Andy Weir wrote the book that became the film The Martian. Andy Weir wrote the book Project hail Mary that will probably become a movie one day. Maybe we'll be alive to see it, or maybe, just maybe, whatever is wrong with the sun will kill us all before that.
In fact, in Project Hail Mary, there's something wrong with a lot of the stars that us puny humans can observe from Earth. And that's where this book starts to shift perspectives.
Well, actually; perspective doesn't exactly get shifted, for this is a book written in the first person. As a result, we get to enter the shoes of a high school Science teacher who somehow finds himself about the eponymous and titular space ship, the Hail Mary.
Where perspectives do change, and sometimes quite jarringly is between present and past.
He wakes up on the ship, we find him back in the classroom, teaching kids. He does stuff on the ship, we find him learning about (through his memories) (he conveniently has amnesia) the threat facing all the stars (that are impacted) and then back on the ship.
What follows is scientific problem after scientific problem. Some of them are solved. They're all handled in sequential order, and they're never ... TOO complicated. In fact, there never seems to be multiple issues occurring at once that force our protagonist to seriously compromise one element of his mission over another.
Ultimately, his mission is to save Earth, but the writing (from a first person perspective) it unsophisticated and well, annoying; particularly due to the fact that I found his internal monologues pretty "suburban dad" and unlikeable. Not much of an academic copared to the stuff that he was doing.
I guess this make the book accessible, which makes it popular, which makes it.. do well? As opposed to the "harder" science fiction that I've been reading lately, this read like something I'd be able to understand in primary school, let alone now, as a life-long reader of English language novels since ... I can remember (though, there's been some significant gaps since the last time I read books on a regular basis.
However, this year, I've read at least a half a dozen books, and written posts about them here.
I feel as though I'm in two minds about this book:
- It is a good read, and entertaining
- It is too simple, and if people think this is good writing (let alone good science fiction) ...
Then (oh look, a third mind)
Three: The future of science fiction and critical thinking is in deep shit.
Why? Because the character (Ryland Grace) - and all the character(s) he interacts with in this book are basically sculpted from the clay of outdated stereotypes. Give Gene Rodenberry fans some type writers and an infinite amount of time (like monkeys with type writers) - and they'd come up with this.
In fact, I'm fairly certain I don't want to see the film adaptation of this. Sure, it'll be entertaining, sure it will get people talking who don't know that there is far, far better options for science fiction out there, but ultimately, why make the film? Why make the book?
Well, I suppose they both will make money.
I borrowed mine from the local library's digital app, so at least I didn't spend any money on it. But, if time is money... then, well.
I won't waste any more of your time. Please read something by Arthur C Clarke, instead. Childhood's End would be good, for example.