Although I very much enjoyed The Martian at the time, after reflection I saw it for what it was - a book of puzzles and problem solving using creativity and science. It was like the analogue version of watching a physics experiment on YouTube or something. As such, I didn't have much interest in reading much more from the author, expecting anything he wrote to be more of the same. Given that I'm between franchises and a film is due for release next year I thought I'd give this one a shot. And (spoiler alert) Project Hail Mary is pretty much the same book.
That's not a bad thing of course. Being so formulaic meant reading more puzzles, seeing more problems solved - unlike many others I don't see these books as sci-fi but just examples of very tight storytelling, something that is a treat to those who thrive on feeding their mild OCDs. One evolution Hail Mary has is parallel storytelling in the form of flashbacks, lending some further twists and drama to another dimension of the story.
It's short, punchy, and (unlike certain other books I've been reading recently) doesn't require access to the Internet to follow. Any questions the reader has are headed off - the author has a natural ability to anticipate any queries had - in that sense he carries you with him on the ride as the book unfolds.
And yet the conclusion remains the same - there's something about this book that makes it feel like a novelty, cheap and fun calories that you won't necessary regret but probably won't stay with you in the longer term. That's not a totally bad thing, particularly given the size of the book, and so Project Hail Mary receives a recommendation from me.
