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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3049 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 1, 2023

Happy New Year!

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I was reading Project Hail Mary a while back myself but never really finished it.

I think the reason why I stopped is because Andy Weir's specific style of writing doesn't jive with me very well. The writing is very simplistic and is easier to parse than lots of other sci-fi, which is fine (perhaps even good) on its own. However, there's also a lot of very juvenile humour and characterisation, and this, along with the simplicity of the prose, ends up creating a goofy and immature vibe that feels particularly dissonant when it's contrasted with the extremely tense situations the main character is placed in.

Yeah, the writing feels very "informed by Internet culture." It's like it's trying too hard to be appealing to me, which I find off-putting. At least it's short and I can get back to my other books soon!

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