The Martian by Andy Weir

Title:  The Martian
Author:  Andy Weir
Pages:  387
Genre:  Science Fiction
Publisher:  Broadway Books, 2014

Damn it, Jim, I'm a botanist, not a chemist!

Synopsis:  Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. — After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone, with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive -- and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills -- and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit -- he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Problem is (follow me closely here, the science is pretty complicated), if I cut a hole in the Hab, the air won't stay inside anymore.

Review:  I use little colored pieces of paper to mark the quotes I like in books.  When I got done reading this book (in just over 2 days of never wanting to stop reading), I had about 30 pieces of paper.  I could have marked the entire book.  I loved this book.  This was some of the best Science Fiction I've had the pleasure of reading, ever.

It was funny, scary, sad, thrilling, uplifting and disgusting.  Usually all on one page!  It was chock full of science geekiness, which I have a soft spot for.  I am letting this one sit for a while and see if I want to re-read it another time.  It was that good.  I'm pretty particular about books I consider keepers, more so now that I've moved so many times in the last 4 years.  But this book, it gets a spot.

And now, I find out they are making a movie out of this book!  I can't wait!  I hope it's as good as this book was.

I think the quote from the Reader's Guide at the end pretty well sums it up.  "Ultimately, The Martian transcends its undeniable nerdy thrills of how to survive on Mars to celebrate human resilience."  I couldn't have said it better myself.  And, boy, was it a kick-ass ride!

...apparently, I smell like a skunk took a shit on some sweat socks.

Rating:  10 / 10