Tuesday 15 June 2021

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

 

"Soon, I’m sitting on my butt-tube. Not the most comfortable sensation, but when is a tube up your butt ever comfortable?"

Is it possible to convey my unbridled joy at having read this latest book from the author of The Martian?  Probably not. I'm almost certain I fist-bumped the air in triumph upon completing my reading, this is so good!!! Weir puts the science in science-fiction, while evoking emotions and challenges beyond the purely cerebral.

 While the title might have given away a little of the plot — a hail Mary pass being a desperate attempt to score a goal in the dying minutes of a football game— this tale had my undivided attention from the get-go. Each page was devoured with the voracity of a dieter tempted by a dessert buffet. Over 400 pages and the pace never faltered.


Hopefully without giving away too many spoilers, the sense of desperate alienation Ryland Grace experiences out in space is so spectacularly mirrored by the lifeform he encounters that the reader experiences a complete emotional rollercoaster. At the same time, the reader can’t help but feel a sense of relief and connection with both characters. Weir delivers a reassuring universe with connection at its centre.


5 out of 5 - Science can be beautiful.







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