The Martian by Andy Weir

★★★★★
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Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. 

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive – and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. 

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. 

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills – and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit – he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

The Martian by Andy Weir is a novel that took me by surprise. I absolutely loved it, though I am generally not a science-minded person. This well-written and well-explained novel follows the experience of astronaut Mark Watney, once he’s been stranded on Mars. Weir kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page, always worried for Watney’s survival. More than once, Watney finds himself on the verge of death, only to determine a practical and technical (and usually highly dangerous) solution I had no idea was possible. Overall, this narrative is nerdy and wonderful, sprinkled with moments of witty humor, and I would certainly recommend it to any fan of science fiction.

Thanks to Blogging for Books, I received a copy of The Martian and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.