Author: Andy Weir
Ages: Adult
Rating: 8/10
Number of Pages: 369
Plot: After an unexpected storm hits the base on Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is stranded with no way of contacting Earth or his team. But Mark's not ready to admit defeat. Using his engineering skills and botanical knowledge, Mark embarks on a desperate quest to contact Earth and get back to his team. As he overcomes more and more obstacles, Mark starts believing that his outlandish plan might work, but as the days draw on his supplies decrease. Will Mark have enough supplies to last? Written from a range of different perspectives, The Martian follows the desperate struggle to get Mark Watney off of Mars. A perfect mix of humour, suspense and adventure, the plot makes this novel impossible to put down and a story you won't forget for a long time.
Review: Having read quite a lot of dystopian novels and series recently I fancied a change. Following the success of the film adaptation last year, I really wanted to read the novel. And I am really glad that I finally picked this book up. Weir was able to create a character that, whilst fearing for his life, had a warped sense of humour that was both refreshing and hilarious to read. It is highly unusual to get a protagonist that is both brave and down to earth. Mark Watney, therefore, made an engaging and interesting voice that helped keep the story fast paced . The humour that Weir uses offered a needed break from the drama of trying to escape from Mars. I was quite surprised that there was so much humour in a thriller about space travel but I think that the mix of both humour and drama worked seamlessly, creating a novel that flowed beautifully and emotions that felt realistic and true.
Another aspect that I loved about this book was the fact that there wasn't too much scientific language. Having not had a science lesson for about 2 years, I was worried that the book would be filled with complicated scientific language and experiments that I would not understand and, as a result, would leave me googling things every couple of pages. However there were only a few instances where I was left a little confused, and for the vast majority of the book Weir doesn't include any unnecessarily long scientific passages. Instead Weir weaves scientific language into his suspense filled novel.
"The last thing I remember was seeing Johanssen hopelessly reaching out toward me."
The use of multiple narrative voices also offered an interesting part to the plot. By having multiple perspectives of Mark's predicament added to the drama and suspense, making it, in my opinion, such a great thriller. I haven't read many adult thrillers but from what I have experienced the best thrillers offer a range of different narrative voices in order for the reader to fully immerse themselves in the story. As a result, throughout the novel there were no instances where I was left feeling bored.
Overall I loved this book and I am so glad that I decided to read a book that wasn't a dystopian YA. Weir has created the perfect mix of science fiction, thriller and comedy that is gripping and enjoyable from the first page to the last. For a book that is centred around one man stranded on Mars Weir manages to incorporate a range of different personalities in the minor characters that make the plot more engaging and somewhat more realistic. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good thriller or page turner.
Have you read 'The Martian'? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below!
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