There aren’t many books that I gush about anymore. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve read so many by this point in my life that it takes a special one to stick out, or if it’s because when I recommend one to people, I want them to take it seriously. Whatever the reason, I’d like to take a moment to gush about The Martian by Andy Weir.
Okay, I’ll try not to gush too much. I know what happens when people do that: Expectations go up, up, up, and inevitably those expectations aren’t met. So, I’ll keep my recommendation short and sweet:
Read it! It’s awesome.
Fine, fine. I’ll gush a little more. But only a little, I promise.
I first heard about The Martian last fall when I went to a writing conference run by publishing guru, Chuck Sambuchino. During the session that revolved around writing great first pages, he mentioned this book. I can’t remember exactly what Sambuchino said, but it went something like this: “If you want to read a flawless first page and a near flawless book, then read The Martian.”
So, of course, I did. And, of course, I loved it! I’m not even a huge sci-fi fan and I couldn’t put it down.
Since then, I’ve recommended The Martian to all of my friends, and they’ve agreed it’s addicting. Just this morning, my mom text me and told me she finished it (she started it two days ago), and then proceeded to gush about it as well.
…I won’t go into any specific details as to why The Martian is so great (I despise spoilers), but let’s just say it’s been about six months since I finished it and I’m still not over it!
Talk about an epic book hangover! Thanks a lot, Andy Weir. 😉
Okay, okay, I’ll stop now. Just go read The Martian! And definitely read it before the movie adaptation gets released in November. As amazing (and accurate) as the trailer looks below, we book nerds know the movie is rarely better than the book. So read it before you head to the theater!
To read more about The Martian, click here!
Photo credits:
Jen's Pen Den 
Thanks for recommending The Martian. It was an amazing book. I loved Mark’s voice and the ingenuity that he had. It was so well done.
I would have liked more insight into his life before he was stranded, though. Being all alone for so long, he must have thought about the people he knew and things he had (and hadn’t done). So, while I liked him a lot and rooted for his character, I didn’t feel connected with him.
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It’s funny how we all interpret characters and stories differently, isn’t it? Personally, I felt connected to Watney through his actions and amusing thoughts/dialogue. I didn’t need tons of backstory to understand him…But many readers need more backstory to connect, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s all about personal preference (as usual, lol!).
Glad you enjoyed it overall! I hope they do it justice on the big screen.
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I think part of it was that he was alone for so long, and while he had tasks and old TV to fill the hours, I figure his mind had to go somewhere. I just would have liked to see more of his thoughts.
He figured he was about to die more than once. I didn’t feel he really missed people or had regrets, and I know I would. I’m a serious ruminator, though.
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See? Again, I interpreted his thoughts and actions differently, LOL! I felt he did think about that stuff throughout the story. Perhaps not for too long or too intensely, but it was enough for me to understand Watney and his motives/background/goals/etc.
Also (as I now ponder why we didn’t get more backstory, lol), I think part of the reason for the lack of introspect was due to Watney’s survival instincts. It could’ve done some serious psychological damage if he’d reminisced too much about his life on Earth. Yes, you could argue those thoughts would give him more motivation to find a way home, but you could also argue they’d cause him to despair and lose hope. So…Okay. Done rambling, haha!
All very interesting to think about, that’s for sure! 🙂
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And goes to show that there isn’t one universal “write” way to craft a story 🙂
I was thinking at first it was because the author chose journal entries to communicate his thoughts, and that he didn’t want to spill everything when it might be read by others.
Then after we started getting other people’s POV in real time, I wondered why we only got to know Watney through the journal.
There probably does have to be some compartmentalization to survive something like that, and maybe he was a master.
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Oh man! I am hooked just by your post and the movie trailer!!! Thanks. 🙂
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I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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I actually planned on picking a copy up this weekend because I’ve only heard wonderful things! I can’t wait to read it!
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