Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

 

Image source

An enigmatic look into the future plight of man!!!

The Martian, the debut novel of Andy Weir, is a realistic science-fiction that doesn’t exactly feel like fiction. It’s almost like Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. 

It’s centered around Mark Watney, a botanist, engineer and astronaut, on the Ares 3 mission to Mars by NASA. Watney is stranded on Mars, where majority of the plot is set, by a storm which almost destroys their ship and base and leads to his crewmates assuming his death. Soon after the storm subsides, a survival game ensues. For Watney, it’s either he gets his supplies right and not err or end up dead even before help reaches him. Consequently, the book, written in the form of Watney’s journal entries, opens with a meticulously designed map of Mars.

Weir is brilliant at replacing horror with humor, tactfully, that it almost seems like the trauma of the whole array of near-death experiences and utter isolation is translated into sharp wit in Watney. This may be a bit flat for those looking for an emotional rollercoaster in the thriller. This page-turner gives a whole new dimension to the “science” in “science-fiction” that it, occasionally, seems like a work on Astrophysics, which makes Weir’s sincerity admirable. It’s a shame that there’s not much character development, except for Watney, that they often feel one-dimensional.

Still, it’s a good read, be it that you're remotely interested in space or a space maniac. Moreover, let’s be honest, a page of this is sure to let curiosity get better of you. Weir is so enigmatic that every moment is a close call for Watney. Though made into a film starring Matt Damon, the book has so much more to offer. So, I highly recommend reading the book and reading it first.