New York : Crown Publishers, [2014]
369 p. : maps ; 24 cm.
There should be two genres - science fiction and scientific fiction, with scientific fiction being fiction that is so steeped in science and so close to the near-future of actual science that it reads like contemporary fiction. If so the The Martian would be an amazing example of scientific fiction. At times while reading it, I found myself forgetting that humans have never actually set foot on Mars - only probes and rovers.
This novel is a great bit of exciting story telling. It follows the adventures of one astronaut stranded on Mars when his crew abandons him, firmly convinced that he is lost and dead. The novel unwinds a modern survival tale - how will he even survive long enough on such a hostile planet, and will earth based efforts to rescue him be successful.
It is an amazing feat that the author takes what could be a very boring scenario and turns it into a wild adventure, a thrilling live or die race to the end.
The details are so meticulous (and interesting) that I often felt like I was reading a fictionalized version of actual events. Reviews compare it to Robinson Crusoe and Apollo 13 - not a bad analogy. If you like a good, gritty, unpredictable survival/or almost survival tale with lots of fascinating details about living on a bitterly cold planet that has almost no atmosphere, then you'll love this novel. I did!
BTW, a Sol is the term NASA uses to describe one Martian day.
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