The Martian - Andy Weir (Rollerrrrrrr Coaaaasssstteerrrr!!!!!)

Book Name: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
Pages: 300 Plus
How long it took me to read: 4 days
Plot Summary: 
This book is about Mark Watney (Played by Matt Damon - Yes Jason Bourne from the Bourne Series). He is an astronaut who is on a mission to Mars. He is a botanist, engineer and quite the jack of all trades. However, he gets left behind in Mars by his crew because of an accident that happens. The crew thinks he is dead and leave him behind and begin their journey back to earth. However Watney is not dead. The rest of the book is about how NASA and his crew mates battle the impossible to get him back and how the rest of the world wait for his return with baited breath. Did I forget to mention that Watney stays back in Mars for almost a year and half and manages to survive? I won't say anything much more than that because you can read the book and there is nothing much to say...errr....I mean...the many different ways he survives all of the impossible situations and the round the clock working of NASA to solve the impossible problems forms the rest of the book

What I thought:
Given all the hype surrounding the book on Booktube, Goodreads I thought this was the book of the century. All the Booktubers were raving about it. The movie was made at jet speed. Everyone and their grandmothers had read the book except me. So yes, it made me feel like that only person who had not been selected to the cheer leading team. I did not want to buy the book (I don't unless I am like dead sure - Hence I have a collection of crazy books). Also when a book has this much of hype I automatically develop some unexplained aversion to the book, Harry Potter being the prime example(Crazy, I know!!!!). Its a different matter though that I fell in love with Harry Potter and now I am the proud owner of all the books in the series. I am currently making detailed plans to rob a bank so that I can  get my hands on the illustrated books of which the first has been released (Just kidding....not really...I really really want them). Anyway let's get to the topic of the blog and leave discussing my crazy book buying/borrowing jaunts for another blog. Coincidentally I borrowed this book from the library.

Honestly I liked the book. Its a book that is about surviving all the odds. I liked the character of Mark. Though he is in a hopeless situation he tries to make the best of everything. But sometimes I felt he was a little emotionless and in some situations I was like buddy do you have nerves of steel in your body? There are situations which are sometimes so hopeless, but Watney smartly manages to show us the finger and it kind of sucked, because all the tension that was building up was solved quite easily. I am not sure what the author had in mind but I found that a bit disconcerting. Also I did not feel it lived up to all of the hype surrounding it. It was good but not mindbogglingly (is that even a word ?) good.I enjoyed it but its not something that I will be rushing out to buy. I am not sure if I am going to re read it either so does not make sense to buy anyway

The book is written in the form of a diary. It has humor. There were a couple of situations which were "Laugh out really Loud". Watney has a mean sense of humor. The book has a lot of technical matter and mathematical calculations. In the initial phases of reading I tried to re read the calculations and understand how the whole thing was working but then I lost interest. Partly because there were so many of them and partly because I do not have the brains (he he he)

I am eagerly waiting to watch the movie though. Even though I read this after the movie released, even if it was not yet being made into a movie, I would want a movie to be made (ok even I did not understand myself there). Basically what I am trying to say is that this is a book that had to get made into a movie. The movie has been successful from all the reviews that I have heard. Let us see how much I love it. 

The writing style is amazing and I really appreciate the effort that has gone into the research of this book. Its almost like this is story is an experience that the author has undergone in real life. Other than the many calculations and the conversions of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon di oxide it is an enjoyable read. If the author writes anymore books (Apparently he is....It is titled Zhek or something to that effect and is also sci-fi) yes I will definitely read them. 

As an after thought, in the book, NASA really came through. I mean millions of dollars and the lives of almost 5 people were put at risk to save one man. If NASA is really like this and the higher ups have such a good sense of humor I desperately want a job. I can happily do any job even if it involves staring at planets all day (that is the only job I will get anyway) if the bosses working at NASA are the same as the book portrays them to be.

Yayyyy or Naaaayyyy: Definitely an Yayyyy!!!!

Rating: 3 stars

Fun Fact: This book was rejected by all the publishers that Andy Weir approached, until he finally self published. He actually started publishing it like a serial on his website and some readers apparently asked him to make it available on Kindle (got this from Google). Only once the book started getting a buzz from the readers did some agent wake up from deep slumber and make a beeline to publish the book. Given the amount of successful authors being rejected.....Why publishing fellows why...???????? If you can publish Danielle Steele I am sure you can publish authors like these.......