The Martian
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
A mission to Mars. A freak accident. One man’s struggle to survive. From the author of Project Hail Mary comes “a hugely entertaining novel that reads like a rocket ship afire” (Chicago Tribune).
“Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling.”—The Wall Street Journal
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
“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
A mission to Mars. A freak accident. One man’s struggle to survive. From the author of Project Hail Mary comes “a hugely entertaining novel that reads like a rocket ship afire” (Chicago Tribune).
“Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling.”—The Wall Street Journal
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
“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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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Martian* is a gripping blend of space adventure and witty humor that keeps many unable to put it down. Fans praise its seamless mix o...
Listened to the audiobook on a recent road trip and was completely enthralled. This is a book about human ingenuity, perseverance and a whole lot of science. The main character, Watney, is accidentally abandoned on Mars (his crew thought he died) and must apply his problem-solving skills to survive. This could have been a difficult read with the technical jargon, lack of dialogue, and predictable plot structure, but Watney's character is so hilarious and lovable that I could not stop listening. I'm glad the author kept the scope of the novel on Watney and his survival on Mars, rather than adding scenes about the exploration of Mars or finding evidence of life. I gave this four instead of five stars because the ending felt rather abrupt; I usually find a desire of wanting more after finishing a book as a good sign but this felt like someone cleared the table before I was done eating. I hope there is a sequel!
I heard the story of how this book was published, and instantly knew I had to read it. Once I started reading, I could not put it down. It perfectly meshed my love of space and science with witty one-liners and scenes that had me laughing out loud and re-reading passages.
Very sci-fi. A little too sci-fi for me. The long scientific descriptions completely went over my head and the humor was pretty corny.
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