Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction
Published: 2011
Pages: 369
Goodreads
Synopsis
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 the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars' surface, completely alone, with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone years 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's not ready to quit. Armed with nothing but his ingenuity and his engineering skills — and a gallows sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of strength – he embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive, using his botany expertise to grow food and even hatching a mad plan to contact NASA back on Earth.
As he overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next, Mark begins to let himself believe he might make it off the planet alive – but Mars has plenty of surprises in store for him yet.
Grounded in real, present-day science from the first page to the last, yet propelled by a brilliantly ingenious plot that surprises the reader again and again, The Martian is a truly remarkable thriller: an impossible-to-put-down suspense novel that manages to read like a real-life survival tale.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate the planet while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded on Mars' surface, completely alone, with no way to signal Earth that he’s alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone years 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's not ready to quit. Armed with nothing but his ingenuity and his engineering skills — and a gallows sense of humor that proves to be his greatest source of strength – he embarks on a dogged quest to stay alive, using his botany expertise to grow food and even hatching a mad plan to contact NASA back on Earth.
As he overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next, Mark begins to let himself believe he might make it off the planet alive – but Mars has plenty of surprises in store for him yet.
Grounded in real, present-day science from the first page to the last, yet propelled by a brilliantly ingenious plot that surprises the reader again and again, The Martian is a truly remarkable thriller: an impossible-to-put-down suspense novel that manages to read like a real-life survival tale.
Favorite Quotes
"I'm sure Watney can stretch the food to last four extra days, malnutrition notwithstanding," Teddy said, looking to Dr. Keller.
"I'm on vacation," Rich said without looking up.
This was going to be rough and Annie knew it.
Review
Joood - Hooligan and Sofia the Great (both of Platypire Reviews) have been tag team nagging me to read this book for ages, and I've finally relented, but only because Joood promised to make me chocolate chip cookies.
My favorite part about this book is Matt Damon. He's so dreamy, and who wouldn't love a man that can figure out a way to survive on Mars. This real life look into the life of the first Mars settler had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I'm so glad the people at NASA worked so hard to bring Matt Damon back home again. Movies would have gotten way more boring if they couldn't have Matt Damon in them.
While I was reading this book, I kept picturing myself on Mars, and it was bleak. Even though Matt Damon was there with me, we didn't have any Dr Pepper or Chipotle, and I basically wanted to give up (so that might have been a dream, but I'm not sure.) Even after reading the book, I still can't really imagine going through what Matt Damon went through on Mars. I really admired him before, but now I admire him so much more.
Overall I give The Martian 5 out of 5 stars.
Overall I give The Martian 5 out of 5 stars.
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About the Author
ANDY WEIR was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is also a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. The Martian is his first novel.
Alternate Reviews
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You make my heart smile...and laugh.
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Mission accomplished then :) - Czar Fancypants
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