Fantastic!
The Martian by Andy Weir is unbelievably good! I am a big fan of hard science fiction (I prefer science fiction films like Contact and Interstellar over fantasy films like The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy) and had high hopes for The Martian - they were all exceeded. It was actually hard to put down, and I when I did I kept thinking about it.
Author Andy Weir was hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at the age of fifteen and spends his free time studying physics and orbital mechanics. The Martian started off as a 'what if' exercise that turned into a novel. First posted for free on his website, it grew in popularity and was then offered through Amazon with great success. Subsequently, he was offered a both a print contract and a film deal, placing the book on the New York Times bestseller list. The film of The Martian came out in 2015 starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain, directed by Ridley Scott. I'm paraphrasing here, but what a great story and well deserved success.
Ares 3 is the third manned mission to Mars. They have a system of delivering the supplies ahead of time so everything can be powered up when the astronauts arrive. On day 6 the scientific team encounters a vicious windstorm and retreats to the evacuation module - as they do an antenna breaks off and flies into Mark Watney. With all signs showing him dead, they leave Mars.
The Martian begins with Mark waking up - through extraordinary means he has survived. Alone on Mars with no communication, he must first find a way to survive, as well as to somehow contact Earth. The majority of the novel presents major problems and ingenious solutions. Limited air - how to make some. Limited food - how to create some. Even limited water - how will he find or make the simple necessity of water on a cold and dry planet with no atmosphere. This gave me a touch of the amazing ingenuity and bravery needed to be an astronaut. Mark repurposes the equipment he has to accomplish his needs, even modifying Mars dust into viable potato farming dirt. On a side trip from the habitat, he finds the old Pathfinder module and modifies it for communication. NASA meanwhile has discovered he is still alive and preparations begin for a recovery, while trying to keep the best spin on the International news that the astronaut they have all mourned is now alive and stranded.
The Martian begins with the fight for survival in true man against wilderness style, and never slows down. Each day has a new complication for him to solve with seemingly no chance of success, yet he perseveres. NASA also has plan after plan fail, as they lose time and resources. As a bonus, Mark is a smart ass whose black humour made me laugh out loud along with him as he skirted death one more time. What can you do when you have no hope, sometimes no communication, and no viable plan to actually leave the surface of Mars for Earth?! He just keeps solving the problems and moving forward. "To (NASA), equipment failure is terrifying. To me, it's Tuesday."
Based in scientific reality, The Martian is not your usual space opera. While I loved it, some may find the technical aspects boring. It all seemed plausible and definitely unique. It's a gripping first novel, a solid science fiction epic and a thrilling adventure.
A page turner. Highly recommended. I loved it.
2014 / Trade Paperback / 369 pages
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