Can it be my turn for the weekly Project Hail Mary thread, question?

Submitted by CPOx t3_yf4fnw in books

After growing bored with endlessly scrolling and reading reddit, I figured it would be a good time to try and get back into reading books instead. The book I read right before Project Hail Mary was NOS4A2 by Joe Hill and honestly it was kind of a slog for me to get through. Took me ages to finish it. I wanted something a bit lighter with some simple entertainment to get back in the habit of reading before bed every night.

I read The Martian back in the day and of course I see all of the PHM threads here, so jumped on board as well. Overall, it was exactly what I was looking for to get me back into reading more regularly. Not going to lie, I leaked for a bit at parts near the end.

My career is in chemical engineering but I was able to turn my brain off and not get too hung up on the science of everything. It's completely in Andy Weir's style but it does get a little "old" after a while that the constant loop is:

> Huge, devastating problem happens

>>> Problem is solved two pages later

> A different, bigger problem happens

>>> That problem is solved two pages later

repeat repeat repeat

Anyway, I look forward to watching the eventual movie. I think I'll listen to the audiobook at work too. Now to find the next light, entertaining read.

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Current_Argument4876 t1_iu1nqvx wrote

Oh interesting! Did you think some of the science was inaccurate or it was just too much like work so you wanted to not engage and focus on the story?

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CPOx OP t1_iu1orxw wrote

Replying to Current_Argument4876 (#268,864)

I didn't want to get hung up on something and be one of those "Well, actually..." people so I mostly disengaged on the heavier science parts.

I didn't catch anything glaringly incorrect but my brain kind of went on autopilot and processed it as [Andy Weir writes science] during those parts.

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Current_Argument4876 t1_iu1r6td wrote

Replying to CPOx (#269,024)

Totally makes sense. As a science has not been a part of my life since college person, I did the same after a while.

Unrelatedly, I agree with you about the disaster loop style. Since there’s no interpersonal drama (Watney’s alone in The Martian and Rocky is awesome in Hail Mary) that’s a bit of a plot crutch he uses. Buuuuut, I also am fine with less interpersonal drama so I forgive and love Weir’s books.

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Complex_Dragonfly_59 t1_iu270m8 wrote

The progression you describe (the protagonist solves a problem in a manner that produces a bigger problem; repeat to finale) is the structure of a lot of popular fiction and movies. It’s the core strategy taught in many screenwriting classes. When the strategy is well done, the action feels like the inevitable result of the protagonist’s choices. When it’s not well done, the action feels like action for its own sake. It’s a shame the format is so glaringly obvious in the book you just read.

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ms_chiefmanaged t1_iu2dhs1 wrote

I felt seen by this book. Lol. I am also a chemical engineer and my god every project has been “huge devastating problem happens”, I the protagonist solve the problem two days later, “a different bigger problem happens”, I cry and solve THAT problem and repeat repeat repeat. If only I had a Rocky as my problem solving partner…

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iSeeDeadLynx t1_iu3d1rc wrote

Replying to _necroprancer_ (#269,853)

Yes, but it being realistic doesn't mean it makes for a good book. Project Hail Mary reads like a high school physics exam. It's a book for people who think Neil deGrasse Tyson is the pinnacle of intellectualism.

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