


We're talking chemists, electrical engineers, and a reactor tech on a nuclear submarine. The result? Weir ended up getting praised by NASA itself for his accuracy ( source). This book relies on crazy amounts of real-deal science, and author Mark Weir basically sourced his scientific information from pros in the field. And we're not just talking about the fact that this book makes people gaze at the night sky and think "Dang.

That Beyoncé song from the soundtrack is still excellent.)īut The Martian is one of those rare books that makes people passionately interested in something bigger than themselves: space. It was a book that went from self-published to topping the New York Times Bestseller list. It's been made into a film by Ridley "I Made Alien, You Know You Love Me" Scott. It's basically a love poem to the never-ending utility of duct tape. This novel is a testament to humanity looking after its own. What is The Martian About and Why Should I Care?įull disclosure-it took us a while to winnow down the list of reasons why The Martian makes you care. but if we had to we'd want Mark Watney as our buddy. We definitely don't want to get stuck on Mars anytime soon. Our man Watney is kind of like the love child of Amy Schumer and Jeff Goldblum circa Jurassic Park: he's equal parts hilarious wit and mad scientist genius. The Martian is a stellar-or maybe even interstellar?-piece of hard science fiction, perfectly balancing complex technical details with a cast of bantering, intense (and yes, super nerdy) characters.
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As public support for a rescue mission grows, Mark's bosses-and his former crewmates-are forced to make some tough, life-changing decisions about how to get their friend home. Things get a lot more complicated once NASA realizes that their boy is still alive. with a little bit of Lost in Space thrown in for good measure. We watch as he fights for survival against an insanely harsh natural environment, creates crazy contraptions and scrapes by however possible. ( Fred: The Movie does not count.)īut here's why The Martian is so stupendously successful: the novel follows the tumultuous tale of Mark Watney, a humble botanist/astronaut left for dead on the surface on Mars. That's a fairy tale-style success story-it'd be like turning a YouTube video into a big budget motion picture. Although he was an unknown writer, word-of-mouth (and Reddit) eventually built to the point that the novel was officially published in 2014, instantly shooting to the top of the New York Times Bestseller List. Author Andy Weir actually worked as a programmer while writing the novel in 2009, releasing the story one chapter at a time on his adorably old-school website. it's a sci-fi spectacular that topped the New York Times Bestseller List, got made into a movie directed by Ridley Scott, and is credited with giving the space program their biggest PR jolt since the Cold War.Įven its road to publication is exciting-and that's a sentence that's almost never, ever uttered. The Martian ain't just an awesome sci-fi spectacular. Tougher than duct tape, more frightening than the Martian wasteland, and funkier than disco, The Martian is one of the most exciting science fiction novels of recent years.Īnd we're not just saying that because we heart this page turner and its snarktastic protagonist.
