Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir ---------------------- 4.5 Stars

I presume most of you know about the movie the Martian, which I found entertaining and enjoyable. You may not know that it was based on a book by Andy Weir. After seeing the movie and hearing good things about the novel I picked it up along with his first book, Artemis (here is my review of those books). So, it was only natural I check out his new novel, Project Hail Mary. Wow, I am really happy I did!

So, I'll start with a quick note - these books are not pure science-fiction that many people assume. While the books do depict things that are fantasy and certainly are fiction, I find them different than some of the more traditional science-fiction novels that seem totally disconnected from our human existence. Rather, one of the pleasures of these books, is how relevant Weir makes the characters and their human experiences vis a vis these unbelievable things happening to them.  It's so fun when he puts his very real and human characters in experiences that seem unreal. How would someone survive on a foreign planet? What would it be like meeting an alien? Things that seem fantastical are juxtaposed with all realness of being a human from Earth - it's fun to read!

This book isn't dissimilar from this last two; it's still about incredible adventures and unbelievable challenges that need to be overcome with some amazing science. In this book, the world is going to end due to a slow lessening of sunlight coming to earth and a team of scientists need to be sent many light years away to the one place they can find an answer to the problems. Once there, hilarity ensues. Well, not so much hilarity I guess. Really, almost dying ensues. Over and over and over. But, the almost dying is really entertaining.

As I alluded to early, the joy in this read is how well the author is able to make so many of the interactions and scenes have a playfulness to them. I think that is why Weir's style is so attractive to readers. While he is describing incredibly complicated and difficult science (from what I understand, is 99% accurate), he quickly offers some very real and explanatory human responses. Often, these happen to be very funny; which helps as well.

Finally, for as much as the characters are great, his storytelling is super fun, and it's a pretty easy book to engage with, the plot is fantastic. He has a gift of pulling in the reader from page one, keeping the plot moving forward at a steady rate (neither too slow or too fast), and ensuring the plot is something relatable that the reader cares about.

As you can see, I am huge fan of this book.  It almost got a 5 star rating though I tend to save that for epic, longer reads that end up needing more investment (and offer more reward). For pure entertainment value, this book is near the top of the list. On many occasions, I slowed myself down from consuming large chunks knowing how much I enjoyed it and savouring the read. I urge you to give it a try!

Artemis - Andy Weir ----------------- 3 Stars

You probably are more familiar with Andy Weir's more famous book (and movie) - The Martian.  Here is my review of it. Artemis was his follow-up release, and while it was not as entertaining as his first book, it's still a decent read, especially if you like science fiction.

This book was not what I expected. While I thought it would be similar to the Martian and mostly be a novel about a person overcoming the challenges of space, this was really a crime/mystery novel that HAPPENED to take place in space (I'm a poet and I know it!). Really, the first 1/4 to 1/3 of the novel was spent introducing the narrator/main character and explaining how Artemis (the first colony of the moon, taking place circa 2080) works. This is pretty much what I thought the entire book would be about; which was fine with me. The author does a good a job as possible to explain how things work on the moon and the science behind while most things are designed. 

Then, unexpectedly, the novel swerves into a crime novel that leaves the reader not sure people's motivations and where the story might go. This is both where the book became good and became more confusing (at least to me). The crime story is pretty fascinating and you can't help but love the main character. Weir also has a fun way of telling stories (sardonic and playful) that you may remember from The Martian.  My problem, is that while I enjoyed the mystery and crime story (typical, small group of people have to save the world!), the science got more and more confusing as the action became more and more complicated. While the author did as good a job as possible to explain with great detail each scene and action, it was very challenging for me to picture something I had never seen before! Usually, the reader can picture whatever the author describes, but it was problematic for me to imagine a person welding in a space suit on the surface of the moon while in a special facility.

Overall, it's not a bad novel; just not what I expected. Again, it's definitely entertaining and a quick, enjoyable read, but it helps to go in knowing it's pretty similar to many of the mysteries I've read before - it's just happening on the moon!

The Martian - Andy Weir -------------------------- 4 Stars

Well, I feel like I've been on a great streak lately with enjoyable and entertaining books. The last two I reviewed both earned 4.5 stars and now, The Martian, comes in with a solid 4 rating. Like many of you, I probably came to know of the movie first, but the book did not disappoint!

So, if you haven't seen it, the Martian is a great science-fictiony movie starring Matt Damon. Super quick premise - he gets stuck on Mars and has to use his creativity to get home (also, he's kind of funny). Well, the book is pretty much the exact same. Except, like most books vis a vis movies, it goes into a lot more depth, covers far more details, is a better total story, and has some different plot elements than the movie.

It's always an interesting experience to read a book after a movie (as opposed to the alternative). The biggest difference between reading one before or after is how you "see" it all. When reading the book first, you get to create your own of how people look/sound and make the setting up in your head. After seeing a move, it's very, very hard not to picture it the way it was on the screen. This can be both good and bad, In this case, it wasn't too bothersome as I enjoyed the movie and Damon in the main role but if I had my choice, I would have preferred reading it first.

One related and interesting challenge is to try to figure out if there are any movies better than the book. Almost always, the answer is "no" but I assume there are a few exceptions. One off the top of my head is Forrest Grump. GREAT movie but not sure the book had the same level of interest/quality. For the most part, the books are much better. One I kept thinking about was The Godfather. As you active followers know, it earned 5 stars on this blog - the highest possible score- and is a phenomenal book. But the movie? Also fantastic. I think that's where I might be coming down on The Martian. I found the movie to be about 4 out of 5 stars too; roughly equal. Though, I do wonder if I'd have a different take about the book being better had I read it first.

I recommend this book for all readers and especially those that have seen the movie and liked it. Again, it's very similar to the movie but improves upon it with the great detail and further plot elements that time did not allow the movie to follow. Perhaps, further, I suggest this book for anyone who has NOT seen the movie as you'd be able to decide if the book is truly better without being biased by the movie first.  Overall, really good and entertaining book!