The Martian

By Andy Weir

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

A mission to Mars. A freak accident. One man's struggle to survive. From the author of Project Hail Mary comes "a hugely entertaining novel that reads like a rocket ship afire" (Chicago Tribune).

"Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling."--The Wall Street Journal

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

NAMED ONE OF PASTE'S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE

"As gripping as they come . . . You'll be rooting for Watney the whole way, groaning at every setback and laughing at his pitchblack humor. Utterly nail-biting and memorable."--Financial Times

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553418025
• ISBN13: 9780553418026
• Release Date: October 2014
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wrong Edition.

I ordered The Martian, the original version. However, I received the Classroom Edition. There's like... classroom questions and "school appropriate" language. I wanted the normal version. I'm not a student. I'm not a teacher. Very disappointed.

Good

“The Martian” at times is flat and awkward and doesn’t read someone that's been trapped on Mars for as long as he was. You can tell the author is passionate about space and wants to share all he knows. If I hadn’t watched the movie before, I think I would’ve rated this much lower but I was able to visualize the movie while reading and it did follow pretty well to the book.

Very entertaining book that adds a bit of hope to your life.

A very fun read that keeps you engaged throughout. I watched the film first so I’m sure that affects the first read, but I was still very committed to the story even if I couldn’t keep Matt Damon’s voice out of my head. Highly recommended.

One of my favs

One of my all-time favorite books, so funny and I couldn't put the thing down! The imagination and thought that went into the creation of this book is really something!

Witty, entertaining, and very easy to read.

I love the movie, so it only made sense to pick up the book, right? Yeah, actually. I don't see a lot of books that structure themselves like a journal or diary (aside from the obvious ones) so this was really nice to read. It was entertaining and informative, and it just felt like something I needed right at that moment.

Amazing!

It came as expected. Thrifbooks is my new hobby

Potatoes

A bit too heavy on the science part of science fiction. I couldn't get past the first 30ish pages. Seemed like it was just potato math for the first bit..Just not my type of book I guess.

Loved it!

I like how this is written in diary/log format. Not going to give spoilers but everyone should buy this book! I could not put it down! ❤❤❤❤❤

This is a well-written, carefully plotted castaway-type book. Excellent in all respects. I started it in the morning, and finished it the same day because it was that good. Get this- you won't regret it.

Great Book!

I am a high school science teacher and I loved this book. We are currently watching the movie in class and discussing the science behind Watney's struggle to survive on Mars. If you aren't science inclined, it is still a really great story of survival and problem-solving. The main character is funny and easy to relate to. My students have asked to borrow the book after watching the movie, which is a testament to just how engrossing the story is.