Book Review – The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir

This is a story that has been in the media spotlight for quite a while with the book being a bestseller and the movie being nominated for an Oscar.  I kept debating whether I actually wanted to read the book or just rent the movie.  I finally decided to read the book and then rent the movie and I am so glad that I did.

There was quite a bit of technical narration in the book – for example, a description of how to make water using oxygen and other elements.  For those sections, I read them quickly and didn’t linger over them worrying that I didn’t understand it.  I accepted the premise that it was technically correct and moved on in the story.

I never read science fiction and have never enjoyed space shows or movies.  I am probably one of the very few people in North America that has never seen the original Star Wars movie, so I kept asking myself the whole time I was reading the book, why am I enjoying this so much? I think it comes down to the human aspect of the story and how this guy just never gave up and when a problem arose, he just worked at it until he had found a solution all while having a sense of humor.

Not only do I recommend this book, but I also highly recommend seeing the movie.  I don’t want to give any spoilers away so all I will say about the movie is that we get a “fuller” ending than in the book.

Four stars out of five on Good reads.