Matthew Morales

Period 4th
5/5/17

To Infinity and Beyond?

The Martian by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel about our protagonist, Mark Watney,

being stranded on Mars by his crew. Today I will be giving my thoughts on Weirs novel.

The whole premise of the book is very interesting, having a story set on Mars is a very

unique setting for this novel. It sets up the conflict and compliments it perfectly, with the

planet always trying to kill Mark Watney, the protagonist. The way the book starts out is

also very interesting. Having Mark wake up from being knocked out on Mars and left for

dead by his crew, Ares 3, really grabs the interest of readers as they want to find out

what happened to him and how hell get back to earth. The book is written as a series of

journal entries, or Sol Entries by Mark as he takes us on a first person experience

through his day and the challenges he overcame.

Some criticisms I have about The Martian are that the book uses a lot of science

vocabulary to help the reader visualise what chemical reaction or physic problem Mark

is trying to solve. The problem is that some of the vocabulary is hard to understand and

makes the plot difficult to follow. Marks character development is fascinating to watch

happen. In the beginning of the book he starts panicking about his grave situation and

saying he f**ked every hour. Toward the end of the book he starts developing the skills

to survive on Mars and uses his ingenuity to solve all the obstacles Mars throws at him.

In conclusion, The Martian by Andy Weir is a very good read. Its characters will

make you laugh, its plot will keep you in suspense. Mr. Weir wrote a really great piece

of literature by creating a unique setting for an even more unique story. I highly

recommend this story to anyone who likes science fiction.