The Martian: Oh, wow, wow, wow.

Wow. Oh, wow.

The Martian by Andy Weir has got to be one of the best novels I've ever read.

You undoubtedly have a good idea what the plot is. American astronaut Mark Whatney is mistakenly left behind on Mars when his landing team makes an emergency evacuation of the planet during a severe sandstorm. But to call this story "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" is too simplistic.

This novel is true science fiction. There are no aliens, no transporters, no warp speed spaceships. Whatney, a mechanical engineer and botanist, uses science, engineering, and farming techniques to stay alive while NASA plans his rescue. Weir goes into great detail about the physics and chemistry Whatney uses to survive, and the engineering and astrophysics NASA uses in its rescue attempt, yet he is never pedantic or boring. On the contrary, this book is breathtakingly suspenseful, witty, and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. The frustration Whatney experiences as his best laid plans go awry is visceral. The tension produced by the last pages is white-knuckling.

I can't help but recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an intelligent and well-written adventure story.

By the way, did I say 'wow' yet?