The book The Martian, by Andy Weir, is an exciting yet funny science fiction book. It combines science, humor, and just plain survival all into one book. I thought that this was an excellent book, I would rate it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
When you first get introduced to Mark Watney you don’t know much about him other than he is on Mars and is destined to die there. But throughout the book you get to know Mark better and better until you feel like you know him in real life. There are also some characters back on Earth that he is able to communicate with and that you get to know quite well. For example you get to know Venkat Kapoor well for his decisions and his humor. Mark describes Mars as a desolate wasteland where nothing could possibly grow or live. Yet he lives there for about two years so he must have found a way to prove himself wrong. He has to survive until Ares 4 arrives on mars and then he may be able to come home with them. He has a water reclaimer that lets him get water fine, but food is a problem. He finds out how to grow potatoes with just what he has up there. Through thick and thin Mark is determined throughout the whole book to survive, well that isn’t true he doubted himself multiple times. For being a book that doesn’t have much dialogue it is surprisingly engaging and funny. I wouldn’t expect an astronaut stranded on Mars to be funny yet it is. This book doesn’t remind me of any other books that I have read. It is so unique that I can’t remember any other book or movie that has been anything like this book. The type of person that would like this book is anyone who likes or is interested in astronomy and science but still likes some humor in what they read.
This is a great book to just pick up and read if you are looking for a new book. It is easy to understand and is well thought out.