The Martian, by Andy Weir (A GEEK WIN)

GEEK. WIN. You hear me?? Here's the Amazon blurb:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. 
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. 
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. 
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

This book caught me by the ear lobes, it was that good! Usually they catch me by the throat, which is a much bigger target. If you're a space-nerd like me and you have not read this book, you are seriously missing out. I got it on my Kindle and on my Kindle I stayed... through school, night-time, and a host of important activities that I probably should have been paying attention to. BUT IT WAS WORTH IT. Here's why:

From the very first sentence, I felt the raw energy of the novel (you'll see what I'm talking about if you decide to read it -- but beware if you don't like cussing). I was thrown right into the action and dragged along at a crazy and deliberately stressful pace. It was fascinating to see the incredibly detailed and ingenious way Mark Watney solves the problems that Mars throws at him on a daily (or sol-ly) basis. All the while, his sass-reflex makes him the most entertaining astronaut I've ever read.

At the end of the book, I was a sad space-nerd. The ride of my riveting life (haha) was over, and I could no longer drown myself in its hostile environments and sizzling sarcasm. More than ever before, I wanted to meet this astronaut guy. He would be a fun person to talk to.

I also wanted to go to Mars, but you know, that probably won't happen till I'm fifty. Right?

4.3 / 5