Project Hail Mary

Andy Weir fits onto a very small list of people who understand science, who really get things most of us cannot ever expect to fully comprehend, and who can make art out of that understanding. And with art I mean; books, stories, comics, etcetera, not just tv series or books explaining the very difficult things so that we do understand them. I mean; art encorporating that knowledge, but going beyond it to tell a story, or make a joke, or paint a picture. (The only other person on this list, for me, is Randall Monroe of the xckd webcomic. So it's a short list. And Andy has only written three books so far, another list that I wish were a bit longer.)

I read his first novel, The Martian, as I was travelling back from the very random road tripping tour I did back in 2016 and it was just the thing to keep me awake across the 14 hours and several different flights that got me back from Phoenix to Amsterdam. Turns out that story was made into a famous film with Matt Damon way before I read the actual novel, but I'm glad I read the book first. 

I somehow missed Artemis, his second novel, but I was on time with his third, Project Hail Mary, as it was hailed (yes, I wrote that) as one of the best science novels by my favourite science communication column. And yes, we should call this a science fiction novel since most of the things happening in it are not really happening today as of yet, but I'm sticking with science novel since they could happen (apart from the alien species that sets the whole thing in motion, of course). By which I mean; the science checks out. Just as in The Martian, everything actually works the way it could go, there are no magical science cheats or easy passes to get out of trouble. As I said before; Mr Weir combines science and art in a way that not many people can.

So Project Hail Mary. Ryland Grace finds himself waking up in a spaceship hurtling towards another star. He is not sure how he got there, he is not even sure who he actually is. Here we get to the magic of Weir's writing: the protagonist tries to figure out where he is from by analysing that he uses inches for small distances, but kilometers per hour (or whichever metric equivalent is in the book) for more scientific things. So he concludes he must be American, and probably a scientist. As the novel progresses we get several flashbacks that fill out Ryland's backstory, but these early parts, when we are getting to know a character who is at the same time getting to know himself, are brillant writing.

As it turns out, Ryland is out there to save humanity from a catastrophic ecological disaster. His companions have sadly not survived their coma, so he is on his own. Or is he...?

The blurb stops there, so if you don't want to get any spoilers you should stop reading now, but with a blurb like that you can be sure that he will not be on his own. In fact, pretty soon after he arrives at the star, he is joined by another spaceship, containing another solo astronaut out to save his (their?) home planet. These two characters live in completely different environments and have completely different biological make-ups, but somehow manage to communicate (again; this is written in a believeable manner) and decide to join forces. Ryland and Rocky (as he dubs his alien companion) set out to save both worlds.

What follows are the expected adventures, setbacks, discoveries and further setbacks. If you've read or watched The Martian or any 'journey of the hero' like story, you will know what to expect. Combined with the science and the wonderful way Weir paints his setting with words would have already made for great reading, but Project Hail Mary goes further. As we get to know Ryland through the flashbacks, we realise he is not the prefect hero, he might even be called the opposite. And as they work together to find a solution, Ryland muses on what it means to be human, to cooperate, to exist. They discuss fundamental topics about how live has evolved and why it should be the two of them who meet here, lightyears from both of their home planets.

In The Martian, the final setback (which was of course overcome) was one too many for me. It somehow broke my suspension of disbelief, as to me failure wasn't actually possible anymore at that point. The same might be true for some with Project Hail Mary. For me, these final chapters were an image of humility, humanity, and sacrificing yourself for the greater good. In my opinion, flawed as he is, Ryland Grace makes for a better main character than near-perfect Mark Watney ever could. Faced with the most difficult decision of his life, far more difficult than the one that brought him on the spaceship in the first place, he is put in a position not many of us would ever want to be in. To have an already great novel end on such a high note, seeing the title of the final chapter actually brought tears to my eyes. That doesn't happen a lot, especially with science (fiction) novels. 

It is a rare thing, a novel that goes beyond the science most of us understand, but manages to explain the things that are happening in a natural way, while it gives the reader two characters that are believeable, likeable and relateable, and also instills a sense of right and wrong, of choice and sacrifice, all in one adventurous package. It may well be the best thing I read for a long time to come.