Book Club Questions for Project Hail Mary: The Book Is Always Better
Updated: Aug 5
Age: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi
Quick Review of Project Hail Mary
This adult sci-fi novel features the Andy Weir classic—a scientist alone in space, grappling with a life-or-death problem—and I am HERE for it. Thanks to the movie (and Ryan Gosling), awareness of this story exploded, but I highly recommend the book: it has a far greater depth of character development, backstory, and ethical urgency to it. Also—in my opinion—it’s funnier, and I hear the audiobook is excellent.
Book Club Questions
Grace’s main flaw is presented as cowardice. Do you agree?
If you had the immunity and power to get whatever you wanted done, what would you do?
With your skills and background, how would you try to establish a method of communication with Rocky?
Should Stratt have told Grace she was prepping him as the backup science expert? Do you think this would have changed his willingness to be involved with PHM?
Was Stratt right to forcibly send Grace on the mission? What would you have done in her situation? In your opinion, when do the rights of the individual become less important than the good of the group?
Substitute the PHM situation with a real-world example—say, a royal who doesn’t want to deal with the responsibilities put on the royal family. Is there a case for putting up with it for the good of a centuries-old monarchy? Or should they disregard tradition and expectations and prioritize their personal agency? What values lead you to your conclusion?
Should Rocky have risked his life to save Grace? Should Grace have risked his life to save Rocky’s? Technically, they both put their worlds at risk to save one individual.
What do you think Grace would have done if he had woken up with his full memories to begin with?
Since Grace’s two crewmates die before the book starts, they could have been excluded from the book entirely. Why do you think the author included them?
Do you want Grace to go home to earth at the end?
Would you eat me-burgers?
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