Andy Weir is not a writer in the conventional sense of the word. He has never gone to school intending to become a writer, nor has he studied classical literature in any depth. In fact, he has always enjoyed another side of the academic world: science.
Working as a software engineer since the age of 15, Weir spends his free time thinking of space, and planning fictional voyages to Mars for himself and a fictional crew. During one of these sessions, he realized a voyage to Mars littered with catastrophe would make a great plot for a science fiction novel. This led to his first (and so far only) novel, The Martian.
However, the manner in which he wrote The Martian was far from conventional. Weir wrote and published one chapter at a time on his website. Soon, his fans begged him to compile his work and put it on Amazon so they could read it on their Kindles. He did so, and The Martian skyrocketed to the top five science fiction best-sellers. Immediately, publishers called and he landed a book deal. The film rights have also since been sold to producer Simon Kinberg.
This best-selling novel is about one man’s struggle to survive alone on Mars after his crew is forced to evacuate without him. Weir’s inexperience in writing is somewhat apparent at times. The novel as a whole lacks subtlety, as Weir explains things better left to interpretation. In addition, he condescends to the reader, explaining the simplest science while simultaneously calling the reader an idiot if he or she doesn’t understand some of the more complicated things. However, this condescension works for the novel, as the majority of it is told from the lone astronaut’s perspective. Already equipped with a dry sense of humor and stranded on Mars, one can expect this astronaut to talk down to whomever may be reading his mission log.
Though The Martian may never be considered classic literature, it’s a wildly entertaining read. Plot drives the story with thrilling plot twists. This novel is close to impossible to put down, even for readers unused to science fiction. However, this exhilarating novel isn’t just about a man left stranded on Mars. It’s also a reminder of the inherent good in humanity: people will pull together to save one man against all odds. And if they fail, they will try again because “this is so fundamentally human that it’s found in every culture without exception.”
@TheChrony