"Project Hail Mary" A Novel Use Of Humor
Good afternoon everyone. There’s something to be said about taking recommendations of others and reading something you might not have chosen. That happened with me and Andrew Weir’s Project Hail Mary. It’e a fantastic read and once I got into it, I pretty much completed in over a weekend. I don’t think there’s much higher praise one can give a work of fiction. But you may be wondering why I am mentioning it here on my Substack.
The main reason is that the book and the main character, Dr. Ryland Grace, use humor quite a bit. And far from it being something that simply provides a relief of tension for the reader, as humor is often used in books, shows, etc., the humor is integral to the character. Dr. Gace uses humor to problem solve, deal with stress, and relieve tension. Characters use humor between each other, to help make points, and there’s even some inter-species humor, but I don’t want to give anything away.
It’s not often you read a book that gets you to laugh out loud. But Mr. Weir’s book certainly did. I enjoyed the book for a number of reasons. Firstly, it’s a great story. It moves well, has intrigue, danger, a quest, intersting chracters, and global intrigue. You may think that I am exagerrating, but I am not. Plus, it’s funny. Did I mention that?
You may be wondering why I am talking about a book. This blog isn’t quite the place for reviews. You’re right, it isn’t (though it is a newer Substack), and I haven’t really done it before. Aren’t we supposed to go outside our comfort zone? well I did and I took a chance and reached out to Mr. Weir to see if he would be interested in sitting for an interview about his use of humor in the book. I am thrilled to say he did. At this point he’s willing to answer any questions I send him. I am going to see if I can get him to agree to a short discussion. Fingers crossed.
So that’s what’s coming in the near term folks. An interview with author Andrew Weir on his use of humor in Project Hail Mary. We’re going to talk about why he chose to feature humor as much as he did, how he sees it as integral to the story, plot, and character development, and even a bit about why he values humor as a person and author. Stay tuned.