A Scientifically Sound, Emotionally Disconnected Guide To Surviving On Mars Alone

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Length: 369 pages
Year Written: 2011
Why I chose this book: The Martian was adapted into a film and released last Thursday. My friend Marianna highly recommended the book and I decided to read it before going to see the movie.

The Martian is the novel you would expect from a longtime programmer/space nerd/first-time author. Andy Weir writes about astronaut Mark Watney, who is stranded on Mars after an accident that his crewmates assumed killed him. He survives mostly on the strength of his ingenuity and background as a skilled botanist. This book is interesting, very well-researched and actually quite brilliant in regards to the space travel scenarios it illustrates. That said, it has all the elements of a great movie, but in a literary respect, is lacking certain depths.

The plot itself was interesting: it involves a lot of creative science, and innovative solutions to problems astronauts have yet to face. My problem was that I could never form a genuine connection with Watney. After learning his background and interests (which I could naturally have assumed, anyway), I realized Andy Weir is Mark Watney. This is all I could really think while reading: “shut up, you’re not funny, you’re stuck on Mars” or “Oh, Andy. You WISH you were Mark Watney (or Matt Damon).” In fact, at the end of the book there is an interview with Weir, and this was one of the questions:

"Do you have anything in common with your wisecracking hero Mark Watney?
I'm the same level of smart-ass that he is. It was a really easy book to write; I just had him say what I would say. However, he's smarter than I am and considerably more brave. I guess he's who I wish I were."

This tidbit is evident throughout the entire novel.

Watney is a quintessential wise-ass, often unrealistically flippant in response to life-threatening situations. I don't buy the fact that he was so lighthearted and sarcastic during an experience that was marked by painstaking work, putrid smells, and pure isolation. As a reader, I want more focus on his mental state, especially considering a large portion of the book is formatted as journal entries from Watney. The idea of being stranded alone on a planet for more than a year has so many more possible avenues than this story decided to embark upon (think the movies I Am Legend or Gravity). The story line of The Martian could go much deeper but instead ends up being a surficial semi-sci-fi novel that just happens to be jam packed with legitimate science that Weir actually worked out himself.

This is not to take away from the pure brilliance that seeps through the pages of The Martian. It’s just very clear he wrote it as a way to flex his science smarts and perhaps as a creative resume for a job at NASA.

Rating: 7.5/10