I have thus far avoided the book due to an irrational fear of disappointment. I loved The Martian and would love to experience another story of similar virtuosity. I see the overwhelmingly positive reviews for Project Hail Mary, but would appreciate your direct opinions. Is it really of similar caliber? Will I find a similar level of satisfaction compared to The Martian?
I understand this is hyper subjective and a bit neurotic, but I have limited time for pleasure reading these days and unfortunately have become very picky.
Thank you in advance!
by Dav1d0v
11 Comments
It’s a great book. The first 20% of it is maybe a little slow, but just get through it because after that groundwork is laid it picks up and becomes a good read. It’s probably somewhere between the Martian and Artemis, both of which I really liked.
It was fucking amazing. Could not stop listening (audiobook) to it. And the ending was *chefs kiss. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time! BETTER than The Martian by a long shot.
Read the book. Recognize the neuroses, and work against them rather than leaning into them. Honestly, if you liked the Martian, I see no reason that you would not like Project Hail Mary. Personally, I do not think that Andy Weir is a great/talented writer, but I LOVED the story despite the fact that the author has shortcomings in my eyes. I firmly believe that the story is hugely entertaining for pretty much everyone, whether they liked his previous work or not. Of course I realize that not everyone will enjoy Project Hail Mary, but I really do think that those who enjoy the book will far outweigh those who do not.
Honestly, disliking the Martian would be a better reason to avoid reading project Hail Mary. My candid opinion is that you’re being weird about this and that you will thoroughly enjoy PHM. Get to it already!
I read it and enjoyed it so much I convinced my wife to listen to the audiobook with me. The audiobook is fantastic.
Trying to give a fair unbiased opinion.
It’s a really fun book, if you like the Martian this is the same formula but better (survival through solving problems). The writing is not great, but again it’s at least as good as the Martian.
It’s not the best book ever written or worthy of awards for writing, but it’s a fun engaging sci-fi story.
Try not to get too into the hype you’ll see and expect too much though. Some people are crazy about this book.
For me it was not as good as The Martian, but that still leaves a lot of heaedway. I did love it. It’s not perfect, I find it rushes at the end a bit, and you have to accept a few leaps of logic, but overall I found it very engaging and memorable.
The Martian was better but it’s not bad at all I don’t think, it certainly is better than Artemis. I’ve listened to it a few times now and it goes down as easy as the Martian I’d say
Weir is all entertainment pyrotechnics with paper thin characters. It’s not “literature” as such (nothing wrong with that in itself)
I really enjoyed PHM, but I haven’t read the other books. I will say that the relationship between the 2 main characters made the book for me. I didn’t get hung up on the science, which I think has been an issue for some people who disliked the book.
The only real way to know if the book is for you is to try it. If I worried about being disappointed by books I doubt I’d ever start one. I try to go into books with zero or minimal expectations. I read a lot, I also read a wide variety of genres and topics, I don’t expect to love every book I read and will DNF any book that isn’t working for me, but that doesn’t happen often.
I recommend giving it a chance and forming your own opinion.
It was pretty good. I found it a little bit formulaic at times, but the general plot progression was good and it was well written. It’s not a long book, so worth picking up IMO. I’d rate it around a 7.5/10. Have not read the Martian so can’t compare.
I’m in the middle of it and I think it’s better.