The Martian
by Andy Weir · first published 2011
57% recommend41% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Funny, fast survival story about an astronaut stranded on Mars, with believable, well-researched science and engineering problem-solving. Suits readers tired of far-fetched sci-fi; the audiobook is also praised.
Common criticism: Some find the prose bland or lacking
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The Martian is a 2011 science fiction novel written by Andy Weir. It was his debut novel under his own name. It was originally self-published in 2011; Crown Publishing purchased the rights and re-released it in 2014. The story follows an American astronaut, Mark Watney, as he becomes stranded alone on Mars in 2035 and must improvise in order to survive.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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…and engineering. Almost every novel seems to be filled with aliens of all sorts, FTL, omnious superhuman AIs, nanobots that are practically magic, and whatnot. The thing I found so refreshing about The Martian (despite its other shortcomings) was how everything was just so believable; pretty much the same as what Musk is promising to deliver in the very near future. Why can't more novels be like that?
on “Something Is Broken in Our Science Fiction. Why Can’t We Move Past Cyberpunk?” ↗…and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic. 2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase. 3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it. 4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗I was happy that "The Martian" won sci-fi book of the year on goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian It is well worth a read and I think HNers and fellow geeks will find it interesting
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗This seems like something right out of The Martian (which I am 75% through reading, and highly recommend) - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian
on “Lost Beagle2 probe found 'intact' on Mars” ↗Andy Weir - The Martian. Possibly the most well researched science fiction book I've ever read. Well worth reading even if you've seen the movie, since that leaves out about half the things that go wrong and the large majority…
on “Ask HN: What things do you wish you discovered earlier?” ↗For those interested in a technically detailed fictional account of a rescue mission to Mars, read The Martian by Andy Weir. It raises some of the same feelings as this article.
on “A rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia” ↗You should read the book "The Martian" by Andy Weir if you haven't already. Doing things in space can require a lot of hacking!
on “Why it takes so long to get data back from New Horizons” ↗…interesting read. 2. The accidental Billionaires (Ben Mezrcih) -I have heard that not everything in this book is "completely-true" (more distorted than others...) but still a great read! 3. The Martian (Andy Weir) - Hands down the best science fiction book I have read. I have lost count how many times I have listened to the audio-book (probably >15). I want to go to MARS! 4. Harry Potter Series.…
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗I'm confused about this too. The Martian (at least the book) has good science throughout. But in Gravity, the space shrapnel is moving much faster than the ISS, yet has the same orbit as it. I don't think that's possible, from what KSP has taught…
on “Kerbal Space Program Acquired by Take-Two Interactive” ↗…exploration missions. Second, the plants chosen for bottle gardens are very sturdy and tolerant of non-optimal environments. Humans are a lot more sensitive. If you're interested in the topic, read "The Martian" by Any Weird, a very well-researched SF story about an astronaut who gets left behind during a Mars mission and has to survive for several years using equipment that was only specced to sustain the expedition…
on “A sealed bottle garden thriving after 40 years without fresh air or water” ↗I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend! Last week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although…
on “Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?” ↗Just read The Martian recently. It was recommended to me as extremely detail-oriented. It is extremely detail-oriented. :-) Fun and engrossing if you like super-hard science fiction. (I sure seemed to, although I glossed…
on “Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?” ↗I'm about a quarter of the way through "The Martian" by Andy Weir. It's good, geeky fun so far. Some of the dialog is clunky but the main character is interesting and fun. I also read "11/22/63" by Stephen King. An interesting twist on time travel with…
on “Ask HN: What is HN reading?” ↗…Start with "The Player of Games" and "Consider Phlebas". Anything by Vernor S. Vinge especially "Zones of Thought" series. "Daemon", "Freedom(tm)", "Kill Decision" and "Influx" by Daniel Suarez. "The Martian" by Andy Weir. Anything by Neal Stephenson, especially "Reamde: A Novel" and "Cryptonomicon". Anything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially "The Fractal Prince".
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗…through GEB[1]. Last month I read: - The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)[2] - Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)[3] - The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)[4] 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach 2. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/ 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Clear…
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗