28.5689% More Suspensful Than the Competition, Guaranteed! 
 Exactly how much drama -- measured in Drams, Hitchcocks, or SSU's (Swiss Suspense Units) -- can an author wring from a 'man vs. nature' theme, especially when the 'nature' in question is the dead red sand of Mars? Quite a bit, actually. That kind of speculation drives much of the action in Andy Weir's popular debut novel, 'The Martian'. If a (mostly) first-person novel that involves copious amounts of physics and math -- and ultra-detailed descriptions of the technology that any near-future Mars mission would likely use doesn't interest you -- then just put the Kindle down and slowly back away... fortunately, I was lying; it doesn't really involve any math or physics homework. 
 See? Matt Damon did all the math for us. 
 If you're cool with a bit of high-texposition, it's a definite green-light. Plot, you ask? Yep. Lots of it. After their Mars expedition is cut short due to a sandstorm, the mission's botanist and engineer, Mark Watney, is separated from the rest of the crew during the evacuation. His damaged suit sends physical telemetry informing them he's dead, and they are forced to leave without him. Determined to survive, he uses every scrap of knowledge and imagination he possesses to stretch his supplies out long enough for a rescue mission to reach him. Using whatever technology lies buried from Mars missions past and present, he becomes an accidental colonist, and the first true 'Martian'. 
 If you can't calculate the SSUs (or Hitchcocks) in Watney's account of using an iridium catalyst and an open-freakin'-flame to break hydrazine down to its elemental parts (in a risky attempt to make enough water for a makeshift hydroponic garden), you should probably pass on it. It's one of those novels, however, that defies the best publishing prognosticator's guesstimates about who the hell might like this book, and how many copies it might sell. Weir does an excellent job of keeping the story buoyant, never letting it get sunk by dry, scientific exposition. 
 Could you dumb it down a bit, Watney? We're not all fancy-pants scientologists and astronauts, ya know. 
 On the other hand, it is precisely this attention to detail that makes it so utterly convincing. Is it 100% accurate, based on current trends in space exploration technology? Fuck, I have no idea. It sounds good though. If it were 100% accurate, I guess, the book would have never been written, because the future of manned space missions looks kind of grim at the moment. This is a scientifically-literate and realistic SF love-letter to the spirit of exploration... work like this might be the best hope for resuscitating public interest in space travel. 
 In case you're wondering, the protagonist's first-person journal entries aren't the whole story; Weir alternates between 'Letters from Mars', a third-person account of the desperate rescue mission being organized on Earth, and his despondent crewmates, still making the long trip home onboard the shuttlecraft. The break in perspective provides added suspense, as Mark Watney's plight becomes big news around the world, and differing ideas about the best course of action lead to heated struggles and painful defeats. 
 Yep, my favorite. People doing interesting stuff. 
 This novel deserves all the praise and attention it's received, and I recommend it highly for anyone who loves 'realistic science fiction' -- 'The Martian' is proof-positive that the label is not an oxy-moron. The fact that Ridley-fucking-Scott (and I liked Prometheus, stupid part and all) adapted it for the screen, with Matt Damon playing Watney -- that's validation of a sort most debut SF novelists would take over a Hugo Award any day. I'm not surprised that a director like Scott snapped up the movie rights; with over 340 SSUs (or 0.8 Hitchcocks), he would have been crazy to let a lesser director have it. Fortunately for Weir and his fans, Scott did a great job. 
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