The Martian

Executive Summary: A surprisingly enjoyable hard sci-fi novel. I think most people's enjoyment will rely heavily on how much you enjoy the humor or not however.

Audio book: There are some books where the audio makes it even better. This is definitely one of those. I've never heard of R.C. Bray before this, but I definitely will be more inclined to listen to anything else he reads from now on.

Full Review
I'm always more of a sword than a laser. I tend to watch sci-fi and stick to fantasy for reading. Most of the sci-fi books I do enjoy are more space fantasy or space opera types. I'm not really into hard sci-fi despite having a science and math background. It just feels too much like work I guess.

So I hadn't really planned on reading this book despite all the hype it's been getting lately. Thankfully Sword & Laser decided to make this their May pick, because I really enjoyed it.

I've seen it described as MacGuyver in Space and that seems really fitting. Mark Watney is an engineer and a Botanist. He's good at problem solving and fixing things. That probably a good thing as he finds himself left behind on Mars with both limited supplies and food.

The story takes the form of log entries, leaving the reader to wonder if Mark made it through his ordeal or if we're simply listening to the record of his final days recovered at some later date.

The book is a bit formulaic:

1. Evaluate Problem for possible solutions.
2. Fix Problem
3. Make humorous remarks about the Problem.
4. Discover what new Problem crops up as a result.
5. Repeat.

This may sound boring to some folks, but it just worked for me. It really helped that just as I was starting to think this he started interspersing Mark's log entries with events of the people at NASA back on Earth as they are trying to do all they can to recover Mark alive.

I think that anyone who don't find the jokes as funny as I did (laughing uncontrollably a few times while cleaning dishes in the break room or riding my bike), may grow tired of the story.

The science seems pretty good to me. However that's not something I normally care much about. As long as it seems mostly reasonable I don't give it much thought. I'm sure there are things that are wrong or could be nitpicked by people who know better than me.

Also anyone looking for case study of isolation and desperation that results from being left behind on Mars will be disappointed. I can't say that I spent much time thinking “Mark's mental state doesn't seem realistic to me.” People who say that may probably be right.

However, astronauts are chosen not only for their skill-set and physical fitness, but mental fitness as well. I tend to make jokes when I'm stressed. Mark makes a lot of jokes. To me that seems fitting for someone between being super busy just trying to stay alive. Your mileage may vary.

I for one really enjoyed this book and it's put me in a total sci-fi mood for both TV and in my choice of audiobooks. I'll be eagerly awaiting for Mr. Weir's next novel as this was an excellent debut.