The Martian: The international bestseller behind the Oscar-winning blockbuster film

There are a few rare books that you come across in your life that make you go – oh my gosh, this book is f*****g amazing!! The Martian by Andy Weir is exactly that kinda book. The premise is pretty simple actually. In the not-so-distant future, NASA has a crew of six astronauts on a manned mission to MARS (called Ares 3, so this is not the first). They land and everything’s dandy for 6 sols (Martians days) but right upon which a sandstorm hits. Our protagonist, Mark Watney, gets hits over by the wind and the other crew mates, presuming him dead perform an emergency exit off the planet. Only, he’s not really dead. He wakes up covered in sand to a dead planet. No humans around, no contact with NASA, and no way to get off the planet. Will he survive? And if yes, how?? But more importantly, what does this realization do to the humanity back on Earth? The book reads like a hard science-fiction and that’s not entirely a bad thing. If anything, it only lends more credibility to the narrative and all the wild science-y solutions that Mark Watney pulls out of his hat. But picture this, you’re the only living thing on an entire planet that is thousands of kilometers from Earth. No one knows you’re alive, and even if they do they’re pretty much helpless. What would one do? I thought hard about this, picturing myself in Mark’s situation. Of course he’s a trained astronaut and a botanist and I’m a…well, the point here is that where most people would have succumbed to the hopelessness of the entire thing, he fights and fights and fights some more!! And how! One moment you’re screaming your hearts out ‘NOOOOO! HE’S A DEAD MAN!’ and then Mark comes right up and says he’s gonna be alright. And you heave a big sigh of relief muttering to yourself cheerfully, ‘The bloody bastard’s gonna be fine!‘ That’s pretty much how most of the read went for me. And I have mention here that the author Andy Weir is brilliant! The kind of picture he paints of Mars, down till the smallest detail and the explanation to the various experiments conducted our protagonist – the science is all mostly accurate! And it amazes me for the kind of research and effort he had put into in crafting the entire book. I heard him say that he had to actually write a computer program himself to figure out how many days it would take for a spacecraft to travel from Earth to Mars. Yes, everything’s that calculated. So when Mark throws numbers and formulas at your face, it’s crazy to think that it’s all real. And that’s one more thing about this book, how utterly possible everything feels. This is not fantasy. The events and catastrophes featured in this book can actually happen in real life. That’s one more tangent my mind goes off to often, how would we react if something like this were to happen in reality? Wouldn’t the social media go absolutely crazy!? Wouldn’t there be numerous religious groups praying for his safety! And to say nothing of our protagonist himself. The large reason the book works despite the hard science is Mark’s sense of humor. I would put it somewhere close to Chandler Bing in that aspect. But he is not a brooder, he is a doer! And he cracks some amazing jokes throughout his journey. By the end of the book, you’ll really come to love this fellow. The other supporting cast are all well-etched out too. As an Indian, it was nice to see the character Venkat Kapoor as a high ranking NASA official (The name’s odd though. Kapoor is a North Indian surname while Venkat is definitely a Southie thing). I also loved the entire crew of Hermes. Especially Commander Lewis with her disco addiction. Andy Weir has struck gold with his first feature novel, and deservedly so. Books like this, they’re every bookworm’s kryptonite.

Product: It was expensive, but it was worth it. Received it in great condition. Book Review: I saw people saying how this is not your typical survival story and that it is funny. How the heck can a survival story be funny? Then I met Mark Watney. That beautiful, sarcastic human being. I realised, if anyone could survive Mars, it would be someone like him. The book alternates between Watney’s log entries from Mars, things happening at the same time in NASA and the life of his crewmates who are on their way back to earth, thinking Mark died and dealing with the guilt of it. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. You will absolutely fall in love with Watney, wishing you had at least an ounce of the optimism he has. Throughout the logs, we see him do something stupid or Mars being unkind to him and Watney going ‘I f**ked up, I’m gonna die’. And then in the very next log entry, he goes ‘Ok, I have thought about this, and I think I have a solution.’ We need a Watney in our lives people! The book does get technical. He is an astronaut, desperately trying to use his mechanical engineering and botany skills for survival. We see him analyzing his problems one at a time and calculating the probable solutions. But that’s what makes it more immersive. Halfway in, I forgot this was fiction and not a biography. But if you can get through the technology, I promise you, this book and its lessons will stay with you forever. Whether you have watched the movie or not, read it. It is beautiful, it is witty, it is heart-warming and magical. It speaks about human willpower and also… something else. Taking words from the book, the same words used in the trailer of the movie - ‘Every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. This is so fundamentally human that it's found in every culture, without exception.” This is part hard SciFi, and part hilarious, sarcastic account of a terrifying situation. As a reader, you will enjoy this. As an engineer or a SciFi geek, you will worship this.

👨‍🚀♂️🍠 The Martian 🍠♂️👨‍🚀 "I guess you could call it a 'failure', but I prefer the term 'learning experience'." Mark Watney is thought to be dead by all his crewmates after a sudden sandstorm hits them but luck stands with Watney and he survives. The book is all about how he survived on a planet which is considered inhabitable or too difficult to survive upon. First of all I watched the movie adaptation of this book a long while back and totally loved it, I didn't have any knowledge that The Martian was actually based on a book with the same name. So I bought this book as soon as my eyes landed on it which is basically while browsing Amazon which I am doing quite often. So coming on to this book, this book's amazing, from the start to the end it kept me hooked up on it. The protagonist Mark Watney is a very interesting character with a spine so strong that he doesn't lose his will even when he is stranded on an unknown new planet. He kept on finding ways to survive, even when everyone on earth thought he was dead, he was busy growing potatoes, f'ing brilliant. I loved his character development, the fact that at several places throughout the book people on Earth thought this was his end but he still was not losing hope is the best part of this book. His crew is the other best part about this book, his humour caught me by surprise and left me always with a smile. So for anyone out there who wants to learn more about space exploration and loves sci-fi, this book is for you. QOTD - Do you like books with their movie adaptation's cover or not?

Very engrossing especially for science graduates

It is one of the few books I have read in one sitting. Incredibly interesting plot with Watney cracking jokes throughout his wondrous and equally terrifying journey of trying to stay alive on a godforsaken wasteland (at least that's how the crew of Ares 3 described it)

Andy Weir’s easy language and understanding have made the read very easy and clear which helps beginners. Reading feels very realistic and scientific. It is also very grippy. I completed reading it in 5 days. You won’t take a break while reading it. The story is also great. I prefer that you should read this novel before watching the film as the novel is quite more detailed than the film and some problems faced by Mark Watney are beautifully expressed in the novel by Andy than in the film. The only issue I felt while reading was that the novel sometimes feels way more scientific than it should be and feels like reading a science book rather than a novel. But you can ignore it as the theme & story are very well explained. Students will also enjoy this novel too.

O my God!!! Fantastic optimism.. fantastic witty execution of this book. This book have changed my perspective about life in many ways. One person is enough to change everything round. This book taught me about finding humour in the most devastating of times. The story starts with Mark Watney being deserted on a DESERTED planet far far away from any human communication “MARS”. Yes u heard it right. He is stranded on Mars for Gods sake!!!! There were others in his team. But he can see no one around. Maybe they left him thinking he would be dead for better or for worse. Few months back there was a mission back in N.A.S.A with five crew members pf which Watney was one. Not in any important position. Just one of the co-pilots. They landed on Mars. Upon landing they started doing whatever they had to do(Obviously that includes work and not partying :P ). Anyhow.. now on the third day of their mission N.A.S.A warns them of a sandstorm that could push them to the pits of hell (joking) .. that could destroy all the machines.. So they decide to abort their mission and return back safely before it hits them.. but during their evacuation the sand storms had already picked up its pace. They continue to move on.. Accidentally a flying dish hits him.. and…….KABOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!! He wakes up being hurt with no one around him. GREAT -_- . It’s a story of survival.. a story of inspiration. A story about how quick thinking and optimistic attitude can change soo much of a situation in which no one of us could think of survival. A must read!!!(if you haven’t already)..Well I won’t mind reading it again and again and again.. ok that’s too much. But I don’t care. Its that good. Mark Watney I am ready to marry a man like you :P

Fantastic book. I have watched the movie first, then started reading Project Hail Mary and ordered this book. The quality of the paper and binding is also good. Also arrived in good condition. However it was supposed to be delivered home. For some reason I had to collect it from a service point. I think it was a mistake by the courier. So I would still go with a five star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

OK, this certainly is no piece of high art ... on the other hand it's a great read, especially if you like some basic realism when it comes to stories. There are actual calculations in there and not just one or two ... lots of applied science, math, physics, chemestry, botany ... you name it. I guess many people would rather avoid such dry stuff, but I like it very much and would wish to see more of the same. Not that there aren't some flaws, but not many. The story remains realistic until the end where it gets outright idiotic, but hell, lets just assume that part does not exist :-). So you got that guy stranded on Mars and he survives McGuyver style ... or a scientific Robinson Crusoe maybe ... no, no Fridays ;-) ... Some stuff happens on Earth ... it's limited to NASA which is obviously a copy of the movie "Apollo 13" which is not a bad thing because that movie is just great. But it's a bit funny to assume that 50 years wouldn't change things at NASA at all. Maybe that's just too realistic :-). So why do I like the book ? Well ... the guy is doing great, nice humor, some good ideas, cool personality ... since most of the time you are in his head that's really important. Storytelling is not perfect, but good, the topic is interesting, things remain simple, non of the overcomplicated stories as we often get lately ... and thanks for omitting the political education messages for once - not feminism, no americanism, no nothing ... just the story, peoples natural lines of thinking, positive view of the world ... for once a book that doesn't leave you with a stale taste in our mouth while still not being silly or worthless. And it's not short. At 2 or 3 points I thought a page less might be better, but really only a single page, not 10 pages or so. And I really like it when a book doesn't end the same day you start reading it. This one takes a couple of days at least ... great holiday entertainment I think.

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FEEL FREE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BOOK! I would like to start this review with a note that is both a positive and a negative. I do not read any book, this is because I am never captivated and cant really empathize with the character and I never feel like I am there. But on to the review. "About this version of the product* The book came to me in pristine condition it was truly breath-taking how beautiful the cover is. The book is well sized and honestly this is one of if not the most beautiful and durable books I've bought. There is also a map in the beginning which is awesome since I was cross referencing it so much which made me feel very immersed. *About the book SPOILER FREE PART* The Martian is the most well written, funny, serious, and emotional book I have ever read. This is in part because of the amazing writing. Mark Watney is a charismatic, smart, and resourceful man. In the face of adversity he always manages to crack a witty joke that always made me chuckle or just burst out laughing (No im not psychotic, i don't think). The writing makes you really feel like you know mark which is one reason why you empathize and really feel for him. The Atmosphere is great really selling the barren expanse and devastating loneliness of the Martian lands. *Note: I found that using some noise cancelling headphones and playing some white noise, like the wind, really helped to sell the effect of being on mars*. After only a few pages I had a very clear picture of how it looked at the HAB and I only wish I could take a picture of my thoughts. The story jumps between the perspectives of Mark Watney on mars, Nasa and JPL on earth, and the crew on Hermes the space station the went to and from mars on. *General Consensus* I should have added some photos, including my favourite quotes. This is the best book I've read. I'm so sad its over yet so happy I've experienced it. Andy Weir is my new favourite author and i will be purchasing more of his novels no doubt. Please do yourself a favour and read this book. I cannot recommend it enough. 1000000 / 10 *LIGHT SPOILERS, what happens at the beginning* The book is about the main character Mark Watney's journey surviving mars after being abandoned there by his crew. What happened Watney and his crew consisting of, Lewis the commander, Vogel, Beck, Martinez, and Johanssen were six days into a 52 day mission on mars where they would gather science and conduct experiments when suddenly a large storm hit. The storm was so bad they had to evacuate but on their way to the MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle) mark is struck by debris and is lost. The crew cannot find him and assuming he is dead abort without him. Mark wakes up and makes it back to the HAB, where he will live for the next (wont spoil how long) number of sols. He has a lot of problems along the way but manages to fix them in amazingly creative ways, I mean I cannot stress enough how glued my eyes were to the pages intrigued and worried about what would happen next. I wont spoil any more of the end because it would ruin how heart-breaking and heart-making (if that's a saying) a lot of the moments were.

I’ve seen the film, I know how it ends, but I still was gripped by the story. Sometimes I skimmed the science, but not often, the explanations are shared in the voice of our “hero” and whilst he is a complete geek, he is at least a funny one. Do read this, even if you have also seen the film, perhaps especially if you have seen the film.