[rating:5/5]

Wow. What an amazingly written and intriguing book. Andy Weir has written a brilliant tale that combines the inventiveness of Macgyver with space, teamwork and hope in a way that pulls you into the story right from page one.

The Martian is a Robinson Caruso story with a twist; the central character Mark Watney, is stranded not on an island but on Mars. It makes being stranded on an island, or even in the arctic, a cakewalk by comparison.

Andy’s writing style and ability to get you to emphasize with his characters is wonderful. You really feel for Mark and pin your hopes on his daily struggle for sanity and survival.

As long as Andy is involved in the project, this would make a wonderful movie, similar to Castaway but without the volleyball.

I can’t wait for Andy’s next book and recommend this to everyone, wether you are interested in space or not. This is not a sci-fi book, this is a human interest story, an adventure tale and a ‘what would you do if’ book.