The Martian (2011)

Technically the second time I've discussed The Martian on the blog but this time I made my way through the book rather than the movie. It's really hard revisiting this in a post Hail Mary world as you can see all of the building blocks, and a lot of the same DNA, that we get with Rocky and Grace but it's just not quite as fun or engaging. Andy Weir writes in a very analytical way. The book kind of plays out like a series of scientific problems with a charismatic scientist trying to solve them in real time. It's fun and a different kind of pace to other science fiction I have read. I would highly recommend new readers to read this before Project Hail Mary as I think it is hurt by its superior follow up. It's also a case where I think the movie may be better than the novel, but they can be enjoyed back-to-back as kind of companions. Regardless this is still an enjoyable read and well worth the time to experience.