I want to begin by stating that this book was undoubtedly brilliant. I'd also like to add that it unfortunately, for me, fell into the trap of being over-hyped. I wouldn't say the claims laid to this book were exaggerated, but rather than they led me to expect something... more?! 
 The research that must have been put into this book and the knowledge it imparted were astounding, it did however lead the first quarter to be a little dry. It felt, on times, more like a manual on how to survive on Mars rather than a fictional account of surviving on Mars - and there is a difference. This 'dryness' however was moistened somewhat by the witty and lovable protagonist, Mark Watney. If I had to invite one literary character to a tea party, my first choice would be him. His outlook is never pessimistic or self-pitying, which would be expected in his situation, but upbeat and epigrammatic throughout. He teaches the reader that a lot can be accomplished with the virtues of resourcefulness and a positive outlook (alongside an exhaustible knowledge of botany and mechanical engineering, of course). 
 The book was divided between Mark's journal style entries ,that accounted for his days in celestial isolation, and how Earth, and NASA in particular, was responding to his plight. The latter sections started about a quarter of the way in and I found these broke up Mark's 'knowledge-heavy' entries. From then on, I was hooked. I flew through the remainder of the book in one sitting. Up until the very last pages, my heart was kept pounding with the 'will they/won't they' scenarios that were continually played out. It is the definition of edge-of-your-set reading! 
 This is a stellar (pun intended) read that I can't wait to re-read, without the added anxiety concerning the outcome of the book.