‘The Martian’ by Andy Weir
Most people have probably seen or heard of the 2015 movie The Martian. But what many people don’t know is that this movie is based on a 2014 novel of the same name. Written by Andy Weir, it’s one of the more underappreciated good novels out there.
The story takes place in the future, when NASA has figured out how to send people to Mars. Mark Watney, a botanist and mechanical engineer, is the 17th person to walk on Mars. A storm causes the crew to abort the mission, and after a wayward piece of equipment hits Watney, the crew believes him to be dead and abandons him on the foreign planet. Watney, however, is very much alive and now has to figure out how to survive while also finding a
way to reconnect with NASA. The narration throughout the novel alternates between Watney’s first-person diary entries and third-person depictions of other characters.
From detailed explanations about space travel and technology, to highly plausible ideas on how humans could get to Mars and comfortably survive, the novel shows that the idea of human life on Mars isn’t as far away as we might think. I enjoyed reading about all of the science behind space travel. There were parts that I had trouble understanding — after all, it is rocket science — but I still appreciated the book. The Martian also includes things I’ve never considered when it comes to space travel, like public opinion, news reports and astronauts’ families.
Another aspect of The Martian I love is its characters. Watney’s often childish sense of humor, patience and hatred of disco form a character adore. Other readers characters can’t help in the but novel are also given endearing identities and personalities — instead of just being devices used to further the plot, their inner lives are complex and interesting. The Martian’s mix of romance, comedy, characters, plot and science fuses together to create an interesting, funny and suspenseful novel that’s sure to make anyone put off sleep until they’ve finished the book. Niveditha Bala will be a junior at Mandela International Magnet School in the fall. Contact her at niveditha.bala@ mandelainternationalschool.us.