The Martian by Andy WeirMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
If someone had told me I would get hooked to a Science Fiction book and relate to many many moments in it, I would have laughed. But 'The Martian' caught me in its pincer grip and refused to let go until I had read the last page and closed it with a big 'whoa'.
Page turner? Absolutely yes.
Soppy emotions? Just the right teeny dash of it. I found myself rooting for potatoes to grow, desperate for the protagonist to establish some contact with earth, felt the rickety-bullock-cart type last ride to the one and only chance of coming back home.
Science? Loads of it. The kind a 15 year old will grasp.
Set far in the future? Well, yes and its the foreseeable future. Not one where people fly around in their personal pods you know?
Stretch of imagination? Totally. What good is SciFi without a huge stretch of imagination!! The best part is all the scenarios and solutions are based on solid and known science.
The style of narration? Super! Simple and not dry and full of attitude. We are actually dealing with one very cool astronaut you see?
I thought this can be made into a great movie. Duh! Just got to know its already happening. I know, I know, I have been an ostrich with its head buried in sand.
And (I HAD to put this here, my Indian sensibilities force my hand) is it only me who finds the name 'Venkat Kapoor' strange?
Go ahead, read this book and enjoy the ride!!!
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