A novel by
software engineer Andy Weir, a
hard science fiction version of
Robinson Crusoe on Mars.
Self-published online as a serial novel, and then in
Kindle format in
2012, a hardcover edition was published by
Crown in
2014.
The plot centers on the travails of
astronaut Mark Watney,
left for dead on
Mars by his fellow astronauts evacuating during a dust storm. Damage from the storm leaves him unable to communicate with
Earth. Watney's challenge: survive until the next manned Mars mission arrives... in two years. Much of the plot is science driven, as Watney has to
MacGyver ways to produce water, air, and food, and to find a way to let
NASA know he's alive.
Most of the novel consists of
diary entries detailing the scientific and engineering obstacles Watney encounters. So while the story is suspenseful and exciting (the type of solo adventure novel that could even appeal to children), following the turns of plot does require a college-level familiarity with
chemistry and
physics. (When originally published on his blog, astronauts,
spaceflight engineers, chemists, physicists, and geologists emailed Weir to correct or enhance his plot points.)
One major conceit that you'll need to
get past: the sole stranded astronaut happens to be the
mechanical engineer/
botanist of the mission (how convenient!). While Weir has written Watney's character as a
smartass, providing genuine laugh lines to break up the novel's tension, the novel's main weakness is slighting the psychological toll of solitary confinement 40 million miles from the rest of humanity.
Long before the book was published in hardcover, film rights were optioned by
20th Century Fox, with
Simon Kinberg (
X-Men: First Class, Elysium) attached as
producer and
Drew Goddard (
The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield) attached as writer/director.
Additional sources:
Ira Flatow and Andy Weir. Interview, Science Friday. February 14, 2014.http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/02/14/2014/andy-weir-the-martian.html(accessed April 16, 2014)
Georgia Rowe, "Andy Weir's self-published 'The Martian' travels through space to best-sellerdom," San Jose Mercury News. March 10, 2014. http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_25313443/andy-weirs-self-published-martian-travels-through-space (accessed April 16, 2014)
Jeff Schneider, "Drew Goddard in Negotiations to Write and Direct ‘The Martian’ for Fox (Exclusive)." The Wrap. May 15, 2013. http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/drew-goddard-negotiations-write-direct-martian-fox-exclusive-91896 (accessed April 16, 2014)
Andy Weir, "How science made me a writer." Salon. February 11, 2014. http://www.salon.com/2014/02/11/how_science_made_me_a_writer/ (accessed April 16, 2014)