If you're going to be stranded on Mars, it helps to be an engineer. And it doesn't hurt to have millions of dollars in NASA hardware either. 
 This was an incredible story of the drive in humans to survive and the compassion of others to help them, even at high costs. I loved the technical detail and knowledge that is built into this book. I know that Weir did a tremendous amount of research and simulation to get the science right, and it serves to strengthen the tale and adds to the realism. The logs and radio communications sound like watching NASA TV or Twitter feeds. The logs also get around the limitations in suspense while telling a story in first person. You cannot predict whether Whatley will live or die, and I spent much of the book wondering if I was just reading his logs that were picked up later by a different mission sent for recovery. 
 This book was well composed, well researched, and well deserves all of the critical praise it is receiving.