What if you were literally the only person left on the planet?
Soon to be a movie starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain, The Martian by Andy Weir is like Apollo 13 on steroids.
Mark Watney is an astronaut who is separated from the other members of his team when their mission to Mars is suddenly aborted. Left for dead, he realizes it will take 4 years for help to reach him. As the self-appointed “King of Mars,” he has to use every skill he’s ever acquired in his life to have even a remote chance of survival.
The Martian has a lot of science jargon but it is an absolutely compelling adventure story that I could not put down. What could have just been a typical sci-fi thriller benefits from a solid emotional foundation. Thousands of people work day and night to try and save the life of a single astronaut. How much time, effort, and money, is the life of one person worth?
This is a great summer read and I can’t wait to check out the movie this fall.
Check out the trailer here.