An essential aspect of being alive that unites each and every one of us is the desire to survive. The instinct of survival is one we share with most other animals, and when push comes to shove, we are willing to do the impossible to escape the cold grip of death. This is a novel that is a perfect representation of this will to stay alive.

Mark Watney has been stranded on Mars, after his crew mates wrongly assumed he was dead after a violent sandstorm and abandoned him there as they made their escape from the tumultuous planet. We follow Mark's journey by reading his daily logs, while simultaneously checking in with the people on earth and their attempts to reach Mark before he starves to death, or is killed by the violent nature of the planet.

This book received very high ratings and is objectively a success, and the movie with its 8/10 IMDB rating is also one of the leading modern SF movies out there. I don't deny that this book did a lot of things right, but I do have mixed feelings about it.

Starting with what I believe the book did right, is the immersive nature of the read. We actually do feel like we're reading true travel logs, and the minute details Andy Weir covers makes the harsh realities experienced by our unfortunate protagonist on the planet feel very real. I actually forgot how "fictitious" this work is, since it didn't feel that far-fetched, despite the fact that no humans have yet landed on Mars.The science behind this story is quite solid, and Andy Weir is clearly an intelligent person, expertly weaving in the science in the story to make it a precious gem for the fans of the genre. This book is also such an inspiration to all of us who feel like we're struggling to survive our day to day problems. Mark is placed in horrendous situations, but his ability to make light of dark situations, and his tenacity and intelligence and the way he uses his intellect to slip through fatal corners can inspire the reader to use that same determination to fight through their own struggles.

But why didn't I enjoy this story more? I think the strengths of this book just didn't work for me on a personal level. I'm personally not a fan of the overly-casual American writing style that is employed in this book, which is a completely subjective preference and even makes me not vibe with other modern literary giants like Stephen King.Apart from that, all the details that were supposed to make this book immersive and realistic ended up boring me. I wanted something more, but ended up reading pages about how Mark grows potatoes, how he keeps the soil fertile with bacteria, how he expertly employs his feces, reminding us of the unpleasant odor several times, to aid in his farming attempts. I do enjoy "hard detail" that can make SF feel authentic, but I was desperately craving for more atmospheric work, some more character depth, and a bit more soul in this work. It almost felt like this book was adapted from a movie, and not vice-versa. I also found the plot to be quite predictably formulaic, without any surprises, and even if I hadn't watched the movie, I could have easily predicted how things would unfold.This is Andy Weir's first book, and despite his expertise in the science, it felt like he needed to hone his plotting skills a bit more.I don't know if I should say the same about the writing, since this overly Americanized writing style is employed by many other authors, which is quite fair, since the author is American, but as I said, that tends to lower my enjoyment of most books.

I'm sure my opinion is quite an unpopular one, and I don't think this book is bad, but it just wasn't for me and I found it to be quite overrated. Despite that, I do encourage people to read this, because it will most likely scratch the SF itch many potential readers would be craving going into this.


“If a hiker gets lost in the mountains, people will coordinate a search. If a train crashes, people will line up to give blood. If an earthquake levels a city, people all over the world will send emergency supplies. This is so fundamentally human that it's found in every culture without exception. Yes, there are assholes who just don't care, but they're massively outnumbered by the people who do.”