Review: The Novel, The Martian…

There are books that can change everything. Sometimes for the world—but this is usually a far slower response—more often for the author. The Martian, by Andy Weir, is just such a book. It was this novel that catapulted the software engineer into a new life as a full-time writer; which, of course, is every aspiring author’s dream. 

Color me jealous, with the distinctive hue of admiration. 

So what is it about this novel that convinced the executives at Twentieth Century Fox and auteur Ridley Scott (Gladiator) to bring The Martian to the silver screen? I hope this review answers those questions. 

It’s an interesting premise: A standard Man vs Nature survival plot but with an interesting twist. Nature here is the natural world of Mars. It nods to several stories of the same ilk. Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” with the extremely cold temperatures and minus the dog and tragic ending, is one of them. Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is another, while Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, sans the Bengal tiger, and Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, with a young protagonist just as resourceful as the one here, also come to mind. 

It gives us protagonist Mark Watney, a 21st Century Everyman if there ever was one, who just happens to be an astronaut. A stranded astronaut. On Mars. The narrative is mostly filled with Watney’s log entries. Critics say that this journal style of narration is less an intimate portrait of the astronaut and more of an objective, recorded history. The accessible narrative style of "Everyman" often sacrifices literary nuance, emotional depth, and distinct character voices to focus on advancing the plot and providing detailed scientific information. In other words, all of this prevents the reader from making any emotional connections with the main character whatsoever. 

Said critics couldn’t be more wrong.

First of all, this is a science fiction tale. Which means that it was written for a science fiction reader audience. SF readers expect detailed scientific information throughout the prose. Also, this is a survival tale, the survival of one—let’s count that again, one—individual. So human interaction, which is usually what brings out the emotional depth and humanity of a person, is scant here by the novel’s very design. Mark Watney’s “sol” (or daily) log is written to chronicle the character’s daily (or sol-ly?) struggles with his environment. Watney waxes sentimental infrequently, and his vignettes are crafted as lessons for future Mars astronauts. 

Critics also decry the character flatness in the novel, stating that all the characters—from the marooned astronaut to the NASA officials—exhibit a comparable, witty, and somewhat immature verbal style, which makes it challenging to distinguish between their voices. Watney's journey for survival is noteworthy for its optimistic tone, and is characterized by sarcasm and humor. Yet critics contend that his unwavering positivity is implausible for an individual facing complete isolation. They also contend that there is no discernible character arc, that the stranded astronaut is the same dorky goofball at the end as he is in the beginning. 

What the critics miss here is what Weir has accomplished in this novel, as well as what he duplicates in Project Hail Mary, and what has become his signature writing style—and what I truly believe makes this story so marketable, which is why Hollywood grabbed and ran with it. It effectively combines rigorous STEM problem-solving with a captivating, suspenseful narrative. Furthermore, it makes science accessible and interesting to everybody, while also honoring human creativity and global teamwork.

While The Martian is not a direct allegory in any literary sense of the word, it serves as a narrative showcasing the victory of human creativity, the unyielding human spirit, and our inherent, collective drive to collaborate and assist one another. A 21st Century Robinson Crusoe, indeed. 

Needless to say, I highly recommend this novel. And I look forward to more works by the author Andy Weir, whom I genuinely aspire to emulate.