Give 'Em Hail

Author Andy Weir arrived with a bang when he published The Martian, a very good book turned into an even better film. He stumbled with his second book Artemis, universally agreed to be weaker (though I liked it better than most readers). Now, Weir is back with his third novel, Project Hail Mary.

Ryland Grace awakens in a strange environment, tended by a robotic system with no memory of where -- or even, at first, who -- he is. Soon, he discovers (early book spoilers here) that he's aboard a spaceship in another star system, sent there in a desperate attempt to find a solution for a global catastrophe threatening all life on Earth. The narrative switches back and forth from his research in the present and the memories he's gradually recovering about how he got here in the first place.

While Andy Weir has only published three novels so far, it didn't even take that long for his writing style to be made abundantly clear. Weir's brand is to pepper a breezily readable pulp premise with lots of hard science details, featuring a snarky protagonist. I noted in reviewing Artemis that it was possible this formula, this writer's voice, could wear thin after a bit of repetition, but it hadn't then. And it hasn't now. In fact, I'd say Project Hail Mary is his best book, better than The Martian.

If you read The Martian and Artemis and enjoyed either of them, even a little, you will definitely enjoy Project Hail Mary. It's another puzzle box of a tale about solving problem after problem in a seemingly never-ending string of crises. It's about being smart under pressure, and celebrating intelligence -- things that feel sorely lacking in the real world sometimes.

What makes Project Hail Mary better, in my view, is that while retaining that core of what makes an Andy Weir book, Weir does show improvement on the things that felt like flaws to me in his previous books. The protagonist does still feel like a quippy extension of the writer himself (though it's hard not to when writing in the first-person)... but there are now secondary characters with stronger personalities that don't merely feel like lesser versions of the main character. Two in particular really pop in this novel, one even becoming more enjoyable than the protagonist himself, in a marvelous bit of literary sleight of hand.

Also, significantly, Ryland Grace has a meaningful character arc in the story. Where both The Martian and Artemis leave their main characters more or less the same flippant people we found them as (albeit, having gone on quite an adventure), Grace has something to learn -- more than just the secret of his own past. He is fundamentally changed by his experiences, making this a tale not just of fun science and clever situations, but of character growth. Andy Weir is getting better at delivering more than just a gripping plot. (Though once again, he does that.)

On top of all that, I'll note that for the first time, I listened to an Andy Weir book in audio format (rather than reading it). And special praise must go to this presentation. Narrator Ray Porter is the perfect choice for this main character, handling all the technical jargon with aplomb, shading everything with the right amount of snark, and really acting more than just reading. On the production side, there are well-chosen audio effects used throughout the story (in ways that simply shouldn't be spoiled beforehand). It's not remotely a "full cast production," nor is it trying to be one, but it definitely adds to the experience in a great way.

Yes, word is that a movie adaptation of this book is already in the works (starring Ryan Gosling). But I really wouldn't wait for that -- I enjoyed the book too much. In fact, I'd give Project Hail Mary an A. It's the most I've looked forward to "another chapter" in a long time.