lindsey's Review of The Martian

by Andy Weir

#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

(I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Wow. Just... wow. The Martian is an incredible book. I had heard good things about it before I started reading, but I wasn't sure if it was something that I would like. When I saw that it was available for review on Blogging for Books, I decided to give it a try.

I was hooked from the very first page.

It's told mostly through logs written by Mark Watney, an astronaut who has accidentally been left for dead on Mars, with occasional chapters on Mission Control back on Earth, and the crew that abandoned him, although not intentionally. But most of the focus is on Mark, and rightly so.

With no way to contact Earth, Mark is sure he's going to die. Even if he was able to let someone know he was still alive, it would take a rescue mission years to reach him. But he doesn't give up. By using his ingenuity and engineering skills, as well as his botany expertise, he manages to survive... alone on Mars.

I really, really loved this book. I honestly can't think of a single thing that I didn't like about it. Andy Weir's writing style is wonderful, the pacing is great, the humor in the face of life and death situations is perfect. It's just a gripping and thrilling read. I was on the edge of my seat, and I would be lying if I said I didn't tear up at the end.

Mark is a really great character. He's smart, brave, and resourceful, but he's also flawed. He's human, and it's refreshing to find a character who isn't perfect. The scenarios Mark was faced with felt entirely plausible. There was enough action to keep the book from getting boring, but never so much that it became unbelievable.

I would highly recommend this to everyone, whether you're usually a fan of science fiction or not. I just can't say enough good things about it.

The Martian

by Andy Weir

Reviewed by lindsey on Jan 27, 2015

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