Review: The Martian

This book is pretty much the hardest science fiction you will get your hands on. People compare it to Apollo 13 and Cast Away, but it is more apt to consider it Gravity without Sandra Bullock's characters whining... or if Clooney had lived.

All the criticism you hear is true: Mark, the main character, is the only character with depth. Everybody on earth is flat. He never breaks down (explained as he never describes how he breaks down to us). But dang is this book smart.

This is classic sci-fi. This is sci-fi where the writing doesn't get loosey goosey with prose. It doesn't try to wax poetic about humanity's place in the Cosmos. We don't need Carl Sagan or Richard Dawkins trying to free us from our boring livings with their wonders. We just need the facts in order to survive. Weir gives us the facts. Hydrazine is made of nitrogen and hydrogen. Potatoes are good for you. Freeze the air to get CO2 out of it. Factors of safety are important. Backs ups for your backs ups are important. Also, always have books and music stored digitally nearby. You never know when you're going to be waiting for the sun to recharge your car.