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[irisrecsbooks]

"The Martian" by Andy Weir

369 pages

***I review books on this blog! All reviews are my opinion and spoiler free! Actual review below the cut. If you've read the book, feel free to tell me your opinions or what you agree/disagree with!***

MY RATING: 10/10

Set in 2035, Mark Watney is part of Ares 3, the third mission in a set sending six astronauts to Mars in the name of science. On day 6 of the mission, a large dust storm hits that forces the team to evacuate, but Mark gets left behind after his suit tears and leaves the others thinking he's dead. He wakes up later that day knowing that his only hope is to make it 4 years until the next Ares mission comes to pick him up- only one problem: he doesn't have that much food. And nobody knows he's alive. And there's so many other ways he could die. Okay, maybe he has a lot of problems. Good thing he's not ready to sit back and let Mars beat him, the objectively best guy on Mars.

BUT FIRST: quotes!

"I was just one of her crew. Actually, I was the very lowest ranked member of the crew. I would only be 'in command' of the mission if I were the only remaining person.

What do you know? I'm in command." - Mark Watney

"Technically it's called 'Carl Sagan Memorial Station'. But with all due respect to Carl, I can call it whatever the hell I want. I'm the King of Mars." - Mark Watney

"Yay, I get to stare at a wall for several hours! Let me know if you come up with a way for me to not starve." - Mark Watney

Okay, I know some people don't like to rate books 10/10 because they can always be improved or whatever, but this is one of the best books I have ever read, which is why I wanted to post a review. Mark Watney's dry humor and witty personality make him an excellent main character, as you never get bored of listening to him.

Speaking of listening: if you, like me, aren't a fan of first person books, do NOT let that steer you away from this. The use of first person in the "diary entry" type of format adds to the story and is written so well that you barely even notice. It's also interspersed with breaks of third person to check up on other characters, so even if you're worried, I'd give it a shot.

The plot makes science sound exciting and actually manages to teach you a couple things all while staying within the realm of future possibility, excluding a few things. The only major thing I've seen is that Martian wind storms can't actually get bad enough to do as much damage as they do at the start of the book but, besides that, it's sciencey enough that if you like space you'll love it. If you know nothing about space or science, however, don't panic! The first time I read this book I knew next-to-nothing and was able to understand everything perfectly, though I did have to google a couple abbreviations that I forgot the meaning of.

The plot of this book is amazing and clearly well thought out. The plot twists are exciting but not whiplash-inducing like some books are, and not a single part seems shoved in or out of place. Everything combines seamlessly into a literary work of art.

The characters, even those with a small amount of time in the pages, all manage to have their own personality that really makes you able to connect with them. Characters like Mark who take up a lot of your time reading seem like real people by the end of the book, and even smaller characters like Rich Purnell, with maybe 1 1/2 pages devoted to him, are somehow developed in their own way. I can't say the last time I've remembered the names of minor characters from a book, as they're typically forgettable, but I could list off names of people you barely see in the book.

This book, I guarantee, will get you invested. I can not recommend this book enough to anyone who is willing to give it a chance. If you pick it up I promise you won't regret it.

[irisrecsbooks]

Hello!

My name is Iris (they/them), and this is my book review blog where I post, you guessed it, book reviews- spoiler free, for your viewing convenience!

Each review includes the book title, author, and number of pages, as well as a summary I write, some of my favorite quotes and, of course, my rating and review!

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The Martian- Andy Weir