The Martian
#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
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
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Community Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Mark Watney as a narrator brings a beautiful sense of humor to a book that, without it, would be probably awful to read, hopeless and humorless. I don't know what else I could say about this book that no one else has said, other than it was a moving, entertaining read that made me feel a little more connected and inspired when it was finished.
Excellent story and I'm no astronaut, but plenty realistic for me! Love his sense of humor! Mark Watney had me cracking up!
What an absolute delight this book was! I cannot believe this was Andy Weir's debut novel. He writes as though he has been doing this for years. I love that he was able to unfold a story on Mars with an astronaut main character and write it in such a way that I was able to understand and follow along with ease.
I did post a non-spoiler review on my channel if you would like to copy and paste this link to watch: https://youtu.be/jiWumMCtVHs
I did post a non-spoiler review on my channel if you would like to copy and paste this link to watch: https://youtu.be/jiWumMCtVHs
Took a few days to clear my head after reading this, and came to the conclusion that I didn't like it as much as I thought I did. The technical bits were pretty overwhelming (though, that's a personal issue. I've always felt that way about even basic math, haha, so don't let that deter you from reading this book). The comedic moments broke it up enough for me to get through the parts I couldn't make sense of, though, and Mark Watney was probably the most entertaining person to hear talk about engineering and math. The best parts, for me, were the parts where the story was focused on NASA trying to get him home. I loved hearing from that perspective, and the contrast between NASA and Watney's perspectives on his actions was honestly pretty funny. Specifically, I'm talking about the time he made a bedroom out of the pop tent to sleep in on his way to the MAV, and NASA thought it was for a lab or something. No he just doesn't want to sleep in the Rover lmao. Despite my struggles with the technical aspects, I'd honestly recommend this book. The ending made me cry, genuinely, and I still haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Probably not one I'll reread any time soon, but definitely worth checking out if you like space or engineering or just want a good story about human adaptability in shitty situations.
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