Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadSix 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 … 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?
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Finally got around to reading this book, and I see why it became so popular — I couldn’t put it down. It heavily relies on the out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire plot device to build its suspense, and its characters are a bit cartoony, but it’s a fun, gripping read, one that seems to be really thoughtfully researched about the challenges …
I’ve heard a lot of people say they found this book dry and slow, but I really enjoyed it! In comparison with the movie, which I saw first and which is a very different beast, it devoted a lot more time to explaining all of Watney’s scientific Macgyver-ing. I could understand readers finding that boring, but I liked seeing all the pieces come …
I saw the movie with Matt Damon before I picked up the book, and I’m actually glad that I did. I’m not generally a science fiction reader, but the movie was wonderfully done. I loved the character of Mark Watney, beautifully fleshed-out by Weir (perfectly portrayed by Damon). It is Watney who drives the plot. If you didn’t like him and didn’t want …
Finally finished The Martian this weekend after leaving my copy at home in California in January. Loved the higher dose of scientific explanations but I actually kind of liked the movie ending better.
Time to find more space books!
Loved it! The story was great. I loved the writing. The main character Mark Watney was funny and cheerful despite his circumstances. I couldn’t put it down.
The science was believable to me. I’m not a physicist, but I am a biologist and mathematician, so I sometimes get bothered by pseudo-science that is completely unbelievable in other science …
This was one of the smartest science fiction books I’ve read. It has actual science and math in it. It had a lot of explanations and technical language so if that’s not your thing and going to bore you you should probably skip this book. But if you can stick through that you should read it. It’s funny and entertaining while teaching you something. …
I loved this book! The protagonist is hilarious, and it’s a great adventure story that’s hard to put down.
Robinson Crusoe on Mars. An excellent “what-if”.
The science is intriguing along with the problem the protagonist is presented with.
Couldn’t put this one down. What a fun read! Better than the movie, as most books are. A perfect mix of real science and a near future fiction.
I devoured The Martian on my first reading (the only time I got up was to turn on a light after a sneaky sunset). Weir managed to do something that no other author has done: he made hard science fiction funny. And not just an inside joke nerd funny, I mean a thoughtful and relatable funny. This is a scientifically sound narrative that appeals to …
I’ve had this book on my to-be-read list for ages. Once I finally started reading I couldn’t put it down. The main character, Mark Watney, is hilarious and while he is on the planet alone, his story never gets boring. I could envision every aspect of his home on Mars and felt the tension back on earth once they realized he was still alive. So glad …
So yeah. I read this book in one sitting. I think that might be a compliment.
But it’s not entirely true, though. I read the first page, had to leave the house with my wife (date night), then came back to the book later than night and read the rest of it till the wee hours of the morning.
Yes it is page turner. Yes it is a very good book. Yes …
What a wonderfully nerdy and highly entertaining book. I loved it, although Science Fiction is not one of my favorite genres to read. The style was conversational, yet highly informative. There is so much nerdy science and realistic drama and action that it puts you on Mars with Mark Watney. Despite the use of “colorful” language, which I don’t …
I REALLY liked this book. First-rate sci-fiction, among my favorites. The protagonist Mark Watney shows great innovation and tenacity in escaping from one life-threatening situation after another after he is forced to subsist on his own, due to his being left behind by the others on his mission to Mars.
A real page turner, very entertaining.
I could *not* put this book down. “The Martian” is suspenseful, intellectual…and absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud so many times while reading this that my husband started badgering me to finish it so he could see what all the fuss was about.
But while the main character had a humorous voice, his situation was anything but funny. Stuck on …
I don’t do sci-fi anything. But read The Martian long before the movie came out because of the great reviews. Blew me away that I loved it. Outside my comfort zone, but a great read.
I first avoided The Martian (even after seeing the movie) because I was afraid it would be filled with scientific technobabble that I would gloss over and ignore, missing crucial moments of the plot.
I regret this.
The Martian starts off without so much as a soft introduction, giving you Mark Watney’s personality in the very first sentence. As …
Andy Weir hit it out of the park with his realistic portrayal of the adventure of an astronaut crew during the mission on Mars.
I understand that he conducted extensive research and contacted experts in the field of space travel to write his book. I admire that dedication to the hard scifi reader for detail.
When I interviewed a plant …
This is a great example of hard-science fiction, the story of an American astronaut left behind (missing and presumed dead) during an emergency evacuation by the third expedition to Mars. It is an affirmation of the human spirit as our hero rises to many challenges in trying to stay alive for the nearly two years a rescue mission will take, and as …
This book (and movie) are marvelous. I have read the book several times, and listened to the audio a number of times. I purchased the movie and have enjoyed it several times.