John McPhee

Sat, 16 May 2026 16:33:46 +1000

I have recently been reading several books by John McPhee which I have been really enjoying. Recently my reading has either tended towards either technical non-fiction works or fiction that is easy to read - sci-fi and thrillers. John McPhee’s writing is non-fiction, but meticulously crafted in a way that delights in its use of the english language. The facts and observations of non-fiction are seamlessly integrated into the writing. It is information dense, but does not seem that way.

First thoughts on "Project Hail Mary"

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 20:18:03 +1000

I’ve started reading Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary these holidays, prompted by the recent release of the film based on the book. I have read and enjoyed his earlier novel, “The Martian”, a few years ago. I’m only about 20% of the way through the book, so these are early thoughts and we’ll see what I think of it by the end.

My first observation is that I’m finding it hard to suspend my disbelief reading this novel. Science fiction obviously involves situations that aren’t real and that, almost by definition, are outside of our experience. But in the case of this novel, it isn’t the big things that break the sense of belief, but the little details.

Books on deemar.net

John McPhee

First thoughts on "Project Hail Mary"