Clif Hostetler's Reviews > The Martian

Robinson Caruso in space! That is the phrase that came to mind while trying to describe this book. Mark Watney is abandoned on the planet Mars and has to figure out how to survive with the limited equipment, stuff and debris left behind by the departing crew. I was surprised how much technical and scientific detail the author went into to explain the various actions taken by Watney in order to survive.

I was also surprised how much the book ended up being a glamorization of the virtues of being an engineer—mechanical engineer and botanist to be exact. This is my favorite quote:

"… Even if it's got a bigger problem, he's an engineer!" … he added, "Fixing things is his job!" (pg 94)

Truly, engineering couldn't hope for a better advertisement of their profession. Mark Watney is portrayed as a very likable nerd capable of solving any problem with alacrity. It's nice to have a technical person portrayed as a hero instead of detective, lawyer, or physician as is usually a case in these sorts of thrillers.

I might add that just about every conceivable problem is anticipated and avoided, or the problem occurs with explosive unexpectedness and consequently dealt with. Whenever things appear to be finally under control in the book's narrative the reader knows that another seemingly impossible situation is about to happen.

The only reason I finally decided to read this book was because it was a book group selection. Prior to that I had decided not to read this book in spite of the fact that many of my Goodreads.com friends had given it high marks. I simply assumed it was just another science fiction story. I associate science fiction with my younger years when I could become excited about inexplicable levels of technical development—time travel for example.

But The Martian in contrast is carefully based on technology that either exist today or technology that could exist based upon current scientific knowledge. I'm sure there are those more knowledgeable than me who can find plenty of details in this book to criticize, but for me it had sufficient logical detail to draw me into the story without reservation.

The need to make quick life saving adjustments in response to unexpected problems as portrayed in this fictional story reminds me of the real life situation faced by the Apollo 13 astronauts. Many of the problems they faced (e.g. limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and critical need for makeshift repairs to the carbon dioxide removal system) have their parallels in this fictional story. Both stories are a reminder of the dangers resulting from having human life depend on complicated electromechanical equipment manufactured by the lowest bidder.

Both this fictional book and Apollo 13 illustrate why sending humans into outer space is a waste of energy and resources. Advances in robotic technology is such that they can out perform humans at almost any task (e.g. driverless cars?). And the one great advantage robots have in exploring a planet like Mars is the fact that they don't mind being left there never to return to earth.

I am so enthused by this story that I have decided to watch the movie.