Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

Saturday 19 September 2015

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Release Date: August 2014
Rating:
Goodreads | Book Depository
I’m stranded on Mars.

I have no way to communicate with Earth.

I’m in a Habitat designed to last 31 days.

If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.

So yeah. I’m screwed.

This was absolutely fantastic.

I think Mark Watney might be one of my favourite male characters ever. He's been stranded on Mars with no way of communicating with Earth and everyone thinks he's dead. That's a pretty depressing situation but Mark is incredibly resourceful and is prepared to do what it takes to survive. The best thing? His sense of humour. I'm not really the type of laugh out loud at books. Sure, I might find something amusing but I rarely laugh out loud. This book was a whole different ball game. Despite Mark being in some pretty serious shit (sometimes literally), I was constantly laughing due to his great wit. You can't not root for Mark Watney!

“Maybe I’ll post a consumer review. “Brought product to surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/10.”

There is so much scientific information throughout the book (Mark is an astronaut remember) but I didn't find it overbearing at all. It is written in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. At least, it's written in a way that makes me feel like I understand it which is a major bonus. I need to praise the author, Andy Weir, for writing such a thoroughly detailed story. I can't imagine how much time the research must have taken but it definitely paid off. I love that Mark's humour would even shine through the scientific explanations.

I enjoyed the additional points of view from other sources, as it was a great touch to see how people were reacting on Earth, and how different groups of people were working tirelessly to help him.

The Martian is a first-rate story of survival infused with some incredible humour that had me gripped from page one.

“By my reckoning, I'm about 100 kilometers from Pathfinder. Technically it's called "Carl Sagan Memorial Station." But with all due respect to Carl, I can call it whatever the hell I want. I'm the King of Mars.”

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