The Martian

[BlowingOldBoots]

Author: Andy Weir

Astronaut bloke in not too distant future gets left on Mars after an emergency departure from the camp is required. Crew thinks he is dead and can't collect body so take off without him. Man proceeds to use ingenuity to survive for a long time.

A very gripping story that covers both the human and technical challenges trying to survive in an alien environment. A word of warning if you lot really are as fuddy duddy as you try and appear - it is written in the present tense as an informal narrative in a log, the prose is quite modern in style and some of the terms used are those that my 14 year old daughter uses, which I find irritating e.g. the laconic 'Yey' expressed with no emotion to sarcastically acclaim some minor triumph is used quite a lot. The technical analysis that the chap does to solve problems is excellent though, worth a read for that alone and the pace is quite fast.

I have bought this on iBooks but it may be available as a paperback too. Sunday Times Best Seller and described by The Financial Times as 'utterly nail biting', which it is.

It is available in Amazon as a paperback, just checked.

[mm5aho]

It is available on paperback. I'm reading that now, having nicked it off Son #1.
So far a good read.

[Nick]

.
It's on Kindle. I've added it to my wish list.

I'm reading Peter May's Lewis trilogy at the moment.

I took the bus up to Ness this year when I was in Stornoway and wandered around . . . the book is very evocative.

[aquaplane]

Just finished it, I really enjoyed the read.