The only interest I had for this book was knowing that it was written by the same guy who made the Martian which was made into a movie which has been one of my favorite movies of all time. So no pressure. To be honest, I didn’t have much hope for it but I’m happy to say that I was wrong. Even with a five hour roadtrip to San Jose for the weekend, there was not a moment I wanted to switch books. I was so enthralled with this book. I was wanting to hear what came next. I wanted to put the puzzle pieces together (you’ll understand soon) it was just that good.

First off, the premise for this book was really interesting. A guy wakes up on a ship strapped to a bunch of wires with no idea how he got there. Flashes of memory come to him as time passes and little by little he begins to pick up the pieces of his past. I kind of like stories like this when they are done right. Most of the time they come out to be not so interesting BUT Andy Weir has the peculiar ability to make everything he writes fascinating to read or listen to. (My audible listen)

Usually stories like this go one of two ways, the amnesia only serves to introduce the characters to a whole new world, so has not much to do with character themselves OR the amnesia has a purpose and a place in the story. This story was the later and he did it Good. Like really good. Flash backs aren’t supposed to be that good! Each flash back was like a puzzle piece that added more and more detail to a beautifully produced canvas. Not only was I interested with what was happening in the present but also with the past.

Secondly, the writing, though infused with a lot of scientific jargon, was simple enough for a casual reader to understand. The scientific concepts made for and taken from real life concepts were easily explained and interesting to hear about. Just think about it this way. Take the most interesting teacher you’ve ever listened to and imagine them teaching you science with an added touch of humor and there you go.

Lastly, I didn’t know where this story was going at all. This is not a bad a thing whatsoever, it just happens that I did not expect what happened in the book to happen at all. I thought it was going to be pretty simplistic and the main character’s endeavor was going to end one way, and when it didn’t, I was pleasantly surprised. This book dove straight into sci-fi and held nothing back.

Overall the book was good, it would be interesting to see if this book will be made as a film or kept as is. My only nitpick was toward the end when the story was wrapping up and it’s main character was given a choice. I will not say what that choice was but that it bothered me that he didn’t choose one specific thing. Other than that i’d say read it. It’s a good read, I highly recommend!

God bless