I recently finished reading The Martian by Andy Weir. If you haven't heard of the book or its movie adaptation starring Matt Damon by now, you must have been living under a rock, or perhaps on Mars, like our protagonist Mark Watney.
The Martian is about a misfortunate astronaut who gets left behind by his crew mates on Mars. He is the only breathing, living thing on the red planet and his chances of returning home are not very good. You'd think that the author, Andy Weir, would have spent some time really taking us through Watney's mental journey - his loneliness, his fears, him missing his parents (who weren't mentioned until like a third of the way into the book), and all the other terrifying and depressing thoughts that come with being marooned on another planet. But no, there's almost none of that; Weir affords Watney very little page-time to indulge in his feelings or his reflections. Instead, the book is written like a mechanical diary of events that take place and how Mark applies his engineering/botany/defecating skills to fix the situation, punctuated by funny, sarcastic remarks ("I'm a space pirate!") that read more like top voted reddit comments than the gritty sentiments of a hopeless survivalist. It took me a little while to get used to this writing style and there were definitely times when I felt frustrated by the lack of character development, but it did allow the story to focus more on the action. And there is quite a lot of action.
I had already watched the movie by the time I picked up the book so I pretty much knew what was going to happen plot-wise. For a novel that was so focused on the math, physics and chemistry of how Mark Watney outsmarted his life-threatening situation du jour, or rather du sol, it was a surprisingly approachable and light read. In retrospect, I think that's because seeing the movie, hearing the dumbed-down explanations by a grinning Matt Damon, and having a good visual really helped me follow what was going on, even through the more technical parts.
What I loved most about the book (and the movie) though was how realistic Weir made life on Mars out to be. His meticulous research paid off in the little details of the novel, in particular with his descriptions of the the advanced space technology that NASA had developed for the trip. I've been getting into watching space movies and videos for a while now so reading about a manned experience on Mars was extra thrilling and made me all the more psyched that in a generation or two, we will hopefully have made human contact with the red planet.
I recommend The Martian if you like anything survivalist or space-themed. Enjoy the ride of the events and don't go in with expectations around profound character development. And hey, I'd be lying if I said the last few pages didn't manage to tease out a tear or two, so the book isn't entirely without its poignant moments. Just be prepared for space poop jokes along the way.
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