Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian by Andy Weir
Published: February 2014
Pages: 369

Quickie: A man is accidentally abandoned on Mars. Using his expertise as a botanist and general NASA engineer, he turns Mars into his (dangerous) playground!

Real Talk: I put off reading The Martian for a few years when I realized it would become a movie, and then even longer when the movie did really good. I was afraid there was too much hype behind this title and that it would never be able to live up to my expectations. I finished 3 years of college in a science major, so I had high hopes for tearing down whatever science was put before me in this novel. I thought that there would be some weird NASA zombie situation going on and I would throw the book away (i.e. donate it angrily).

...But here we are, and I have to say this book was amazing.

NASA botanist Mark Watney has been abandoned on Mars after a sand storm has severed all contact with his crew mates. Documented in data logs, Watney calculates the best ways to grow crops, create oxygen and water, and how to navigate Mars to not only survive, but to potentially return to Earth.

Watney is incredibly witty and undoubtedly one of my favorite characters in any novel I've ever read. Weir has written him to be a highly intelligent NASA crew member, but also as a person that really would stand a chance at surviving ALONE in a situation where there seems to be literally no hope. Not only has Watney been trained to use every single opportunity as a means to survive, he cracks jokes to himself in the darkness that is being on an alien planet without contact with any other humans.

What could have easily been a book dry with too much scientific explanation and self-deprecating dives into depression is brought to a happy medium by Watney's snarky quips and ability to laugh at his tremendous failures. I am always extremely fond of books in and about space, but this one uses the environment of a nearly desolate planet to spark humorous and adventuresome vibes that pull you along on a whirlwind of emotion.

5/5 stars