Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) 🥉

3rd Rank 2021

Genius. That is the most apt summation for this mind boggling science fiction by Andy Weir. Being loaded with chunks of physics & science, Project Hail Mary would cater specifically to this audience. Or at least would be best enjoyed if one has an inclination towards this discipline. For a science enthusiast, this book is certainly not to be missed.

For someone like me, who has immense love for the subject, this book comes as a pure delight & nothing less. It is absolutely thrilling to see physics in full action, and how! Each segment of this book is a convincing testament to the sheer brilliance of the author Andy Weir and speaks highly of his command over the subject.

The premise of the book is a natural phenomena that is eating up the sun & gradually depriving the earth of it’s heat, which is essential for sustaining life on the planet. The book subsequently deals with how this bunch of intelligent minds set about saving humanity, selflessly.

We often quite casually use adjectives like ‘twists & turns’ in a book to highlight it’s worth. But if there ever were some ‘twists & turns’ in the true sense of the word, Project Hail Mary will surprise you on four specific occasions with such twists that you NEVER would have seen coming. Thus, it would only be fair not to talk of them here and only touch upon points that do not give it away.

To start with, the basic plot of the book, a phenomenon which the author describes as “The Petrova Line”, that is leaking away heat from the sun. This idea is so solidly backed by physics, it is beautiful! It is quite astonishing as to how someone can just imagine such a thing happening, and which is so well supported by science that it doesn’t seem fiction at all – it seems something very very real. It is bound to make you think that such a thing probably does exist somewhere, which has not yet come to our notice. On the plot itself, I think the book wins it for me!

Brilliant Terminology

The other highlight of the book is Andy Weir’s remarkable ability at coming up with names & terms for various things – names which fit the subject to the hilt. Be it the Petrova Line, be it Astrophage or be it Blip-A, it is a joy to read. All these terms sound so very ‘correct’- making the story more & more convincing. There are many such words that you discover as you read along, which I shall not put up here for obvious reasons.

A Walk Back To Physics!

All along the book you would come across small little experiments & solutions to some stumbling blocks which keep you so awfully entertained. Somewhere as a child things we learnt, which became dusty over time, thanks Andy Weir for making me remember how much I love physics and why. It is alluring to see how the laws of science define every happening and rule our existence.

Characters

And next, coming to my favorite character, or should I say, my favorite part of the book – Stratt !!! I simply love her character and whenever she turns up, it just has me in splits with the decimating power she possesses. Take a bow Andy Weir, for it’s not just physics that you rule, you are as skilled in your story telling – for the character sketch you built of Stratt is as real as all the science running about in this book.

Right from her introduction, till the very end, the ruthless, emotionless authority of Stratt gives the book it’s much deserved lighter moments. It is funny as well as inspiring. It just gives me a feel that probably it is inspired by some real character. I certainly would love to meet someone like her – but surely not be in Grace’s situation 😉 I loved her!

Friendship

This review would be a complete waste without the mention of this word. Amidst all the science, all the rigmarole, if there is anything that stands out, it is friendship. This world lives on because of friendship – take it metaphorically or otherwise. Amongst all human emotions, this is one that stands out tall. And Andy Weir succeeds in giving you a astounding lesson in it. Project Hail Mary is sure to overwhelm you towards it’s end.

So well done Weir, you scored a 100% on all three accounts – science, characterizations and emotions. This book has it all.

A Negligible Complaint!

If there is any thing I would probably have different about Project Hail Mary, it is probably it’s length. I think it could be a little more concise towards it’s middle portion, for the beginning and end are perfect. But this is of no real relevance actually since the brilliance of the book overshadows all.

Conclusion

The true win for Andy Weir is in succeeding to make fiction convincingly real. It just leaves me thinking, probably some day in future far far away, we may detect a Petrova Line. We may discover Astrophage. And then we will come back to this book and be discussing how Andy Weir predicted (he is not actually predicting anything) something like this centuries ago (someone reminds me of Nostradamus?) But thanks to him, we will have a ready made solution ready to it. A huge shout out to Project Hail Mary!

Available on Kindle!

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