The fear of being alone is truly horrifying. Now imagine if we found ourselves away from our own planet, completely alone. Welcome to the “Martian,” a Sci-fi survival book present on the surface of mars, written by beloved author Andy Weir.
“Maybe I’ll post a consumer review. “Brought product to the surface of Mars. It stopped working. 0/10.”
Our story is written from the amazing perspective of protagonist Mark Wattney’s journal. He is an astronaut who specializes in botany, who’s original mission was to collect samples of martian soil to return to Earth for research purposes.
Wattney is a special protagonist. He is focused on survival throughout the whole novel, however he is overly hopeful, no matter what Mars throws at him. No amount of bad weather, resource management or lack of supplies ever stopped him. He embodies the idea of the indomitable human spirit.
Wattney’s personality makes this dreary situation bearable, and wonderful writing and clever dialogue really do fill the spaces of this empty planet. Paired with the survival element is the inclusion of real life science that is used to calculate solutions and work out complex problems only an astronaut could understand.
The witty humor and positivity of this book is surprising when picked up. The expectations of a dreary survival novel is dashed when, immediately after being abandoned, Wattney cracks a joke, despite everything in store for him.
Outside of the journal entries, we get to see the perspectives of the NASA space station back on Earth. They discover Mark is alive and have to come to terms with the fact that they had left an astronaut on the planet, alone.
We, the readers, get a perspective that is more serious in tone and get to experience the trials and tribulations of Earth as they try to bring back one man home, 140 million miles from home. Earth will band together for the hope of bringing back home their missing man.
How will Wattney’s crew react when Earth informs them, on the way back from their mission, that Wattney is dead?
This is the perfect book for those who love stories heavily based in science fiction. The trauma, the science, and the fear of never making it back home is what embodies the “Martian.” The movie is also excellent, receiving an 8/10 on IMDb. The movie is very faithful to the books.
Is it possible to successfully rescue a lonely astronaut from the surface of Mars? Or is Wattney forever a lost cause?
“Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be ‘in command’ if I were the only remaining person.” “What do you know? I’m in command.”