Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Review (non spoiler) - Overhyped?

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[dominishbooks]

I also recently did this on audio and agree that the narrator did a really good job. I'd not really thought about the humour until you mentioned it, but it definitely worked well for me and I loved the book overall.

[lorn]

I had a fun time reading this book. It was a page turner for me, especially from the mid point to the end. Sort of like a thriller, as you mentioned. I tend to glance over humour when reading, as written humour doesn't really jive with me, even if it is "good" humour 🙂

[JessietheSleepyKoala]

I’m about half way through PHM at the moment and I’m loving it so far. There is some stuff that I’m less enthused about but it hasn’t affected my thoughts too much. I agree about the audiobook - the narrator does really well with the different voices.

Too bad that it didn’t work for you but I can definitely see how if the humour didn’t work then the book would probably just be really annoying.

[FineReads]

Great review. And I agree, if you don’t like that type of humor, that book is probably hard to get through 🤪

[tempse]

Wait, what just happened? Did I just hear my name? - Haha, thanks so much for the shout-out, Zara! I feel very honored. And I'm happy that my suggestion to power through did end up working for you.

[MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD EVERYBODY!]

Again, wonderful review! I fully agree with all the points you mentioned. PHM has many strong points indeed. When I read it, I was surprised by the extent to which Weir made me feel and root for the main characters. I mean, at several points in the story, I almost shed a tear for an alien. An ALIEN, of all things! Well done, Weir.

As I told you before, the humor wasn't my favorite either. But I knew what to expect in that regard from the other Weir books that I've read. That's why I think I didn't have such a hard time with it as you had.

Finally, since you asked about opinions on the integrity of the science in PHM - this will probably be the only time that I quote my credentials as I usually don't like to do that: I have a PhD in physics, with a focus on astro-particle physics in general and experimental particle physics in particular (and, let's face it, I'm also just a sucker for everything space-related). So talking about a space-based sci-fi story is one of the few occasions where I dare to give my educated assessment.
Let me say that the science is one of the most remarkable features of Weir's books. Sure, it's still sci-fi and therefore speculative to a large extent, but the sci-fi elements are firmly rooted in well-founded scientific knowledge. There are crazy moments now and then where I involuntarily raise an eyebrow, but in most cases, my inner physicist is really satisfied with the way Weir respects our present scientific understanding.

Generally speaking, I tend to have a hard time fully enjoying sci-fi books/movies/shows because so many authors get things wrong, and – unfortunately – I can't easily switch off my physics brain. But I LOVE Weir's stories for their science. I hope this gives you an impression of how good the sci-fi elements of PHM are.
(Btw, I tend to say the same thing about The Expanse. One of the reasons I'm such a big Expanse fanboy is because of its outstanding sci-fi elements. But I'll stop gushing about The Expanse now - I'm undoubtedly repeating myself across comment sections on your channel, haha.)

Thanks again for your review! It always makes me happy when a new video of yours pops up in my feed, and this time doubly so! :-)

[sewintopandas]

I thoroughly enjoyed The Martian - book and movie. I’ve tried reading PHM twice and have not been able to get through the first 100 pages, which was really surprising to me. The humor was very jarring and I didn’t care for the style at all. Glad to hear it picks up after the first third; maybe I should give it another shot.

[CD-]

I loved this one! The only thing I hated were the later flashbacks that felt like convenient/cheap cop outs ... the whoops would never've been allowed to happen in the real world.

While The Martian is a bit more serious, I found the humour is very heavy with quite a few running gags. That book relies on science + snark since the plot itself is simple. Still a good read.

[rafm]

He writes a good movie within a novel. It was a better book than "Artemis." Andy has the same humor in all his novels 😆

Have you read Mickey 7?
It will be a movie called Mickey 17 in 2024.

The rain was a nice touch to the video 😊

[callmeal]

Definitely overhyped. Also overrated. I gave it 3/5 on Goodreads. The last third of the book, very good. The alien interactions, very good. The 'flashbacks', very good. The humour, forced and jarring. The sciency stuff, in the way it was presented - not my cup of tea. I read rather than listened to it and on more than one occasion had to put it down as it became tedious. Stuck with it, though. Satisfying ending.

[HakolBeseder]

The humor parasite the plot. Overall it was an ok book but forgettable