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
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Martian* is a gripping, humorous, and scientifically detailed survival story that vividly showcases human ingenuity. Mark Watney’s re...
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!
There were times when it could be argued that this book is a bit too heavy on technical details, but I am not the one to make that argument. I found it an absolutely gripping novel in which the plight of the protagonist is one that is one with which I could easily identify with even though my chances of being stranded on Mars are a slight bit slim.
I think the thing I identified with the most was Mark's ability to analyze every situation that he is presented with, come up with a solution that may or may not work, test it, and make adjustments where necessary.
This is one of those books where the less said, the better, as I don't wish to spoil anything for those few (like me) who have yet to see the movie. (And I just downloaded it as soon as I finished the novel, so there's that)
I recommend this book highly. It is a fantastic read.
I think the thing I identified with the most was Mark's ability to analyze every situation that he is presented with, come up with a solution that may or may not work, test it, and make adjustments where necessary.
This is one of those books where the less said, the better, as I don't wish to spoil anything for those few (like me) who have yet to see the movie. (And I just downloaded it as soon as I finished the novel, so there's that)
I recommend this book highly. It is a fantastic read.
I'm just not the audience I think. It's an intense read, how could it not be with the subject matter...solidarity for 18 months on a desert planet without atmosphere. What this came down to for me was: it was just way too technical, and frankly that dulled it tremendously. I found myself skimming - especially toward the end - and I hate that.
Edge-of-your-seat story for all kinds of readers
This space novel has a lot of science and math, two things this girl typically detests, but the story is so good I was able to trust the author with the numbers and just enjoy the action. A spectacular debut novel, the story of how this book came to be is almost as exciting as the tale itself. Bravo, Andy Weir!
This space novel has a lot of science and math, two things this girl typically detests, but the story is so good I was able to trust the author with the numbers and just enjoy the action. A spectacular debut novel, the story of how this book came to be is almost as exciting as the tale itself. Bravo, Andy Weir!
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.