PROJECT HAIL MARY

5 stars out of 5

Right up front, I'll tell you there's one thing I didn't like about this book: Almost from the git-go, I couldn't get my mind off the possibilities for how it would end - and not a single one sounded appealing. Also in my mind was this: How do you top two previous stellar (pun intended) books by this author - "The Martian" and "Artemis?" Honestly, I'm not sure which of the three I loved the most, so I'll just go the advice of Stephen Stills: Love the One You're With.

And boy, did I ever. Mind you, I'm both math- and science-challenged, and the MacGyver-like musings and calculations by science teacher Dr. Ryland Grace by and large were Greek to me. No matter; thanks to a winning recipe of writing and storytelling - liberally sprinkled with humor - it was easy to figure out what the good doctor's intentions were (well, enough to know to hold my breath during the let's-hope-this-works parts and cheer wildly when they did).

The story begins as Grace wakes up in a mental fog, in a strange bed, connected to tubes and besieged by a computer that spits out questions to which he can't recall the answers. Slowly, the fog lifts - and he realizes he's in a room with two dead bodies in some kind of container somewhere in outer space. But he still can't remember his own name, much less how he got where he is and why.

As reality sets in, chapters flash back and forth to his pre-mission days - letting readers in on pre-launch events as well as the task it's hoped he can complete (let's just say it involves preventing the extinction of a very important planet). Along the way, of course, his memory starts to return, ushering in an awareness he'd rather not confront. And just when it seems all is lost, both emotionally and physically, an impossible-to-not-love stranger appears on the horizon who just happens to be stuck in a dire, and eerily similar, situation.

What happens from then on takes up the rest of the pages, and trust me, there's never a dull moment. Even though I'm itching to spill the beans, I can't get more specific without revealing too much, but I will say it's quite an exciting journey that evokes all kinds of emotions from gasps of fear to sighs of relief. Put another way, it's a book not to be missed. Many, many thanks to the publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. 

Oh, and those possible endings? Well, the real one wasn't even on my radar. Read the book and you'll understand.

Is good, question?

Tears in eyes, fist-bump: No. Is perfect.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine Books, May 2021); 496 pp.

THE LAST SECOND

5 stars out of 5


I've read two of this "Brit in the FBI" series and absolutely loved them both, so when I got the chance to wade into this one as an advance review copy, I was ecstatic. And guess what? The story is a bit more "out there" than the others, but it's yet another 5-star winner in my book.

The very likable characters, in particular special agents Nicholas Drummond and his sweetie, Michaela "Mike" Caine, are back. The two are staying with friends and other regular characters Grant and Kitsune Thornton, while Mike nurses a nearly healed broken ankle that happened during a previous adventure. Mike and Nicholas head the FBI Covert Eyes Team, while Grant runs a private security company that's been hired to protect Jean-Pierre Broussard, the founder of Galactus Industries.

In the prologue, readers learn that astronaut Dr. Nevaeh Patel was drummed out of the space program after a near-death experience during a spacewalking event, after which she claimed to have heard extraterrestrial voices called the Numen. No one believed her and most think she's gone bonkers - and thus unfit for another outer space mission. Insisting she's not crazy, Nevaeh quits the program, later hooking up with Broussard. He wants someone to take over that company while he searches the seas for the "Holy Grail" - a rock believed to have healing powers.

But Nevaeh has much more on her mind than running a company that puts small satellites in space at an affordable cost. Those voices never stopped calling, you see, and they're getting louder by the day - urging her to undertake a project that will disrupt the entire world and give them, and Nevaeh, total control. Once Mike and Nicholas learn what's going on, they have other ideas - but can they find a way to stop what she's about to make happen, even if it's at the last second?

A good bit of the almost nonstop action takes place at sea, with scenes reminiscent (to me, at least) of Clive Cussler's NUMA Files books. As the two intersecting plots on land and water begin to seriously converge, all the characters get involved in ultra-dangerous situations that call for super-human feats, and the ending is worthy of an Ian Fleming 007 novel. My verdict? Thank goodness for one of the most boring Super Bowl games ever (and I haven't missed a single one since the 1967 inaugural game) that allowed me to finish the final third of the book nonstop. And speaking of thanks, I'll send some to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it. 

The Last Second by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison (Gallery Books, March 2019); 464 pp.

ARTEMIS

5 stars out of 5

Okay, I'm Jazzed.

Finally - a heroine who's independent, feisty and could give MacGyver a run for his money. That much of the time Jasmine ("Jazz") Bashara skirts the edge of the law makes her all the more interesting. Throw in a kinky sense of humor that doesn't let up from start to finish, and I'm in it all the way.

Jazz, now in her mid-20s, has lived in Artemis - the first and so far only city on the moon - since early childhood. Residents live and work in five self-contained spheres called bubbles that have numerous fail-safes to protect residents from an unfriendly moon atmosphere. People come from all parts of Earth to live and visit (tourism is big business, and trips from Artemis to Earth take half a dozen days or so). Jazz herself is from Saudi Arabia, brought by her father, who practices the welding trade in his adopted city. They aren't particularly close - for openers, he's a practicing Muslim and she has no interest in any kind of religion.

Because it's forging new territory, life on Artemis isn't as fully regimented as is Earth; some rules, for instance, like no firearms (or fire of any kind, for that matter), are more stringent, mostly for safety reasons. In addition to her regular but peon-type job, Jazz has been smuggling goodies up from Earth for quite some time. But because she's almost desperate to earn lots of money (called "slugs" on Artemis) so she can move out of her coffin-like living quarters and eat food that isn't reminiscent of Soylent Green, she's hoping for something closer to a windfall.

Then along comes her big chance, in the form of filthy rich businessman Trond Landvik. He's consumed with the notion of putting Artemis's huge aluminum smelting operation out of commission so he can buy it at a fire-sale price and take over. Knowing her proclivity with a blowtorch (some skills she bothered to learn from her father) and willingness to color outside the lines, he offers Jazz a monumental amount of slugs if she can disable the company's four "harvesters" that gather rocks from the moon for use in the smelting process.

Needless to say, things don't exactly go according to plan, and Jazz and her cohorts more than once find themselves between a rock and a hard place (literally). Telling more would ruin the story for others, though, so you'll just have to read it to find out who wins and who loses. 

What I will venture to say is that I liked this book even better than the author's previous book, The Martian, which also earned 5 stars from me (and FYI, each of the two books stands totally alone). Admittedly, Jazz can grate on the nerves a bit, although overall I enjoyed the heck out of her sense of humor. And as was the case in The Martian, the technical stuff is both educational and fun but can be a bit overwhelming at times. 

But in the end, I loved it. Many thanks to the publisher (via NetGalley) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Artemis by Andy Weir (Crown, November 2017); 320 pp.