Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Ryland Grace is a reluctant member of a desperate last-chance mission to save life on Earth from extinction. After being asleep for a long time (think years), he wakes up to find himself the only surviving crewmember. His crewmates are dead so it's up to Ryland to carry out their mission by himself. The only problem is that it's a suicide mission: his tiny ship doesn't have enough fuel or food for the return trip to Earth.
Things aren't going too well on Earth, either. Ryland loses communication with his contacts, and the only message he picks up from another ship is ominous, to say the least. But thanks to an unexpected friend, he just might not only succeed but also survive.
This is the third novel by the author of The Martian and I loved it just as much. After his dismal second book (Artemis), I was very glad to see that the author returned to his signature witty style and characters. It's little heavy on science at times, which doesn't bother me but may put some readers off. There is enough peril, adventure and disasters to rival The Martian. Like Mark, the main character in The Martian, Ryland gets plenty of chances to exercise his inner MacGyver.
Although the storylines are exciting, Weir's characters make the book. I loved the friendship between Ryland and Rocky. I have recommended this book to a number of people, and the only complaint has been whether there will be a sequel so that we can find out what happened to everyone on Earth.
A fanciful picture of the solar system from NASA
