I looked through the list of the 27 books I've read for this club, and tried to figure out what was the last book that we read that made me feel this way. How I felt: hooked, elated, invested, enthralled. I think maybe Thursday Murder Club in April 2021? So: it's been a while. That's not to say that I haven't liked any books in the past four and a half years. But there's a certain brand of "liking" something that feels like I'm watching an intense movie or something. Just total popcorn fest shit here. Project Hail Mary had the magic.
"We gotta save the world" is usually a solid premise when done correctly. I like how this book approached the concept. There wasn't some evil entity that threatened to wipe out humanity. The villain was... space algae, basically? That works great for me. I have recently found myself drawn to movies that lack a traditional villain, and avoid the "good vs. evil" structure. I think maybe that's because there are too many real-life villains out there, and maybe fiction is a good way to take a break from that.
If I were to name a flaw, I'd say that the hook of "astronaut has amnesia and can't remember why he's in space and has to figure it out" faded a little too quickly. It went from "here's what I'm remembering" to "excuse to give flashbacks." Which is fine. I actually liked the flashbacks, and if you're gonna have them, you might as well attach them to a weak "amnesia" device. I don't think it ruined anything, but it definitely took me out of the story a couple times.
Still, that's petty bullshit when you have a story with this strong of an engine. I was totally locked in. I wanted these characters to win! That's when you know it's a good story—I fucking cared. Some books I'm reading because we have to read them for book club. Others I read because I cannot stop.
GRADE: 4.5 pukes out of 5
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(**SPOILERS!!!!!!)
1. What did you think of the humor? Took me a minute to adjust to the style, which was... a little lame. But what got me through it was imagining the humor as Phil Lord / Christopher Miller-style humor. Felt less lame to me to imagine the jokes being told by Legos. I think it's gonna be a fun movie!
2. Thoughts about this book being about "empathy from shared circumstances"? That's my theory. The way Rocky and Ryland bond over being the last ones on their respective ships is so sad and so true.
3. Lots of discussion about language, and then way we communicate. Both between human and alien, but also between people of different nations on earth. And then the idea of "naming" things. Thoughts?
4. More on that: how fascinating is it to try to think about how other languages just don't have words for something? There was a brief interlude about Spain having tornados now and only having a word for it because conquistadors had to make it up when they witnessed them in America. Which feeds into the whole thing where Ryland and Rocky are making up words in their own language.
5. Are the action sequences well-written? I thought they were a little tough to follow, but that might've been just me.
6. How cool is it, like a perspective adjuster for sure, when Rocky expresses admiration for how cool humans are? And vice-versa? Humans are cool. It's nice to be reminded of that.
7. How did you handle all the hard science? Do we think it's accurate? Does it matter?
8. Does all life come from the same source?
9. What do you think about Stratt's decision re: Ryland's forced participation? I think it toed the line of villainy in the perfect way, without actually crossing it. Does her decision's success justify her making it?
10. "If I'm going to die, it's going to have meaning." Thoughts?
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