Quick Facts
- Release Date: October 28, 2014
- Page Count: 387
- Publisher: Broadway Books
- Kindle Unlimited? No
I cannot think of one negative thing about this brilliant and hilarious book. You can tell it is incredibly well-researched and Watney is a delight to follow along with
Synopsis
For a guy stuck alone on Mars, Mark Watney is shockingly optimistic. As a mechanical engineer and a career botanist, his job is to grow stuff and fix things. This is essentially how he learns to survive after his team’s expedition went tragically wrong after only six days. The Martian, by Andy Weir, is the story about how astronaut Mark Watney survives life on Mars.
Review
I was originally apprehensive about reading The Martian. I had watched the movie and loved it, but I was nervous the book wouldn’t add anything beyond what I already knew. Why pay for the book when you already watched the movie, right? Wrong! I am so glad I picked up this book, and I can say with 100% certainty that it is worth it, even if you’ve already seen the movie and basically know what happens. I loved it so much that I stayed up until 5 a.m. reading. That is WAY past my bedtime, but I just couldn’t put it down.
Space travel is not an easy topic to understand on the best of days, but Andy Weir makes it seem almost trivial in the way that he explains the basic principles behind each hurdle Watney faces. You can tell this book is incredibly well-researched, which makes sense considering Weir worked as a computer scientist for most of his life and just plain loves science. Time and again, Weir somehow takes an extremely unrelatable situation and makes it relatable for the average Joe. From using the Pythagorean theorem to escape a dust storm to gluing his hand to his helmet as he tries to patch it, Watney makes us feel connected as he adapts to his new reality.
One of the most enjoyable things about reading this book for me was the humor! The best way I can describe Watney is sarcastically optimistic, which is a great personality trait to have when you’re trying to survive on Mars. He paints his issues in an almost childlike manner, using descriptors such as “running away” and “space pirates,” and referencing the well-known children’s book, The Giving Tree. Watney is just a fantastic, hilarious character that immediately had me rooting for him and fully engaged from page 1.
Summary
I truly cannot think of one thing I did not love about this book and am delighted to give it a full 5-star rating. I highly recommend it to everyone, even if you’re not a fan of science. I can guarantee that after this book you will be!
Link to Author’s website: https://www.andyweirauthor.com/
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