Review
This review was published on Goodreads.
Author’s Note (05 Jun 2024): This review was written over 2 years ago.
Okay, so the “read a book from a genre you don’t like” challenge is over, and I’m glad. Which is a weird thing to say given that I rate this book four stars, but I guess Dr. Ryland Grace knows a thing or two about weirdness.
TL;DR: The first half of the book is a solid three stars, but the final arc is so well-executed and satisfyingly resolved that I have to give it four. I’m not a fan of the writing, or the science, or the one-dimensional characters, but I could see why so many people rave about this book online. So here goes:
Having a science background is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to sci-fi books. Think of it as playing bingo: on the one hand, explanations of phenomena are easier to follow and the author gets a +1 every time he offers a new perspective to the table; but on the other hand, your mind gets good at catching hand-wavy explanations, falsehoods (good thing this book does not suffer from this problem), and absurdities. The Achilles’ heel of sci-fi books, especially those as well-written as this, is their facade of scientific accuracy. By writing purely fictionalized story while billing itself as tethered in reality, sci-fi offers an unparalleled escapism experience - but at the same time bullshits threatening to erode that facade become that much more pronounced to those who look for them. Besides, too many sci-fi books are preoccupied with weaving intricate plots to the point of abandoning a character’s internal journey. Flexing writer smarts is amazing and all, and I get it, but why oh why do your characters have to be so boring?
So that’s my preconceived notion of the genre, based on bad experience I’ve had before Project Hail Mary. I don’t regret having read it at all - even if it fails to appease my character-centric, YA-ish bias, it succeeds in destroying some of my beliefs, though not all of them.
The plot of this book is so outrageous that it shouldn’t have been possible to exist at all, but it does anyway, and backed by so much science and bolstered by Andy Weir’s pen game that at times it reads like a hypothesis proposal. There is no surprising plot twist, or mind blowing intricacy that leaves my mouth agape with disbelief, but the novel does not need such embellishment; it’s healthy enough as it is. There are glaring plot absurdities (which is expected given that it’s literally science fiction heyhowareyou), but no plot holes in sight. Good, that means my bullshit radar won’t flare up that often (or at all, really). The antidote to the apocalypse was obvious in hindsight, but it’s been hiding from Dr. Grace’s eyes (and by extension, mine) for so long that when it manifests itself, the payoff was cathartic. The plot’s strength does not rest entirely on its science, either. For example, the bonding arc between Dr. Grace and Rocky reflects just how graceful the author handles the situation. The introduction of his “companion” and the following chapter describing their initial exchanges are well thought-out, and at no point in the book does the characters just suddenly burst out into English, or coincidentally use the same number system as Earth’s. Rocky’s a god-tier engineer apparently, smart enough to function as a mini computer and a Mr. Fix-it for the Hail Mary. He solves many of the problems that the main character encounters and then some. This would be a major flaw in any other book, but the author manages to sidestep this pitfall by not assigning Rocky anything too ludicrous to complete AND let him complete it. (Yes, Rocky is a he. Don’t kill me). And then, the final gut-punch came right when I lowered my guard, and I almost teared up.
The pacing is tightly controlled and you can tell that it’s exactly how the author envisaged, given that every reveal falls on the right beat: when the reader’s concentration just barely lapses, when (s)he is convinced about the course of the plot - however, the first 200 pages were so boring that I dropped it twice. Andy Weir knows how to ride anticipation, but is no expert in building it. Only in the latter parts where things start to accelerate that the story really comes alive.
Finally, the prose. I’m not saying that it’s Ocean Vuong good, nor am I saying that it’s Dan Brown bad, but the prose fails to excite me. I see the world through the eyes of Dr. Ryland Grace the whole time, but except for the last 100 pages of the book, I find it hard to even give a shit about him. If the author can’t “show” why he’s crying, at least “tell” me that he’s crying in such a way that I actually believe in it. Lie to me. I mean, not purple, but “My vision blurs. I wipe my tears” is a purely utilitarian statement meant to recount the story, and nothing else. Prose carries the weight of a novel just as much as its plot, or characters: it embeds emotions in places no intriguing plot could ever hope to replace. His writing does just enough to plop up the story and beam the main character’s thoughts directly into your head, but it is done wholly in service of other elements to the point of being boring. The punchlines and sarcasm and deadpan humor provides lightheartedness needed in an otherwise bleak scenario, though. The author’s wicked, black-as-coal Kubrickian humor saves the novel from descending into a 464-page synopsis of itself and transforms Project Hail Mary into a comedy with a bittersweet ending. I like that.
In all, I don’t regret having read this book. While not an expertly-written one, Project Hail Mary excels in areas that matter. You read a sci-fi for the plot, guys. PHM is not a study in solitude, or a thought provoking masterpiece (to me), or a celebration of extraterrestrial life, but it serves me good time. I don’t get to see Earth’s reaction to impending doom, so it leaves me imagining the scenarios on my own - it’s not jovial, but necessary. What will happen to the world I live in 50 years from now? We die so easily. Can I just cocoon in my safe bubble while out there, someone is saying the last goodbye to their loved ones? Eva Stratt, you evil. You made me think too much for a fiction read. Will I read another sci-fi on my own volition? Probably not. But I won’t complain if it’s as good as this.
Congratulations, Eva Stratt. You held me hostage.