Reviews and Comments

The Martian was a suspenseful read! I finished it faster than my usual readings. It's impressive how much work and detail Andy Weir put into making the science of this science fiction book appear very plausible. It was very much hard SF taking place in a not too distant future. Of course I am in no position to judge wether the science in the book actually is plausible or not (I am no rocket scientist after all), but it felt very well researched.

I loved the first third of book and the last third, aswell as the minitious explanation of every step the protagonist had to do to survive. That said, it got a bit cumbersome to enjoy at around page 250. I like hard science fiction, but I felt that the amount of detailed descriptions of engineering/science labour got in the way of the story.

Most of the story was written in the ego-perspective of the protagonist in the form of journal or log entries. Naturally there were many personal, insider, humorous and profane remarks, which helped a lot to develop the character. However, I would not consider this book being the most poetic story I have read. It was a well written thriller though, with a suspensfull, humorous, and scientifically plausible storyline. I was not sure how much stars to give the book. I really enjoyed reading it, but I felt that the poetic and philosophical side was a bit lacking (compared to other SF books I have read in my, still rather young, life). I still absolutely recommend the book to any SF-fan who likes to have plausible science and a suspenseful read, you won't put The Martian down, once you get into the story.