There’s something rather appealing about a science fiction novel that begins with a man waking up with absolutely no idea who he is, where he is or why he appears to be the last person alive. It’s a wonderfully effective way of dropping both the protagonist and the reader straight into the deep end, and Andy Weir makes excellent use of it in Project Hail Mary. What follows is a story that combines scientific problem-solving, genuine peril, some cracking humour and, rather unexpectedly, a rather touching exploration of friendship. I went into this expecting an entertaining science fiction adventure, but I came away appreciating just how much heart Weir has managed to squeeze into a story about saving the world.

Our protagonist gradually discovers that he is Ryland Grace, a former schoolteacher turned reluctant astronaut, who has been sent on a mission to investigate a mysterious phenomenon threatening the Sun and, consequently, life on Earth. The situation is fairly desperate, to put it mildly. Grace is light years from home, the stakes are astronomical in every sense, and his memory is returning in inconvenient little fragments rather than providing a handy briefing document. I particularly enjoyed the way Weir parcels out the information. Each recovered memory adds another piece to the puzzle, allowing us to understand both the mission and Grace himself without bringing the forward momentum to a halt.

Grace is an engaging lead, partly because he isn’t your usual action hero. He’s clever, resourceful and capable of thinking his way out of situations that would leave most of us reaching for the emergency exit, but he’s also anxious, self-deprecating and perfectly willing to admit when he’s completely out of his depth. His scientific knowledge is essential, naturally, but so is his ability to recognise when his first idea isn’t going to work. I found his combination of ingenuity and very human reluctance particularly convincing. He’s not fearless, and he doesn’t suddenly acquire nerves of steel just because the fate of humanity happens to be resting on his shoulders. He worries, he makes mistakes, and occasionally he has a good moan about the circumstances in which he’s found himself. Frankly, who wouldn’t?

The science is one of the book’s great pleasures. Weir clearly enjoys taking a seemingly impossible problem, breaking it down into manageable pieces and then finding a solution through experimentation, observation and a willingness to try something that might spectacularly fail. There are plenty of technical explanations, and readers who prefer their science fiction to gloss over the engineering may find some passages a little dense. Personally, I enjoyed the detail. The science feels like an integral part of the adventure rather than an excuse for the author to show off, and the satisfaction of watching Grace work something out becomes part of the reading experience. Even when I couldn’t have explained all the calculations myself, I could appreciate the logic behind them. It’s the literary equivalent of watching someone fix an impossibly complicated machine with a screwdriver, a lot of swearing and a rather alarming amount of optimism.

Then the story introduces one of its most delightful surprises, and I shall resist saying too much about it because discovering the details for yourself is half the fun. What I will say is that this development transforms the book from an already entertaining survival story into something much more emotionally engaging. Grace’s response to an entirely unfamiliar intelligence is a lovely mixture of scientific curiosity, caution, improvisation and genuine warmth. The relationship that develops is built on practical cooperation and mutual trust, with both sides having to learn how the other thinks and communicates. I found this every bit as interesting as the larger scientific mystery. Weir makes the idea of two very different beings working together feel both extraordinary and entirely logical, and the humour that emerges from their differences is often wonderful.

Underneath all the clever science and banter, Project Hail Mary has some interesting things to say about cooperation, sacrifice and our responsibilities to others. Grace’s journey is as much about deciding what sort of person he wants to be as it is about solving an astrophysical crisis. His choices matter because they involve more than finding the technically correct answer. They require him to weigh his own survival against the needs of others, and to recognise that doing the right thing can be considerably more complicated than understanding the problem in front of him. I liked that Weir allows these questions to emerge from the action rather than stopping the story for a lecture on morality. The book is optimistic about what intelligence and collaboration can achieve, but it doesn’t pretend that either comes without cost.

Ray Porter deserves enormous credit for the audiobook. His narration is an excellent match for Grace’s voice, capturing the character’s dry humour, nervous energy and delight when a particularly troublesome problem finally yields. The scientific explanations remain lively and understandable, while the quieter, more emotional moments have room to breathe. Porter also does a terrific job of giving the different characters their own identities, making the dialogue feel natural and helping the developing relationships carry real emotional weight. His performance is expressive without becoming overblown, and his comic timing is particularly effective. He makes Grace feel like someone I’d happily spend several hours listening to, which is just as well given the number of catastrophes the poor man has to deal with.

If I have a reservation, it’s that the repeated cycle of problem, experiment, setback and solution can occasionally make the middle feel a little formulaic. There are also moments when Grace’s explanations become rather lengthy, and the story’s determination to make the science understandable sometimes slows the pace. Neither issue seriously undermined my enjoyment, though, because the underlying mystery kept me interested and the character work gave the technical challenges an emotional purpose.

Project Hail Mary is an enormously satisfying piece of science fiction, combining big ideas with an approachable, funny and surprisingly moving story. Andy Weir gives us a protagonist whose intelligence is matched by his vulnerability, a scientific puzzle worth getting stuck into and a friendship that provides the book with its real heart. Ray Porter’s narration makes an already excellent story even more enjoyable. I finished it feeling entertained, impressed by the ingenuity on display and rather warmed by its faith in cooperation across seemingly impossible divides. It’s a cracking listen, and one I’ll remember for more than its science.

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