frankvalcarcel.com

There's not much I'm gonna add to the many eloquent and accredited reviews already made about this book. However, I can't remember when I read something that made me want to do this. And that's good enough for me!

In fact, I actually do remember the last book that inspired me this way, and this is what its author had to say about The Martian.

The Martian kicked my ass! Relentlessly entertaining and inventive.
Ernest Cline - Author of Ready Player One

My ass too, Ernest. Mine. Too.

This book was absolutely riveting. It kept me up two nights in a row and had me imagining amber Martian landscapes around the clock. The author, Andy Weir, was previously a software engineer, and it was little surprise to me that he wrote custom software to calculate some of the science in the book. It was just as technical as it was gripping and hilarious.

This is Andy's first novel, and the story of how it came to be is awesome. He had originally posted the story online and only created a Kindle version of it after readers begged. He set the price for it to the lowest Amazon would allow! It only grew in popularity from there. Then, the publishing and movie deals came in the same week. Not surprised.

The novel was published in print a little more than a year ago and the movie is scheduled for an October release. It's directed by Ridley Scott (yes!) and stars Matt Damon, Childish Gambino, and Zoe Barnes.

I'm actually worried the movie will never reach orbit around the massive suspense and emotional gravity this book made me feel! Somehow, Andy found a way to make you deeply understand what it could feel like to be stranded on a remote planet. Loneliness would probably be something we'd all guess at, but there's just no time to be lonely when literally everything seems like it is trying to kill you.

The book reminds us about the dichotomy of humanity's significance with a vast and quiet universe. There's just something so basic and primitive about it. It's a story about survival, and deep instincts found in every one of us. It's also incredibly funny. So prepare to laugh out loud while riding the edge of your seat! Warning: you will probably wake up your spouse if you're reading late at night. There were times that I was laughing hysterically...... at... 3 in the morning.

I liked The Martian so much I may have tweeted about it,

The Martian. A 369 page, galactic sized skull fucking, that will leave you feeling like you rode the space elevator to hell and back.

— Frank Valcarcel (@fmdfrank) June 13, 2015

I think that perfectly sums things up. I hope you enjoy the book, and if you read it please share your thoughts.