Science Fiction Annotation

 

Author: Andy Weir

Title: The Martian

Author: Andy Weir

Hardcover: 384 Pages

Publisher: Originally self-published in 2011; republished by Del Rey (2014)

Language: English

Genre: Science Fiction

Time Period: Near Future

Summary:

Mars is a harsh and unforgiving planet, just ask Mark Watney.  Mark is part of NASA's Ares 3 mission sent to Mars on an exploratory mission when the unthinkable happened.  A sudden and catastrophic storm bares down on the crew cutting short their mission.  Everyone boards the spacecraft that will take them back to safety to the Hermes space station, except for Mark.  Mark was left on the planet when the crew thought he was dead after being impaled with an unsecured antennae and swept away by the massive storm.  The antennae punctured Mark's spacesuit leaving a very slim chance of survival and only his quick actions save him from sudden death. Now alone, vulnerable and very much alive, Mark must figure out how to survive for 4 years until the next Ares mission arrives back to the planet.  He only has enough food and supplies to last for a short period of time and now he must use his skills as a Botanist and Mechanical Engineer if he is to stay alive.

The people back at NASA are devastated that they lost one of their crew members and mourns with the rest of the world at Mark Watney's memorial service.  Reluctantly, NASA must continue their work and must deduce what supplies are left intact after the storm on Mars.  Satellites images from the abandoned Ares 3 mission show signs that Mark is alive and is creating a makeshift habitat.  Once the shock of his survival wears off, NASA must gather all their resources and work around the clock to find a way to keep Mark alive so they could bring him back home.

Genre: Hard Science Fiction

What makes this a great story is that the plot emphasizes the immediacy of the situation and the technical language spoken and explained in layman's terms.  The story begins with the simple sentence "I'm pretty much f@#!ed." and draws the reader in with the perceived seriousness of the situation.  The author is able to tell the story of how Mark Watney finds himself alone on a desolated planet and how he will survive. Part of the story is told in the epistolary style with the main character entering his thoughts and actions in his e-journal, giving whoever watches it insight into his current situation and methods he uses to overcome adversity. He also uses his e-journal to combat loneliness by having some sort of communication, even if it is with himself. 

The dialog is technical but a basic explanation is given so the reader could easily follow the story and not be bogged down with unfamiliar jargon. The dialog is also laced with humor and irony to offset the dark mood of the story line.  To break the seriousness of Mark's situation and to enhance the pacing of the story, the author switches the story to the perspective of NASA's engineers and how they will solve this problem. The author continues to switch back and forth from Mark's story to NASA's story all the way through to the conclusion.

Side Note: I watched the movie several years ago and my husband has repeatedly encouraged me to read the book.  I was reluctant to pick-up the book thinking the scientific jargon would be too much for my brain and might put me to sleep.  I am happy to be proven wrong because I had a chance to experience the nuances and extra information that were not translated to the movie.  The story was well written with the average person in mind and would serve as a great introductory into the science fiction genre.

Fiction:

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Ringworld by Richard K. Morgan

Non Fiction:

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory              by Brian Greene