Life From the Bones of Another World
“The Martian” by Andy Weir
It feels so weird to dedicate yet more space on the internet to a book (and its movie adaptation) that are so widely loved, yet here I am. Another voice, late to the party, as usual, but I’m here to share the good news:
The Martian by Andy Weir is awesome.
The story, from Amazon:
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?
It’s not just a good book, in that I enjoyed what I read. Awesome, in that I read the entire thing in one sitting, beginning to end, the last hour telling myself that I needed to put it down, that I needed to go do some writing, that I could finish reading it later.
But I couldn’t compel myself to put it down. I had to finish this goddamn book.
I don’t read a lot of adult fiction, or Science Fiction/Fantasy in general. But this was just close enough to contemporary that I didn’t feel like I was a stranger in this world. It was our world (perhaps, before the damage that the U.S.A’s current administration has wrought) a few more years along its inevitable timeline, where Mars exploration is a reality.
The science is exquisite, in a similar vein to Dan Brown’s books, except it’s done with a perfect touch, unlike Brown’s heavy hand. It’s blended perfectly into the story, much of it reflected through the wit of the main character, Mark Watney.
Mark is the star and the center of this book, but he’s not the only light that shines. I also particularly liked his fellow crew, who were forced through circumstance into leaving him behind, thinking him dead, but who jumped at the chance to come back and rescue him. The whole lot of them are compelling, but especially the mission commander, Melissa Lewis. (Having not seen the movie, and with Lewis addressed by her surname only, I sort of mentally blended her with my favorite fictional Lewis, Dr. Susan Lewis from E.R.)
If you, like me, have been living under a rock for a while, I can’t recommend The Martian enough. I can’t wait to get my hands on the movie, as well.
If you’d like to get your copy of The Martian, and support me at the same time, click the cover below to use my affiliate link to Amazon:
Zach Payne is, to borrow the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, “a polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive Payne.” He acts, sings poorly, and writes poetry, plays, and young adult fiction.
He’s an assistant at Ninja Writers, where he helps new writers find their voice and their tribe. He was the query intern for Pam Victorio at D4EO, and his novel Somehow You’re Sitting Here was selected for Nevada SCBWI’s 2015–16 Mentor Program. He lives in Reno.
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