Review: The Martian

I have a confession to make. I very rarely read science fiction. And I do mean very rarely. My favorite genres are absolutely mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and true crime, and almost all my reading comes out of these categories.

But the Popsugar Challenge had a challenge to read from a genre you don't normally read. So I went to my dad, who reads a lot of science fiction, and asked him for his recommendation. He always has great suggestions, so when he immediately said I should read The Martian, I borrowed his copy right away.

And, as always, my dad absolutely steered me right.

Weir has created the story of Mark Watney, an astronaut on a mission to Mars. But when a freak storm hits, Watney is left alone on Mars, believed dead.

Through ingenuity, intelligence, and a sense of humor, Watney somehow keeps going, figuring out a way to survive. But will it be enough to get him rescued?

I read The Martian in about a day, because I could not put it down. It was the kind of book I was thinking about whenever I wasn't reading it. I read it while I walked, and while I waited for the bus. It drove me crazy that it was sitting in my bag at work and I couldn't open it back up. As soon as I got home from work, I curled up in a chair and finished it.

What also impressed me was how thoroughly Weir must have done his research--and that he originally self-published this in serialized chapters, offering it for free before putting it on Amazon for the minimum ebook price allowed. It was there Weir's brilliant novel was discovered, and grew into the sensation it became.

I will admit quite a bit of the science went right over my head, and I did zone out a bit during some of the extremely technical scientific paragraphs. But this is truly the only negative I can find with this book, and that is solely based on my personal preference.

The Martian may be classified as science fiction, but it is also suspenseful, psychological, and thrilling. I can already tell it's going to be one of my top reads of the year.