Review:
Summary:
The Martian presents the main character, Mark Watney, as one of many astronauts who traveled to the planet Mars. In this science fiction novel, the world takes place further in the future as their technology is more advanced than now. And on his mission to Mars with his crew, he was presumed dead because of a storm that he was lost in. With this knowledge, the crew decided to launch back to Earth with no awareness that Mark Watney was still very alive. Watney very early on realizes that he was left behind by his own crewmates. With almost little to no supplies left behind for him, Watney is forced to utilize abandoned scraps to survive.
From this moment on, the novel becomes pure survival for the main character. Mark Watney is faced with the fear of being alone and the harsh environment of Mars. He makes use of scarce materials with smart tactics he learned in practice. He uses his skills to make food, water, and shelter with clever strategies. While Mark is stranded on Mars, NASA struggles to find ways to bring him home. Their time is limited and it is only a matter of time until Watney is out of supplies. Meanwhile, Watney’s crewmates also attempt to find ways to help bring him home. The crew devises a precocious journey back to Mars unsupervised by NASA.
Reaction:
The problem of the novel became very apparent immediately in the book. An astronaut is hopeless because of the situation that he has been put in. The book already became interesting due to the aspect of survival that came alive. It was very clear that the main character would need to think swiftly in order to live. My only problem with the novel is that it has issues with the realisticness of the setting. Some details could be controversial to a more educated audience in science. But although some details of Mars could be questionable, the author did his best to make it feel as real as possible without breaking the boundaries of what is believable or not.
Final Thoughts:
My read of this book could only be described as intriguing. If you are looking to read a book that includes action, thrill, survival, and science fiction, this is definitely the book for you. This book also isn’t too long which is great for readers that can plug and chug through books. To add on, The Martian contains harsh language that should only appeal to a more mature audience.
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