#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling.”—The Wall Street Journal The inspiration for the major motion picture
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him? NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE
“A hugely entertaining novel [that] reads like a rocket ship afire . . . Weir has fashioned in Mark Watney one of the most appealing, funny, and resourceful characters in recent fiction.”—Chicago Tribune “As gripping as they come . . . You’ll be rooting for Watney the whole way, groaning at every setback and laughing at his pitchblack humor. Utterly nail-biting and memorable.”—Financial Times
Okay, so I’m not saying anything new here when I tell you The Martian is a great book, but I (finally) succumbed to the hype and picked it up after the urging of my family. While I’ll caution that I think it has a slow start, I was surprised by how invested I was in the story. I think you’ll find that Weir makes you question your own life in a way that is both predictable and surprising. (I mean, it’s a life or death situation, so obviously it’s going to prompt you to consider your own quality of life. But also…I wasn’t expecting a sci-fi blockbuster to make me think about what kind of sacrifices I’m willing to make.) If you read it and like it, this Slate Audio Book Club Podcast episode is a must-listen. They talk about the book in very smart ways.
