There's a Starman Waiting in the Sky | Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Now, I’m not an avid science fiction reader, but I enjoy the genre when the story is executed well. After reading so many romances lately, I wanted something different. So, I decided to read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It was a book I had been curious about for a while since it was first announced back in 2020, and I heard a lot of great things about it. I also liked the movie adaptation of Weir's first novel The Martian, so I had a feeling I would like this. I never expected though until having just finished it recently how much I would absolutely love it.

Project Hail Mary follows junior high school science teacher, Ryland Grace aboard the spaceship, Hail Mary. He awakens with no memory of his name, his past, or why he is on this mission. Gradually, he begins to remember that he must save humanity from an extinction level threat. With his two crew-mates dead from their coma-induced sleep during their four year interstellar journey, Ryland will have to complete the mission and save Earth all on his own - but is he really alone?

Immediately right off the first few pages, I was instantly hooked. I became so engrossed in the story, told both in the present and in flashbacks, and by Ryland Grace. Kind of like The Martian’s Mark Watney, he is a funny and lovable nerd that makes light of a bad situation. His optimism, ingenuity, and even his fears make him an empathetic underdog of a hero that you cannot help but root for. There is a lot of science jargon, but do not let it deter you from the story. Andy Weir has a way of balancing those in-depth explanations and summations with exciting storytelling that keeps you enthralled wondering what will happen next. Reading this book honestly exuded the same feelings I had watching a sci-fi film. I laughed at the lighter moments (and there are a lot of them) and held my breath when there was peril. I can tell you right now that this book is at the top of my list of favorite books. Not of this month, not of this year, but of all time.

There is so much more I want to say as I have barely scratched the surface on how I feel about all the things that happen, but it’s really best to go into this book blind or by just knowing the synopsis alone. It is a whole fun and adventurous thrill ride in space definitely worth reading.

*****

List of Movies (and a TV Show) to Watch After Reading Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is an epic thrill ride all on its own. Here are some movies and a TV show you can watch right after reading the book that exude the same feeling or present similar elements like Andy Weir's novel. 

The Martian (2015)

Of course I have to begin with Ridley Scott’s film adaptation of Andy Weir’s debut novel, The Martian. Not only does it introduce us to the author, but it also showcases how fun science fiction can be through its main character, Mark Watney.

While on a mission on Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is left stranded after being presumed dead by his crew-mates. He will have to rely on science and everything left behind by the crew in the Hab and Mars itself in order to survive. Thankfully, he’s not only an astronaut and a scientist but also a botanist - "Mars will come to fear my botany powers."

Mark’s optimism and humorous outlook despite his dire situation are what makes this film so enjoyable to watch. If Mark Watney and Ryland Grace live in the same universe, the two of them would very likely be friends.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Maybe recommending this movie is a minor spoiler, but it still deserves to be on this list.

Unless you have been living under a rock (which is funny to say if you've read Project Hail Mary), E.T. tells the story of a friendship between a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas) and an extraterrestrial being he calls “E.T.” who was accidentally left behind on Earth. Elliott, along with his siblings Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and Gertie (Drew Barrymore), try to help E.T. contact his world so he can return home.

The connection between Ryland Grace and an unlikely ally reminded me so much of Elliott and E.T. and how friendships can be forged not just between two different species but between two beings from entirely different worlds.

Passengers (2016)

While I was reading Project Hail Mary, my mind kept coming back to the movie Passengers as both have characters who start off alone on a voyage in space.

Passengers follows engineer Jim Preston (played by Chris Pratt), who awakens 30 years too soon among other passengers in stasis on board the spaceship Avalon that is headed on a 120 year interstellar journey to an Earth-like planet called Homestead II. Resigned to the fact that he will be alone for the next 90 years, Jim is ready to give up any hope of living until he comes across the sleeping pod of a beautiful journalist named Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence). Although he knows it’s wrong, as he will be putting her in the same fate as him, he decides after much debate to wake her up.

That feeling of being the only survivor or passenger and what that entails mentally and emotionally are something both Ryland Grace and Jim Preston have in common. However, Ryland Grace would never do what Jim Preston does fortunately.

Interstellar (2014)

You cannot list a bunch of sci-fi movies without mentioning Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film, Interstellar. Although this movie can be a little (or overly) complex, especially towards the end, it actually explores all the science behind space travel and time while its characters are on a quest to save humanity.

Interstellar takes place four decades into the future in a world where humanity is threatened by crop blights and dust storms. After the discovery of a wormhole that could help save humanity with the possibility of inhabiting another planet, former NASA pilot Joseph Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is recruited alongside Dr. Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway), Romilly (David Gyasi), Doyle (Wes Bently), and a robot called TARS to make that journey through space and time.

Cast Away (2000)

Although this Robert Zemeckis film starring Tom Hanks is not set in space like that other Tom Hanks movie actually set in space (Ron Howard’s Apollo 13), Cast Away still presents us a character in a similar situation as Ryland Grace and how he learns to survive on his own using only what he has. 

After surviving a cargo plane crash that leaves the rest of the flight crew dead, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) washes up ashore on a deserted island where he must find a way to live until he can be rescued. While the film is more sentimental than Project Hail Mary in its examination of pure human endurance as Chuck adjusts to living on the island, it sill makes for a captivating film up to the very end (“Wilson!”).

Lightyear (June 17, 2022)

While I was reading Project Hail Mary, I actually pictured Chris Evans as Ryland Grace. Maybe because both of them are so likable. So, the first Chris Evans movie that came to mind was his upcoming Disney and Pixar film, Lightyear, where he voices the titular Buzz Lighter that becomes the inspiration for Andy's toy. I had watched the teaser and the recently released trailer numerous times and in a similar way as Project Hail Mary, it tells a fun and thrilling sci-fi with a hero you are instantly rooting for. 

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command has been stranded on another planet for the past four years with the hopes of finally returning home using a specific flight maneuver. Throughout his journey, he encounters some extraterrestrial beings, a massive robot we will all come to recognize as the inspiration for the toy, Evil Emperor Zerg, and a cutely annoying robotic cat named Socks.

Although, I recently found out that Project Hail Mary is being adapted into a film starring Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, which I am so excited to see, in my mind it will still be Chris Evans... until the film adaptation is released at least.

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

You do not have to be a massive Star Wars fan to enjoy this show about a lone bounty hunter who comes into the care of a young Yoda-like species named Grogu, whom he has to protect from the evil forces of the Empire while also avoiding his own enemies throughout the galaxy. 

The show takes inspiration from Westerns and samurai movies while also still set in the world of Star Wars, but with fresh new characters along with some familiar faces. The excitement and adventure each episode gives weekly, as well as the budding relationship between the Mandalorian and Grogu, are all what make the show so great. It has that same level of energy I felt while reading Project Hail Mary.