The Martian
Andy Weir. Crown, $24 (384p) ISBN 978-0-8041-3902-1
A dust storm strands astronaut Mark Watney on Mars and forces his landing crew to abandon the mission and return to Earth in Weir’s excellent first novel, an SF thriller. Watney, injured by flying debris and presumed dead, is alone on Mars with no communication and limited supplies. He is, however, the mission engineer, the fix-it guy, and with intelligence and grit he goes to work to stay alive. There are setbacks and triumphs galore as we follow Watney’s sojourn on Mars via his journal entries. Meanwhile, a desperate NASA team concocts a rescue plan on Earth. Watney’s solutions to food and life support problems are plausible, and Weir laces the technical details with enough keen wit to satisfy hard science fiction fan and general reader alike. Deftly avoiding the problem of the Robinson Crusoe tale that bogs down in repetitious behavior, Weir uses Watney’s proactive nature and determination to survive to keep the story escalating to a riveting conclusion. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary Agency. (Feb.)
Details
Reviewed on: 11/25/2013
Release date: 02/11/2014
Genre: Fiction
Prebound-Sewn - 400 pages - 9780606367202
Paperback - 400 pages - 9780804189354
Open Ebook - 384 pages - 9780804139038
Hardcover - 369 pages - 9780804139021
Paperback - 400 pages - 9780553418026
Hardcover - 561 pages - 9781410469571
Prebound-Glued - 387 pages - 9781627655002
Paperback - 384 pages - 9781101903582
Compact Disc - 9 pages - 9781491523223
Mass Market Paperbound - 448 pages - 9781101905005