. 

The book is a little hefty, but perfect for a warm summer’s night under the stars, and make you wonder, what if?...