Will I love The Martian?

I loved how Andy Weir made the science an essential part of the adventure without ever letting it slow the story down. The problem-solving felt believable, the stakes kept building, and the humor made the character feel genuinely human. Most of all, I felt completely immersed in a future that seemed not only possible, but almost within reach.

I loved this book because it took me out of my day-to-day world and thrust me into another world I knew little about. It was a great escape for me.

But there’s another angle that surprised me. I fell into Mark Watney’s mindset. What would I do if I were stranded on another planet? I loved the determination of his spirit. He just wouldn’t give up. 

I liked both this book and the movie, even if it has practically just one character. The castaway is so well described that after a few pages, the reader feels like a long-time friend and gets emotionally involved in the story.

I felt like traveling with him across half the planet to reach the Schiaparelli crater, which may mean a possibility of returning home. The other characters who risk their lives to save him also become friends, working with the reader on this common goal.

The humor in the writing was refreshing, especially for such a scientifically based book. :)

Although this book is science fiction, it contains one of the most insightful in-depth depictions I’ve read about how scientists solve problems, here in extremis.

I identified strongly with the central character of Mark Watney, inadvertently abandoned by his crew, as he figures out, step by inventive step, how to survive long enough as the lone inhabitant of Mars until NASA can find a way to get him back to Earth. Ridley Scott made an excellent film that is faithful to this book, but the book is even better. I found it well-written, witty, propulsive, and very entertaining. 

You can’t get more “real science" than this book! The author is an engineer who refuses to ask readers to take things on faith if there’s any way he can give them a real-world grounding with the science we already have. 

I loved it because I completely and totally believed it. Weir works within the rules of the real world rather than ignoring them and hoping readers don’t notice, which is what so many books do. All you need to do is believe that a manned mission to Mars is possible, and the rest won’t raise a single “but wait;… show more.

Dean Koontz, Jerry Jenkins, and others advise authors to plunge the main character into terrible trouble as fast as possible. This book delivers the best opening of any novel I’ve seen. It would have been even stronger without the profanity.

The story feels plausible, and I can feel Mark Watney fighting to live while reasoning his way through challenge after challenge. I was querying Virus Bomb shortly after this one came out, and I noticed many agents’ manuscript wish lists wanted stories where nature was the antagonist. I had to see why—and so, I bought the book.

Main character Mark… show more.

I am a sucker for a great opening line. From the very beginning, this book had me hooked! For me, it was the perfect mixture of humor, tension, and science. 

As I continued to devour it, I found this to be one of the rare books that did not let up on the gas. I was constantly engaged by the humor, kept awake late at night with the situation, and now reflect on the science.

I love to read a good book, but I treasure a great book. From start to finish, just like Mark Watney, I was trapped on… show more.

Andy Weir has. In my opinion, come to define hopepunk: pushing towards a goal through difficulties, even if the goal doesn’t personally benefit the character.

His depiction of the plight of Mark Watney, the impacts Watney’s plight have on a global scale, and the hard science behind it all combine to create a compelling story. The sacrifices his crewmates and NASA officials make to push his rescue forward exemplify the “community over self” attitude common in hopepunk.

I like math and science. Too much though, and I start to skim. I didn’t skip anything in this book, and I found it a page turner from the start.

The math and science involved in the character’s survival is explained well enough for it to make sense to the average person. After reading it, I think I would probably feel comfortable growing potatoes in [spoiler alert] human feces. Maybe not as comfortable having to eat them, but if I was [spoiler alert] stranded on Mars…