The Martian

The Book

On a NASA manned mission to Mars, a storm hits the Habitat and the crew have to evacuate the planet. Botanist and mechanical engineer Mark Watney is hit by flying debris and separated from the rest. Despite a desperate against-the-clock search, the crew have to leave without him, assuming him dead.
The rest of the book is an exploration of the inherent will to survive against all the odds, as Mark explains in his log the day to day struggle to live on a hostile planet totally alone. The thorough and technical descriptions given on the processes of setting up camp, growing potatoes etc can become a bit dull and difficult to visualise for the unscientific mind, but Mark's humour and positivity keep you engaged, as do shifts of focus to NASA control and the rest of the mission crew, who are all well written characters.
A real tension sets in once a rescue plan is instigated and the reader feels the frustration with every unexpected and sometimes forbiddingly signalled setback.