Project Hail Mary Book Review

Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! Today, I am back to the basics. My husband recommended Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir to me. I’m not normally a sci-fi girl, but this book blew my mind. With the movie being released in March 2026, I knew it would be a good idea to read the book first. So, let’s get into it!

Project Hail Mary is about a mission to save Earth. Enter molecular biologist, Ryland Grace, who is currently a teacher and lives a pretty normal life. He learns along with the rest of the world that the Earth is in danger. Faced with what seems an impossible goal, he is the sole survivor on a long shot mission to save Earth. All he can remember is that he’s been asleep for a very long time and is millions of miles away from home. As his memory slowly returns, he sets forth on a journey that will determine the fate of the universe. He encounters a very unlikely companion which may just help Project Hail Mary succeed.

I want to start by saying that I went back and forth deciding if I should read the physical copy or listen to the audiobook. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the audiobook; everyone always recommends it. Ultimately, due to timing, I went with reading the physical book.

This book is very scientific. What I mean by that is, there is a lot of science used and explained throughout the entire book. Weir talks about gravity, relativity, the molecular make-up of cells, etc. While that may all sound boring, it was really interesting to read about. Grace is so incredibly smart. The way he always conducts experiments to find the information he needs is amazing.

There were times when the writing was a little cringey and cheesy. Some of the things Grace said were weird for a man to say but I feel like as a scientist he would be a little kooky. But I could overlook that because as a whole the book itself was not cringey and the book was written well.

I’ve heard that’s some discord about Weir’s writing style, but honestly I thought it was good. I didn’t have any issues following along, I wasn’t lost in the science-y explanations, etc. Now, this is the only book of his that I’ve read, so I’m not sure how the others are.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers because I went in completely blind, and I’m so happy I did. I think this was the first time in a long time I didn’t spoil the ending of a book for myself. I was so curious as to how the book would end; I didn’t see it coming. As human nature would have it, you’re rooting for Grace to find a solution and save humanity.

If you’re a fan of The Martian also by Andy Weir (book or movie), I would recommend checking out Project Hail Mary, or even reading his other work, Artemis. The Project Hail Mary movie comes out March 2026. Overall, I gave this book 5/5 stars. I absolutely loved it; it was one of my top 10 books of 2025.

Alright folks, that is all I have for this week! Come back next Wednesday for another blog post. As always, thank you for reading :)