I had really high expectations for this book. Maybe too high! The problem for me is that one of my favorite books of all time (and that's saying a lot!) is The Sparrow, written by Mary Doria Russell. The subject is similar: sending people to a newly discovered planet to contact an unknown species. It was such a powerful story to me - as well as the sequel, Children of God, and written so beautifully, that I kept comparing the stories in my mind. To be fair, I read The Sparrow over 20 years ago, and I should probably read it again to see if I still feel the same way. Certain memories get elevated in a person's mind, and maybe that's the case here.
Anyway, Project Hail Mary is certainly interesting and funny. The characters are engaging. Ryan Gosling will be an excellent Ryland Grace in the upcoming movie, which I will definitely see. I loved how the story unfolded. We don't know the full story of how Dr. Ryland Grace ended up on this mission of discovery in space - a mission which has no return - until the end of the book. The story alternates between the initial discovery of the "Petrova line" on earth and Grace's experience in space. The Petrova line appears to be made up of some sort of life form (that Grace names Astrophage) that seems to be eating the sun, or at least eating its energy output. The Astrophage is destroying the sun at an accelerated rate, which will destroy all life on earth in a short amount of time. In a very simplified explanation, the mission is to discover what Astrophage is, why it affects some planets but not others, figure out if it has a predator, and if it does, how can it be captured, contained, and used to save our sun, which in turn will save life on earth. Since this mission has no return, there are four pods on the ship that Grace can send back to earth with his discoveries.
This mission is expected to take four earth years just to arrive at their planetary destination (Tau Ceti). Ironically, the spaceship is fueled using Astrophage, since it's such a powerful energy that is continually multiplying. The scientists on the mission were put into a medical coma for the four years of travel. They were fed, and their muscles exercised, by robots during the four years. Upon arrival at (the atmosphere) of Tau Ceti, the scientists would wake up and investigate why the Astrophage weren't destroying it like they were other planets. One known delay was that when they woke up, they wouldn't have their memories of where they were or what they were supposed to do. Grace's memories came back over time, which is why we don't know what actually happened on earth since Grace wasn't even slated to go on the mission himself. He was just the "expert" on Astrophage on earth.
Grace eventually discovers an unknown species from another planet that is also investigating the Petrova line in order to try and save its own planet. "Rocky" becomes Grace's friend in space. They end up working together to try to save both of their homes.
As much as I did enjoy this book, I found some of the "science" of it all a tad boring. It's actually quite scientific at times, which really isn't in my wheelhouse, so to speak. Other than that, it's quite entertaining.
Wendy's Rating: ****
