Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is the most fun I've had reading science fiction in years, and I say that as someone who genuinely loves the science parts of sci-fi — not just as backdrop, but as the actual point.

Andy Weir does something here that very few authors can pull off: he makes problem-solving thrilling. The protagonist wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he's there, and the way that mystery unfolds alongside the actual science of the mission is brilliant pacing. Every chapter has Ryland Grace working through a physics or biology or chemistry problem, and somehow Weir makes you feel the satisfaction of figuring it out right alongside him. It's the kind of book that made me want to look things up after — not because I was confused, but because I was excited.

I also did this one as an audiobook and I'd strongly recommend that format. Ray Porter's narration is outstanding — he brings a real warmth and humor to Grace that elevates an already great character. There's a relationship at the center of this book that I won't spoil, but Porter's performance makes it land in a way that genuinely surprised me.

The Martian put Weir on the map but this is the better book. More ambitious, more emotionally resonant, and somehow even more scientifically creative. If you have any interest in hard sci-fi at all, this one's a must. The audiobook is the move.