BOOK REVIEW #2

In brief

In the present day, scientists of earth have recently discovered a peculiar phenomenon happening between Venus and Sun called the ‘Petrova line’. However, it concerns Earth since upon its rather sudden appearance, the Sun has been losing its energy at an alarming rate and no one seems to be able to explain why that’s the case. Faced with imminent climate change, the governments across the world have seemingly united amidst their political differences and entrust the responsibility of saving the planet to “Project Hail Mary”, headed by a straight-forward, no non-sense Dr. Stratt. The book begins about the time when a probe has returned from Venus with potential clues to the source of the problem. She puts together an international team of scientists amongst whom we meet the protagonist Dr. Grace. He is a former microbiologist disillusioned with academia who has found solace in teaching science to high school children. The non-linear narrative shows them embark upon a suicidal journey into space on “Hail Mary” with the hope of finding answers that might just save humanity from extinction.

Light hearted amidst an imminent apocalypse

Andy Weir has shaped the protagonist Ryland Grace along similar lines as Mark Watney from the Martian. As a reader I developed a camaraderie with Dr. Grace as he explains the whole set of events in first person. He is well-trained in the specifics of astrophysics even though he is a microbiologist by training. You seldom see him breaking down in self-pity or despair even in difficult times which is remarkable considering the pressure he is in. He navigates through loneliness in space with the attitude of an inquisitive teenager who has the house to himself while his parents are not at home. He is altruistic, sees the potential good where most might perceive a threat. You never really sense the burden getting to him especially considering that he has a one-way ticket with limited supplies into another star system. And I think that’s what makes this book a page turner since he doesn’t allow the reader to lament upon the approaching doom.

You seldom see him breaking down in self-pity or despair even in difficult times which is remarkable considering the pressure he is in.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Science checks out (mostly!)

A good deal of research has gone into making the premise digestible to the average hobbyist interested in sci-fi. I really appreciate the author’s decision to make Rocky’s species, the alien Grace befriends to come from a slightly inferior civilisation (scientifically). This really painted an alternate narrative to the often-tested ‘aliens are more advanced to us’ trope. The space travel is well thought out and relativity is used masterfully to explain a major plot point. The author stays away from the fantasy of time-travel and really sells us interstellar travel as a major possibility once we figure out ageing and fuel. I also liked the idea of the Petrova problem presented as biological in nature i.e. caused by celestial cellular organisms that consumes energy of stars to store it as mass. This explained why Dr. Grace had to be a microbiologist. The author also teases the panspermia hypothesis (implying seeds of life being spread across the universe) in combination with natural selection here and there. Some quirky inferences are drawn consequently during his conversations with Rocky.

Making unlikely friends

Aliens can be friends from the day you meet, contrary to common expectations. Rocky’ species share almost a similar world view and that really made things easier to drive the plot forward. Rocky is a fantastic engineer and he presents the perfect foil to Grace’s scientific persona. While Grace is pondering over potential theories and designing experiments, he is also reckless, leaving equipment lying around in a ship that switches between gravity and weightlessness. He seems to be surprisingly callous when he encounters new life-forms with the way he handles them. Rocky on the other hand produces precise equipment when asked to prepare something with a defined purpose and is always more careful in his methods. I think the combination of these two were written on purpose and comes out really well in the book.

Stretching it a little too much?

There were however some aspects that I found difficult to comprehend such as the quickness Grace started communicating with Rocky to the point of even conveying emotions. While this greatly benefitted the narrative, a few weeks didn’t just seem enough to me. Also, the last-minute induction of Grace as an astronaut was just hard to take in and it didn’t really make any sense. Both the original astronaut and his stand-in die together in a lab accident three days before the launch, with the reason being even more ridiculous. This entire thread could have simply been avoided and the author could have chosen Grace as the astronaut from day one. This really didn’t provide any shock value or surprise since the non-linear narrative from the start ensured that we already knew Grace was going to be in that spaceship.

I really enjoyed the book and is among the fastest I have completed in recent times. It leaves you with a feeling of hope and joy. In a bizarre way I felt the author was teasing about how he would like to see the world deal with climate change. But that’s just me. I really look forward to the movie adaptation with Ryan Gosling.

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