'Project Hail Mary' review: Andy Weir's latest is an out-of-this-world tale of science and friendship.

'Project Hail Mary' has the same strong storytelling as 'The Martian' and if you dug that, get ready to enjoy this, too. – Photo: Twitter/Andy Weir

A cosmic cross between Memento, Arrival and The Right Stuff, the newest book from The Martian author centres on the sole survivor of a spaceship sent to save humanity and puts him through his paces in a complex, science-filled story that's also about empathy and friendship found in the most unlikely of places.

Ryland Grace wakes up with a nasty round of amnesia after coming out of an induced coma, not knowing where he is and wondering why a robotic arm is feeding and caring for him. He starts to regain movement, gets his wits about him and notices a couple of dead bodies in his vicinity. Ryland starts to recall his situation that slowly unravels in flashbacks interspersed throughout Hail Mary.