We all know the classic survival story, the hero is stranded on a inhabited island, cut off from civilization, and must learn to survive on his own, until help arrives. But imagine, instead of being stranded on an island, you end up stranded on another planet. What do you do? Well, "The Martian," written by Andy Weir, tells you that kind of story.

The book starts with the protagonist, Mark Watney, a botanist and an engineer for the Ares three mission. When a sand storm forces the team to evacuate, Mark ends up separated and presumed dead. He wakes up to find himself stranded, alone, and cut off from Earth. With his knowledge as an astronaut and a botanist, and the equipment left behind by the crew, he has to learn how to survive on his own, on another planet! He has a few advantages, obviously first, being a botanist, he knows how to harvest plant life to sustain a food supply, most of the equipment as well as the HAB site where the crew resided on Mars, miraculously remained undamaged by the sandstorm. But with a limited life support system, and no way to contact earth, (since the antennae blew of in the storm and ultimately hit Mark knocking him unconscious,) his chances of survival are still slim. Back on Earth, Mark is presumed dead, until a satellite image of equipment being moved around the HAB site reveals he has survived. Suddenly NASA is scrambling to rescue this one man on Mars.

The book alternates between the first person and third person perspective. The first person narrative take place in the form of entry logs Mark is keeping on Mars. In them, he discusses his painstaking effort to survive on Mars The third person narrative takes place back on earth, where officials at NASA discuss how they could launch a rescue mission and Watney's crew dealing with the presumed loss of their colleague and friend.

Mark Watney was a very interesting character. The way he talks about his efforts to survive were interesting and even funny. He had such a sarcastic sense of humor I got a lot of good laughs out of the book. The way he solved every problem he came across kept me invested in the story, as well as made me interested in the science involved. The other characters were interesting as well, I would list them but then this review would be an essay.

The science is another thing I liked about the book. Andy Weir did an amazing job with the scientifically accurate procedures and experiments Watney performed on Mars. What made this amazing was how it didn't read out like a science text book. The way the science was described was actually pretty entertaining, and it caught my interest. I think it had to do with the fact that it's what kept me invested with Mark's struggle to survive.

The book was a fun read. It was funny, entertaining, fast-paced and kept me turning the page with every word. Even if your not a science geek, Mark's struggle and NASA's attempts at rescue keep you invested the whole way through the story. You may actually learn something that you probably slept through in your 10th grade science classroom. This book was an instant classic, plain and simple! I hope Andy Weir writes more books in the future, because he certainly has a talent as a writer. I can't even talk much more about the book without giving spoiler details away because its that good. If you are a fan of science fiction, I highly recommend this book. Also, to anyone who is interested in survival stories, I'd give this book a try. Trust me, you won't regret it!!

But these are just my opinions. Have you read the book? If so, did you love it? Comment below, keep on reading and enjoy your summer while its still here!!!