Hey there,

Happy Saturday! Hope you're having a good one.

I wanted to give you a quick update on what's been happening with Thorn of Concordia, the new book—and share some thoughts on the recent Project Hail Mary movie that's been on my mind.

Thorn of Concordia: The Cover Hunt Continues

This month, I dove headfirst into drafting the cover for the book. It's a tricky balance: I want something that screams "space opera" while still signaling that this isn't just laser battles and starship porn. At its core, this story is about people—their choices, their flaws, their humanity set against the backdrop of the cosmos.

One of the early visual concepts is now live on the cover for First Among Liars, the short story I released as a companion piece (if you haven't checked out First Among Liars yet, take a peek in the download page—it's a (very draft level still) taste of the aesthetic I'm chasing.

I've also brought on a copy editor for the manuscript! This is huge. The story's been living in my head (and on my laptop) for so long that I need fresh, expert eyes to elevate the prose to where it needs to be. Quality matters, especially in upmarket literary SF where every sentence has to earn its place. Now Tina is going to help me get there.

Project Hail Mary: A Love Letter to Hard(ish) SF

Speaking of quality—I finally caught Project Hail Mary in IMAX, and I've got thoughts.

Ryan Gosling's adaptation of Andy Weir's novel delivers a fun, emotionally satisfying hard science fiction film that mostly stays true to the book's realistic approach to space exploration. It's been too long since we had a truly grounded space movie like this in theaters, and I'm glad this one mostly delivers.

First, a non-spoiler summary: The premise follows a lone astronaut who wakes up on a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there, only to discover he's humanity's last hope to solve an extinction-level threat to our sun. Through flashbacks, we learn how he was selected for this desperate mission across twelve light years. The heart of the story becomes his unlikely friendship with an alien being he names Rocky, as they work together to save both their worlds.

Ryan Gosling absolutely nails the role of this brilliant but goofy character. He brings the same charisma Matt Damon delivered in The Martian, perfectly capturing someone who uses humor and problem-solving to cope with impossible odds. The emotional core of the film is the relationship between Gosling's character and Rocky, and it emotionally works. Watching two beings from completely different worlds learn to communicate and trust each other provides the film's most powerful moments (however… see more on this below).

The movie maintains a scientifically realistic structure that should satisfy most hard SF fans. When the story needs to explain difficult concepts like powering a vessel for an interstellar journey ("how do we power a 12-light-year journey?"), it introduces new substances rather than hand waving the problem away. The scientific underpinnings get woven into the narrative skillfully. Questions about why Sol is dying, what the Astrophage is, how to contain it, and how to transport a solution are all addressed for those who care about such things, without overwhelming the general audience. The film keeps a strong balance between plot momentum and suspense, never letting either element drag.

I was particularly pleased that the movie stays faithful to the book, including its ending! Too many adaptations feel the need to "fix" source material that didn't need fixing (some do fix the source material in an awesome way). This one respects what made the novel work.

That said, I do have some nitpicks that kept this from being a five-star experience. Mostly, the science: If you've read Andy Weir's novel, you noticed it functions almost as a protagonist there, but it takes a clear backseat to the story here. There were several moments where Gosling mutters a science-laden sentence or two before continuing with the action. My wife told me she completely missed what he said beyond "things are about to go bad." She lost the context for why disaster was imminent. As an example, the book devotes multiple chapters to a nitrogen problem that becomes essential for modifying alien samples. In the film, it's a throwaway sentence or two. I understand the audience who cares deeply about these details (Me! Me!) is vastly outnumbered by those who don't, but I still wish more of Andy Weir's science from the book had made it to the screen. I regret I became a bit of a nuisance explaining things to my wife and daughter on the drive home. I'm glad they appreciated the explanations, because I felt somewhat ashamed of myself for doing it.

A couple of spaceship movement scenes also took me out of the movie. There's a side-by-side "chase" between two starships where the spurts and stops felt designed for laughs rather than for the realism of space inertia. For a film that otherwise takes its physics seriously, these moments stood out.

Finally, the ease with which the alien and human build their relationship stretched my suspension of disbelief, just as it did in the book. It assumes too readily that underlying values about children, life, and respect would be compatible across species, that literally alien concepts would easily jump via a hacked translator. My wife found it "cutesy," which surprised me. I'm willing to cut this particular issue significant slack since it's the heart of the story (and I also cut it slack in the book), but getting aliens right remains one of the hardest challenges in science fiction.

Project Hail Mary earns a solid 4 out of 5 stars from me. Highly recommended for hard SF fans who can forgive some streamlined science in exchange for an emotionally resonant, faithful adaptation with a charismatic lead performance.

Bottom line: A 4-star triumph that delivers genuine emotion and mostly realistic space science, perfect for fans who loved The Martian and can forgive a few scientific omissions (which are in the book) for the sake of not overwhelming the audience.

Oh, and it rules on IMAX!

What's Next

I'm back in the Thorn of Concordia manuscript trenches, working with the copyeditor and refining the vision for the cover. Did I say I'm working on a new Seela short story as well? More updates soon!

Thanks for being here. Means the world.

Best,

Luis