Zoe's Reviews > The Martian

The Martian has so many elements that have the potential to not work. Yet, somehow, almost miraculously, everything comes together perfectly to create a thrilling and edge-of-your-seat read.

Houston, we have a problem. The Martian is the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who is one of the first men to walk on Mars. In the midst of a horrible dust storm, his crew follows the emergency protocol to return back to Earth. Not able to find him and thinking he's dead, they abandon him.

If the Oxygenator breaks down, I’ll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I’ll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I’ll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I’ll eventually run out of food and starve to death.

With limited supplies and no way to radio Earth for help, Mark must rely on his own wit and ingenuity if he wants to even have a slight chance at survival.

Unexpectedly, The Martian is told through two voices - partly of Mark, and partly of the scientists at NASA trying to save him. Each point of view had an equal amount of tension and urgency to it, making this an edge-of-your-seat survival tale no matter the POV.

Mark was a protagonist that I instantly found myself liking. Even when he's trapped in these horrible, unthinkable circumstances, he has the ability to still be optimistic about what's happening. He never loses his sense of humor or his determination, and his resourcefulness was extremely admirable.

This book is filled with tons of science. This is definitely a hit or miss point, as the science here is extremely complicated. Yet, Andy Weir manages to break it down into terms that even people without much scientific knowledge are able to understand and follow it.

There is also a surprising amount of humor in the novel, something I felt that worked to the novel's advantage. It could have easily taken away the thrill and urgency of the novel, but somehow Weir managed to combine the humor subtly in a way just so that didn't do that.

Technical without being overwhelming combined with an overload of humor, The Martian will undoubtedly have you on the edge of your seat as you watch Mark's story play out.