I finished reading Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary yesterday, and it was probably the best science fiction book I’ve read in a long time. It is unapologetic about being fairly science-forward — relativity, base-6 numbers, and the Krebs cycle all appear as fairly important plot points. It felt a lot like an old-fashioned science-fiction book, like something Arthur C. Clarke would’ve written. Indeed, using a centrifuge to create gravity in a spaceship is an idea that directly appears in Rendezvous with Rama as well.

Modern media generally takes a fairly cynical view of humanity. In Don’t look up (2021), a comet threatens to destroy the planet. In an allegory for our collective in action on climate change, mankind does nothing and earth is destroyed. Project Hail Mary is far more optimistic. In the book, all the world powers come together to work on a megaproject to save mankind from an extinction-level crisis. There is no antagonist in the book, and even the intelligent alien life-form that we encounter is friendly, curious, and cooperates with our protagonist to solve the problem at hand. The overall tone of the book filled with optimism rather than cynicism, felt oddly old-fashioned as well.

In my lifetime, we have curbed Ozone layer depletion, and shrunk the Antarctic ozone hole. Global treaties have reduced SO₂ emissions, and Acid Rain is mostly a managed problem. But in the last decade we’ve also seen a rise of climate denial and a global tendency toward isolationism. The COVID-19 tragedy both showed the success of international cooperation, and exposed tensions driven by national interests.

Project Hail Mary came as a breath of fresh air to the often bleak narratives we encounter today. It reminded me of my love of all sciences, and rekindled my faith in the power of humanity to solve our problem. Great read, would recommend!