We’re pleased to invite a guest librarian blogger onto our site today! Brian K. DeLuca, from Baltimore County Public Library, is here to share his amazing review of The Martian by Andy Weir.
“Houston we have a problem…”
In The Martian by Andy Weir, the action is cranked all the way up to an eleven, which is an impressive feat for a story that unfolds over the course of a year and a half. Set in the not too distant future, this is the story of NASA’s third mission to Mars. A type of routine has set in with these missions to the Red Planet until a freak sandstorm causes NASA to abort the mission and evacuate the planet. As the astronauts prepare to leave the surface, one is struck and thought to be dead, so he is left behind by his crewmates. Knocked unconscious, Mark Watley awakes to find himself in a damaged spacesuit, alone, with no communications, and no way to get off planet. Smart, sarcastic, hard-working, imaginative, and more than a little nerdy, Watley is the perfect hero. Left alone with limited supplies, Watley has to find a way to survive and meet his basic needs. Just as he starts to accomplish this, NASA realizes their mistake. As the world turns its attention to the drama unfolding across a sea of stars, Watley is forced to parry every challenge thrown at him by a harsh, unforgiving environment.
This book is perfect for anyone who loved Apollo 13 or Gravity as well as readers of Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars, and with its roots in current space history, it is more a work of Science “Fact-ion” than Science Fiction. The Martian, the debut novel by a promising new voice, is a celebration of the esprit de corps and professionalism of NASA as well as a celebration of the human spirit. Weir speaks to the basic human need to risk any danger, no matter the cost, to save another human in distress. The Martian will leave you breathless on its way to a fist-pumping-in-the-air conclusion.
The Martian is a February LibraryReads Pick, and there’s still time to get an eGalley through edelweiss.
Request The Martian eGalley today!
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