The Martian, by Andy Weir

The Martian, by Andy Weir

Self-published in 2011, audiobook released in 2013, published in 2014 by Crown Publishing

Listened to sometime in July

This is another book that has been made into a film, due on the screens in October this year. It’s a realistic science fiction book about astronaut Mark Watney, left for dead on Mars, but very still alive and who must use his wits and cunning and brilliant or stupid ideas to survive on a alien planet.

This is the very first audiobook I ever listened to, because I wasn’t sold on the concept. Well, I’m not ashamed to admit, I was wrong, very very wrong. It was a delightful period of being read to, like a child, a very adult book, with the deep masculine voice doing effects so that it was nearly like I was reading it in my head. Yes, it was long, nearly ten hours, though I now know it’s actually quite a short book.

The adventures of Watney in space are very well thought out, very thrilling, with a lot of suspense. Will Earth discover he’s still alive? Will he survive? Will there be a rescue mission? Will it be successful? It was great because everything that could go wrong go wrong, which was heart-stopping and fantastic.

So I haven’t really read the book, but I warmly suggest you do, or even better, like me listened to the audiobook which is a successful venture in this case.

My opinion : 5 / 5 for great suspense, wonderful reading voice and superb story.