Now Read This! Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

This book was so much fun to read. I took a break from my usual quiet, introspective, emotional, unusual memoir fare for this fast-paced, hard science fiction novel. I stayed up all night to read The Martian, so I knew I was in for a ride with Weir's latest.

No spoilers here, but I did want to mention what stood out to me as making it a good read:

1. The science is the story. Like in The Martian, the whole plot is about scientists trying to solve a very serious problem. And the only way they can do that is by evaluating the situation and making a decision. Decisions have consequences, which drives to the next situation. Dramatic propulsion! It's not about what happens, it's about how the characters deal with what happens and make decisions.

2. The worldbuilding. So creative. Even though the story takes place in a familiar world, the world of scientists and astronauts is believably constructed by the author. The same is true for the unfamiliar world of deep space. The author does an amazing job of creating a believable world in an unbelievable situation. You'll have to read it to truly appreciate the craft of worldbuilding.

3. The backstory is its own timeline. Without giving anything away, the premise of the story is that the main character wakes up not knowing where or who he is, or why he's there. (The very definition of in medias res.) He does have flashes of memory (flashbacks) that fill in gaps for him (and for us). A common challenge for writers is how to provide readers with critical information without it being a boring, obvious info dump ("The phone rings, and it reminds me of the time I learned my pet had been run over by the neighbor, which strained our relationship..."). The main character's memories are actual scenes, so the backstory is its own timeline running in parallel to the story present. The backstory timeline unfolds alongside the story present timeline, answering questions about how and why the character got where he was when the story opened. Again, you'll have to read it to appreciate his mastery of craft.

I enjoyed it; I was sad when it was over; I hope it becomes a movie!