The MartianThe Martian
What it's about
Six days into what should be humanity's greatest achievement, astronaut Mark Watney is stranded on Mars, injured and presumed dead after a dust storm forces his crew to evacuate. With no way to contact Earth and supplies that won't last until the next mission arrives in four years, the botanist and engineer has to science his way out: growing food, making water and solving one life-threatening problem after another.
Why it's worth reading
It's an irresistible survival story, smart, funny and constantly suspenseful, with a hero whose sarcastic log entries make you laugh while he's facing death. It's pure fun from start to finish.
You'll love it if you liked
Project Hail Mary, The Right Stuff or Dungeon Crawler Carl
Good to know
There's a lot of science and math, all explained, and plenty of swearing. If you loved Project Hail Mary, this was Weir's first.
By the numbers
- Readers96 out of 100 · counts 40%+43
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%+0
- Bestseller78 out of 100 · counts 32% (its stronger lane)+28
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 15%+0
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero.
On the PBS Great American Read list. #1 New York Times bestseller (3 weeks at #1). 4.42★ from 1.4M Goodreads ratings.
Where it ranks
- #8 of the 140 science fiction books we rank
- #40 of the 666 modern books we rank
- #97 of the 1,404 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (3 weeks at #1)
On the lists
- PBS Great American Read
Reads as
Adventurous
