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This will contain spoilers for the book (and, by extension, the movie adaptation)
Project Hail Mary is the third novel from Andy Weir, following The Martian and Artemis. While I've read The Martian, I haven't read Artemis.
The Martian told the story of an astronaut stranded on Mars who's forced to use his wits and scientific knowledge to survive. You'll find a lot of that DNA in Project Hail Mary.
Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship, his thoughts in complete disarray. He can neither remember his name nor his mission. Two other people on the ship are dead, and he has no idea who they are either. Slowly but surely, at key points, Grace recalls the critical moments that brought him to the ship, Hail Mary, and the urgency of his mission.
The sun is dying, beset by a mysterious, sun-altering phenomenon known as the "astrophage." Unless Grace can find a way to stop the blight, the sun's light will diminish and Earth will cool to cataclysmic temperatures, first ending life as we know it, and then, all life entirely. It will be a cruel, slow process.
The flashbacks show how Grace came to the attention of Eva Stratt, the administrator of a global effort to study the astrophage, to help other scientists understand the organism and how to combat it. We also learn Grace is no trained astronaut--he's a middle school science teacher who once had grand ambitions as a scientific researcher.
The project to save humanity, "Project Hail Mary," intends to send a team of scientists to Tau Ceti, the only star within traveling distance that doesn't seem to be affected by the astrophage. By studying Tau Ceti, Earth's greatest minds hope they can find a way to stop or contain the astrophage. What unique characteristics does that star have? Are they something that can be translated to Earth?
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK AND MOVIE
While getting his bearings, Grace notices another blip on the scopes. As it turns out, he's not alone--another ship is also in the system, ostensibly to study Tau Ceti. He ends up making contact with an alien species, a landmark occurrence, and tries to understand a mysterious visitor who appears to be able to build anything.
After some back and forth and some false starts, Grace befriends the extraterrestrial, which he dubs "Rocky" since he's essentially, for lack of a better term, a rock spider. Because of his divergent biology, Rocky sees the world very differently than Grace and communicates through harmonization/music. Grace, through much trial and error, creates a program that translates Rocky's vocalizations into English.
The two are there for the same reason: Rocky's home planet is also besieged by the astrophage. He's been in the Tau Ceti system for more than 40 (human) years and the rest of his crew died many years ago. Due to their planet's atmosphere, Rocky and his fellow Eridians didn't know anything about radiation or UV shielding, thus the other members of his crew died from radiation poisoning. While intelligent, the Eridians don't know about relativity. Rocky is a skilled, crafty engineer.
Eventually, the two discover a nearby planet (dubbed "Adrian" by Grace) has evolved a predator that can keep the astrophage at bay. Grace and Rocky collect a sample--both almost die in the process--and Grace begins developing strains of the predator (taumoeba) that he and Rocky can take to their respective homes to save their suns and prevent mass annihilation.
Humorous, science-based, and full of unexpected heart, Project Hail Mary is an absolute triumph. The relationship between Grace and Rocky is everything and you grow to care about both of them. Desperation brought them together, but the two form an inseparable bond. They laugh together, they bicker, they fuss, they weigh their options, and solve problems together.
I just found it incredibly fun and moving.
The flashback structure works better in the book than the movie, giving Grace and Stratt more context and cohesion. We also learn the extreme lengths Stratt is willing to go to in order to make sure the mission is successful, something that is made apparent in the movie but is really hammered home in the novel.
If I had one narrative gripe, it's probably one of the final flashbacks in which we learn Grace refused to go on the mission voluntarily. I understand his reasoning--and I understand the message of the book is that we can become something greater, even if we don't expect it within ourselves--but it seemed like an unnecessary departure from the Grace we came to know throughout the course of the mission.
I saw it as a twist for the sake of a twist, but your mileage may vary.
I understand his reluctance and fear, I do, but I'd like to think, given the situation, he'd be more willing to rise to the occasion (ultimately, he does meet the moment) without being forced to go, especially when it's abundantly clear he's the best and only option at that point. A minor haggle, to be sure.
All in all, Project Hail Mary is a tremendously imaginative adventure. At its core, it's a story about a friendship forged through adversity, love, and brotherhood. Highly recommended--and the movie adaptation rocks.
